“For two nights, New York City was briefly transformed into Music City U.S.A.,” wrote Forbes magazine about Chris Stapleton’s “All American Road Show” stops at Madison Square Garden. Fans who packed the iconic arena couldn’t agree more. From the moment the multi-award-winning star (described as a “generational talent” by Forbes), took to the stage and kicked things off with the rock-tinged ballad “Bad as I Used to Be,” the crowd was swept up in the moment.

Ben Bearden, Stapleton’s lighting director, experienced this special energy as he sat at FOH. “That room really worked well with our show,” he said. “I never played MSG before in my years of touring, so being there for the first time with this show was really special.”

Contributing to the special aura in New York, and all of the 14 cities on the North American tour, was a deeply evocative lighting design by Sooner Routhier and Tony Caporale of The Playground. Managing to be both majestic and intimate at the same time, the bi-level stage, which featured a large overhead video ribbon over a curved floor that was artfully lit in vibrant colors, made each fan feel connected to the magnetic performer on stage.

“The overall vision to achieve for the show was to create a vintage country jukebox vibe onstage for a 270-degree arena audience,” explained Caporale. “It had to feel and look like a classic country concert. The broad strokes of painting a pretty scene took precedence over a bright and flashy show. The technology doesn’t need to compete with the incredible talent and showmanship on stage.”

Helping to create the desired immersive look were 22 COLORado PXL Bar 8 motorized battens and 10 Ovation CYC 3 FC low-profile RGBAL washes from CHAUVET Professional, which, like the rest of the rig, were supplied by Premier Global Production. “We had the PXL Bars split between the air and the floor,” said Bearden. “There was this large, elegant red curtain upstage, and the battens really made it come alive.”

Elaborating on the role of the battens, Caporale explained: “When lighting an upstage curtain for an arena-sized production, the biggest requirements for the fixture selection are coverage and brightness. We chose the PXLs because of just that. With a long row across the floor and another hung from above, the curtain stood out great, and we were able to achieve nice color blends and gradients.

“Another objective the team had was to light a central wooden set piece, continued Caporale. “For this, we wanted to use a more traditional yet modern cyc fixture that was sleek and had good coverage. The Ovation Cyc 3 FC checked off those prerequisites. We liked that it had built-in kickstands and adjustable glare shields, along with an even distribution of light output. This isn’t your typical clunky cyc light — it is out of sight and not obstructive, especially during changeovers.”

While the COLORado PXL battens and Ovation cyc fixtures enhanced the warm, genuine mood on stage, Bearden set the tone through his work on the console. “This show doesn’t have time code — Chris and the band don’t even use ears,” he remarked. “It’s all wedges and analog audio, so it likely won’t ever be time-coded. It’s a cued show, so I don’t really busk. Although there are times when I have a few things I can freely play with.

The good vibes that emanated from the stage were also everywhere behind the scenes. “Everyone from PGP has been wonderful,” said Bearden. “Tucker Mark, my crew chief, did a great job each day getting the rig up and down and keeping it going. I’m also grateful for everybody else in the crew – Trey Colvin, Katie Boyles, and Seth Filaroski. This experience wasn’t just about a great show and special venues; it was also the people.”