LOS ANGELES – Fans didn’t need to mark it on their calendars; they purchased their tickets as soon as post hardcore pioneers Senses Fail and Story of the Year announced their 19-city coheadline Scream Team Tour, which concluded December 13 at the Riverside Auditorium. That sort of thing happens when you’re dealing with two bands whose songs were the coming of age music for so many.

A critic writing about the tour’s next-to-the-last show at the House of Blues Anaheim summed it up well. “From start to finish it was a celebration of the music, the scene, and a reminder that it was never just a phase.”

Reflecting this deeply rooted bond in light, while underscoring the two multi-platinum bands’ powerful music, was a nuanced Jack Thomas lighting design that emphasized warmth and emotions. Avoiding “typical strobes” and video walls, Thomas relied on the artful used of dark space and changes in brightness levels to convey the mood of the music.

Thomas sometimes angled his light sharply downward, creating pools of monochromatic brightness against a sea of darkness. At other times, he covered the stage with crossing beams of light Relying on changes like these, he created a continuous flow of varied looks for the two bands.

“I’m very grateful that Ross Landis (tour manager) entrusted me with this,” said Thomas. “It gave me the opportunity to stretch my creativity. I designed, programmed, and ran lights for Story of the Year and Senses Fail on the tour, working with Mike Null on putting together the floor package supplied by Allen Deneau at Bandit Lites.”

With limited stage space and fixed lighting in set carts, there was no “wiggle room” for physical changes in the rig from one band to the other. As a result, Thomas relied on his programming skills to give each band its own look on stage.

“I just programmed each song with intent to convey its energy visually from dark subtle bridges to exciting choruses with lots of motion and intensity,” explained Thomas. “Since I’ve never been one to use a lot of conventional ‘strobes.’ I sprinkled them in here and there tastefully during peak energy moments. Otherwise, I liked to strobe different groups of fixtures throughout the rig creating depth and layers.“

Helping Thomas accomplish were 12 COLORado Solo Battens and nine STRIKE Array 2 fixtures from CHAUVET Professional, all of which were used at times to create strobing effects. Thomas also relied on his high output battens to light the band, positioning four units downstage and an equal number mid-stage for side lighting — the two other Solo Battens flank the 8-foot by 18-foot drum riser.

The STRIKE Array 2 fixtures in Thomas’ rig served multiple purposes in his design. Arranged in three 8-foot sections behind the drum riser, the fixtures delivered bursts of brightness during explosive moments and contributed to crowd lighting for the show’s many singalongs. Mostly, though, they provided warm backlighting that embraced Senses Fail and Story of the Year on stage, just as the music of these two legendary bands embraced a generation of fans.