Nashville, TN - 4Wall returned to Manchester, Tennessee to revitalize the Other Stage and host another PreVis & Chill activation at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. Joining forces with Lighting Designer Chris Lisle once again, 4Wall Nashville delivered a lighting and rigging package to bring the Other Stage back to life for a full weekend.
It's not very often that a festival rig gets to live a second life. To Lisle, the festival's shortened run in 2025 was an opportunity for innovation. With artists such as Major Lazer, Gorgon City, and LSZEE headlining the EDM-focused stage, he elevated the previous year's design with new features.
"Last year, we were only able to do one show because we got rained out, so I wanted to give this rig another chance," he said. "The main new addition out of this year was the row of ACME Pixel Lines across the top and bottom of the stage."
Inspired by Bonnaroo's iconic archway entrance, Lisle mirrored the signature silhouette across the stage's truss. Central to his approach was the drive to give lighting designers a versatile canvas to experiment with.
"I have 120 ACME Pixel Line fixtures, which you can see outlining all the trusses going up the candy canes across the front of the stage," he said. "I chose the Pixel Line because it has such great, rich colors. It's really bright and gives me the great linear look I'm looking for to outline the whole stage."
Additionally, Lisle utilized 30 Chauvet Professional Strike Array 2's and 30 Color Strike M's for strobe effects. Chauvet 60 Rogue Outcast 1 Light BeamWash fixtures were positioned behind the stage's video wall to shine light through it.
"I also have 120 Chauvet Maverick Storm 2 Profiles for all the big beam looks," he added. "We've got them on stage in rows, and out on top of the front of house towers."
Helm Projects Production Designer Justin Casey, the Other Stage's house lighting designer, shared Lisle's ambition of providing a smooth experience for touring crews while exploring the rig's creative range himself.
"We get to run the shows that do not have a touring team, which can be a lot of fun to do," Casey said. "Plus, you get to socialize with others that do the same thing as you. It's nice to know when the house LD does his job right. The touring crews have a great experience and remember it."
Casey tapped into the stage's full capabilities to deliver an incendiary show for Gorgon City's three-hour sunrise set.
"I used a lot of comet and firework chases due to how many Pixel Lines were on the rig," Casey said. "Plus, the lights behind the blow-through video walls added a really neat layer."
With the rig's refined design and a close-knit relationship with 4Wall, Lisle's relaunching of the Other Stage was a seamless process that only required three days of setup.
"As always, 4Wall knocked it out of the park," he said. "The rig came in very well-prepped, everything looked good, and the crew is top-notch. I couldn't be happier."
PREVIS & CHILL
The PreVis & Chill activation also made a welcome return to the festival, with 4Wall once again partnering with ACT Entertainment and Syncronorm to bring lighting designers a unique previsualization trailer experience behind the Other Stage.
The trailer featured two previs suites equipped with MA Lighting grandMA3 Full Consoles and Syncronorm's Depence R4, offering designers and crew members an intimate environment to previsualize their shows with complimentary barbecue, snacks, drinks, and Bonnaroo-branded merchandise within reach.
"ACT and 4Wall have built something that genuinely serves the lighting community, especially in the festival space," said ACT Entertainment Regional Lighting Sales team member Aaron Luke. "Previsualization workflows have long been standard practice in Europe and other parts of the world, but opportunities like this haven't been nearly as accessible in the U.S. until this collaboration came along."
In addition to manning the Other Stage, Casey created presets and collaborated with 4Wall Project Manager Max Lenox to ensure the previsualization matched each stage's real-life capabilities. ACT also provided dedicated onsite support, stationing an MA Software expert to assist designers and programmers.
"Giving LDs and programmers access to fully built previs suites-with accurate Depence models of each stage-means they can load their files, update presets, and walk away knowing their show is dialed in," Luke said. "When you pair that with having an ACT MA Software expert onsite to answer questions, troubleshoot, or assist with file integration, it creates a level of confidence and efficiency that's hard to overstate. All of that preparation translates directly into better, more polished shows for both the artists and the audience."
Beyond its innovative tech offerings, the activation gave crew and production teams an opportunity to connect and recharge throughout the fast-paced weekend.
"There's not always much space to slow down or connect," Luke said. "Previs & Chill creates that space-somewhere people can step in, cool off, grab a drink or a bite, and spend a few minutes catching up with others in the industry. That balance-helping people do better work while also giving them a place to recharge and connect-is what really makes the experience meaningful."
Lighting Designer Rane Renshaw booked a PreVis & Chill session to plan his show at the Other Stage.
"The biggest thing PreVis & Chill gives you is fewer surprises," Renshaw said. "Festivals move fast, and normally the first time you really see the rig is when you're already on the clock. Being able to sit down with the actual package ahead of time, see what changed, and make adjustments before load-in means you're spending less time troubleshooting and more time making the show look good."
Luke, who joined PreVis & Chill onsite for the first time, pointed to the well-established relationship between 4Wall and ACT as a driving force behind the activation's success.
"There's a shared understanding of what the touring and festival environment actually demands, and that shows in how well this program is executed," he concluded. "There's also a clear alignment in how both companies approach support-not just providing the gear and software environment, but making sure the right people are there to back it up. That combination is what really makes the experience stand out."
From an Other Stage that lit up the trees of The Farm, to a PreVis & Chill experience that welcomed over 30 lighting designers throughout the entire weekend, 4Wall's return to Bonnaroo marked another chapter of success in this year's festival season.
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To see more of Chris Lisle's work, visit his website clldllc.com and follow his Instagram page @clisle.
About 4Wall Entertainment
4Wall is a full-service lighting, video, audio, and rigging company providing rentals, sales, and production services across the entertainment industry. With locations across the U.S. and U.K., 4Wall pairs a vast, meticulously maintained inventory with the technical expertise to support projects of any scale. For more information, visit www.4wall.com.