USA – Fate! It’s a small word, but one filled with awe and wonder for the way in which it quietly touches lives, opens new worlds, and makes even the most improbable dreams come true. Such was the case with Adam McInnis and Daddy Jack, two gifted musicians living on opposite coasts who met by chance through a friend.
The musical chemistry that arose from this fateful encounter was magical. The duo formed the Sons of Legion, a band that plays a distinctive blend of rock, soul, and Americana with a genuine earnestness that makes them very easy to like. Taylor Bock of Red Light Management, which manages Sons of Legion, created a show that captured the story of the band and its formation.
Bock worked with collaborators to turn his vision into reality on the SOUL TO SØL 2026 WORLD TOUR. EMBR Productions of Nashville supplied the fixtures and set up the touring rig, Alexander Lehman programmed the show and Jacob Bartholomew served as the touring LD. The result of this effort is a warm inviting show that flows seamlessly with the Sons of Legion’s diverse music.
“The show was designed to tell the story on how the band SOL came to be, not only through songs, but also through the storytelling vignettes that play on the video wall during certain moments,” said Lehman. “The show starts acoustically, and as it progresses, the dynamics grow, as a full band is added to accompany the duo. As this growth takes place, we shift our color palettes, going from soft tones for the acoustic set, to a more edgy and bold colors for the bigger moments.”
Accenting this change as the show evolves are four CHAUVET Professional STRIKE Array 4 blinders positioned across the downstage deck. “The Strike arrays come in halfway through the show as it grows larger,” said Lehman. “The band has several songs of inspiration, so using the blinders to light up the crowd and backlight the band during those moments is critical.”
Joining the STRIKE blinders in the EMBR Productions rig are six COLORado PXL Bar 16 motorized battens on carts as well as on the upstage floor, and six Rogue Outcast BeamWashes, mounted stage left and right. Like the blinders, the PXL battens and BeamWashes expand the scope of the show as it progresses. Beyond that, they also add an evocative variety of extra looks.
“The PXL bars do a ton, creating eye candy effects and big sweeps,” said Lehman. “They make the show feel as big as possible in a small form factor. As for the Rogues, their halo ring feature allows us to have a mix of side washing with eye candy moments to make the show feel really cohesive and tight.”
In keeping with the goal of expanding looks, the tour design utilizes different light angles to add dimensionality to the stage. “The lighting rig was designed to be as versatile as possible due to the wide range of venues we’re playing at,” said Lehman. “The lighting was intended to make the show feel less like a concert, and more like a theatrical experience that tells a great story.”
