NASCAR and 23XI racing driver Bubba Wallace hosted a community block party this summer, and Hit Play was happy to get the invite as the sound, lighting, and staging vendor.
This block party was a first-time event designed to engage new fan audiences and bring local families to the racetrack ahead of a full weekend of NASCAR racing action at Richmond Raceway.
Producers of the event expected around 1500 people in attendance to come see not only an interview with Bubba but also a concert with Washington, D.C. rapper, Wale. We had to provide a sound system large enough to cover the whole audience.
However, 48 hours before the event, over 3000 people had RSVP’d. We not only had to readjust to make sure the sound system was big enough for that crowd, but we also had to navigate the strict noise limits in the County of Henrico. Luckily, our skilled audio team (and d&b Audiotechnik, V-Series sound system) was able to not only cover the crowd at 115db, but stayed within the county’s limits at the front gate.
Lighting for the show had to be suitable for a national act like Wale while still being effective during the day. To achieve that, we provided a package made up of Chauvet Rogue R2 Wash, Clay Paky Sharpy Plus, and GLP JDC1’s fixtures. PowerDave, the lighting designer for the show, had a blast providing lighting for a photo op location with Bubba’s car as the backdrop.
This event required a lot of days and nights leading up to it, but it was all worth it when Bubba and Wale got on stage. That’s the moment we work for!
Thanks to Bubba Wallace and his team of producers at the Palette Group, who were great to work with.
