XLIVE: The Concert Touring Sessions
Session details:
LDI's second annual XLIVE: The Concert Touring Sessions - on Saturday, December 5, 2026 - takes a deep dive into the concert touring industry and festival scene from many angles. Teaming up with LDI to moderate this new iteration of XLIVE are Butch Allen of TAIT and Bob Bonniol of ACT Entertainment, with a full day of sessions featuring experts from the concert touring industry as they share their excellence and experience. From set and lighting design to management, logistics and more, this conference bridges generations, offering unparalleled insights for anyone in – or aspiring to join – the world of live entertainment production.
XLIVE: The Concert Touring Sessions is included with the Young Career Professional Program & LDI VIP Pass or available on its own as an individual LDInstitute course. The day includes lunch, a happy hour reception, and culminates with the third annual Dining With Dinosaurs, now a dinner and networking experience with legends from the concert touring industry.
Schedule*:
9:00-9:30am: Introduction / Keynote by Bob Bonniol, Chief Innovation Officer, ACT Entertainment
9:30-11:00am: Session 1
11:15am-12:30pm: Session 2
12:30-1:30pm: Lunch & Networking
1:30-3:30pm: Session 3
3:45-5:00pm: Session 4
5:00-9:30pm: Dining With Dinosaurs: happy hour reception, seated dinner, panel discussion, and networking. Presented by Geezers of Gear, and moderated by Marcel Fairbairn, the host geezer.
The "dinos" include:
- Jeff Alder: Lighting designer, author and rock & roll pioneer who has designed lights for many legendary musicians: Santana (his personal favorite), Huey Lewis and the News, Aerosmith, Cyndi Lauper, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Warren Zevon, Jimmy Buffett, and Steve Miller Band.
- Roy Bickel: Literally the godfather of rock and roll rigging, no one knows more than this man.
- Joe Branam: With more than five decades of contributions to the art and science of rigging, Joe Branam has more than earned the title: The Rigger’s Rigger.
– Allen Branton: A 40-year veteran of the entertainment lighting business with hundreds of successful and award-winning projects to his credit from concerts to TV specials.
– Paul Dexter: A creative director, production designer, and one of the true pioneers of modern concert lighting and stage design, whose career started in the 70's and whose clients include many iconic bands.
- Scott De Vos: Longtime roadie and business owner in live events production.
– Victor Fable: A highly sought-after lighting and production designer whose work spans television, live events, installations, music, and corporate events.
– John Featherstone: A principal at Lightswitch and a visionary in the world of visual design, known for bridging the gap between high-energy spectacle and architectural elegance.
- Mark Fetto: VP Lighting at OSA International, with a history of working in the entertainment industry. - Michael Abbott: Three-time Grammy-winning audio engineer and production manager, from Olympics to presidential balls.
- Jay Robert Harmon: Celebrating 50 years with Eggshell Lighting in Hawaii, Bob is a book of knowledge combined with an expert teller of tales.
- Seth Jackson: Award-winning LD, set designer and great guy who has a resume that includes The Doobies, Barry Manilow, and Toby Keith to name a few.
- Nancy May: A seasoned administrative project manager and production executive.
- Peter Morse: Award-winning lighting/production designer for concerts, video, and film, for such stars as Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, and the list goes on…
– Chris Musgrave: Founder of MAD International (Musgrave Advanced Dynamics), an executive advisory practice serving manufacturers, production companies, venues, hospitality organizations, and entrepreneurs across live entertainment, corporate events, and touring, and of Tour Pros International,
- Jeff Ravitz: A Primetime Emmy Award-winning LD, who has designed concert lighting for Bruce Springsteen for over 30 years.
– Robert Roth: An industry veteran from the lighting angle, now VP of Live Events at 4Wall Entertainment.
– Patty Connors Thurston: An indusrty pioneer, who worked at McManus, Obies, PRG, and The Directory, a PR firm, from 2001-2025.
– Cosmo Wilson: An industry-defining concert lighting designer and director widely considered a living legend in rock-and-roll production: Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Scorpions, Meat Loaf, Foreigner, Ronnie James Dio, David Lee Roth, and Rod Stewart
Price: $569 lunch and dinner included ($669 after 10/14)
* sessions and speakers subject to change
