There are many things that affect a concert experience. However, one thing in particular can affect everything from the mood of the audience to how interactive they feel with the artists on stage.
Concert lighting is one of the most important things when setting up a concert experience. Not only does lighting determine what the audience is seeing but also the connection the audience feels they have with the artists on stage.
Anyone that has ever had a concert experience knows that it is not just about the music. So, what makes going to a concert an actual experience? The lighting of course. Furthermore, there are so many different lighting effects that are used during shows.
Think about the differences between a small karaoke night at your favorite coffee house compared to a sold-out concert in a stadium that holds thousands. Not only is the overall atmosphere completely different but the stages are complete opposites.
The coffee house may have a single light bar with a few different LED bulbs that are under the control of a single button. The sold-out stadium, however, would have a grander setup.
LED lighting has made extravagant concert lighting more of a reality. In addition to the colors LED lighting offers an alternative to other lights that give off large amounts of heat. I spent the first 15 years of my career knowing the rig, but not the band, as happens when you work for a lighting company. I ran the desk for many opening acts, quite a few club bands, and the occasional headliner.
Most musicians will telegraph the changes if you watch closely. If you can see them well enough, you will probably hit the all the major changes. On the other hand, modern jazz is hopeless for getting hints from the stage, and the counts can change without warning. After 15 years of that, I toured with the same band for 10 years straight, doing about shows a year. Knowing the rig but not the band is more fun, because there is less pressure to get it right. If you miss a solo, or get thrown off by a fast intro to a slow song, nobody is going to get bent out of shape.
Knowing the band but not the rig produces better lighting. I settle for knowing I got what I wanted and needed. The lighting should be judged by what the audience saw, not by what they could have seen.
Timing of the bumps is important, but timing of the fades and moves are what make the lighting a seamless part of the show. You have to know the band well for that. Spot cues are another obvious benefit. The spot ops can guess just as easily and with better timing than if they wait for a go on your guess. If I want to have a good time, give me my rig and desk. If the goal is for an audience to see the best show possible, the band needs to have an LD.
Just my opinion…. Just made an show hours ago without knowing the console or the rig, with an programmer who helped me programming subs, and i made it thru all the way great. Depends on who is running the desk. For someone with a musical performance background, knowing the rig would be preferrable.
Being able to improvise, build the show, and not mis cues are vital. But then you can make your own cues. Most music is predictable and programming chases in series of 4 or 8 will be the best bet. This usually provides for the most dynamic show.
Not knowing the rig will only get you into trouble abd half ass programming due to time restraints. Lighting is an equal portion of the show and should be as dynamic as the music. You can usually hear how a song is building and can hit those dynamics. But of coarse, you would need to know what levels of dynamics you are working with.
Knowing the band and set is always prefferable, but if I had to choose, i prefer to know the rig over the band. I love my desk and knowing what your fixtures are capable of is priceless. My name is Healing Bear. I have been programing and operating Light Jockey for about 5 years. It has been a baptism by fire. It is not the greatest gear but my controller lets me get a lot out of it.
I can do channels right now and I have operated 53 fixtures with the gear that I currently have. You have to be able to anticipate what the music is going to do. You should be able to count eight bars in your sleep. You should be able to feel the changes in the music before they happen. Become one with the music, Neo. The lights should change in time with the music. The biggest changes should come on the downbeats, and when the song changes parts verse, chorus, bridge, etc. As the song becomes more exciting, the lights should become more exciting too.
Jumping from color to color is more aggressive than fading. Use that to your advantage! The light show should get more exciting as the night goes on as well. So, the lights for the last band should be more exciting overall than the lights for the opening band. Most importantly, mix with emotion. Listen to the lyrics of the song. Try to enhance what the singer is saying. Try to capture the mood and the vibe of the song with the light show.
Sure, the sound is important at a concert. Without it there would be nothing to listen to. But the lights can be what separates a good concert from a great one. Train Your Ears Become a Member. Search for:. Articles Mixing Recording Producing Mastering. Share Tweet. He currently owns and operates Punchy Kick, a professional mixing and mastering studio that specializes in pop punk, emo, punk, grunge, and alternative music.
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