Lighting: The Unsung Hero of Any Concert

Lighting is one of the true unsung heroes of any concert performance. Just like commercial lighting, concert lighting can take many forms and can be used to bring out subtleties on stage. It's not just about the spotlights anymore; lighting has taken a big step forward in the concert industry in recent years.

There are two concerts in recent years where lighting has stuck out to me. The first was Nine Inch Nails in 1999. While supporting their double album "The Fragile", Nine Inch Nails took off for a North American tour visiting, in their words, "hockey arenas". What made the lighting on this show so incredible was the fact that the band utilized LCD screens for their main lighting. These large screens were attached to machinery that allowed them to shift during the concert and take their place either above or behind the band. These screens could show either images or just color, which made them the primary lighting source for the band. This was the first time a major band had utilized LCD screens for their key lighting on tour, something that has been copied in recent years by some of the biggest bands in the world like U2 and Radiohead.

The second concert that stuck out in my mind in regards to lighting was a 2003 performance by a Long Island band named Brand New. What made this concert stand out was the fact that the band was entirely back lit for their performance. I had never seen a band do this before. Frankly, it was eye opening. There were no lights either above or in front of the band, just behind it. Because Brand New's music is moody and, at points, intense, this lighting set up was perfect for the band and thoroughly enhanced their performance. I actually recently saw Brand New again recently and they had an entirely new set up featuring bright white lights were used in conjunction with black and white video.

I consider myself a bit of a concert nut. As someone who attends concerts as much as once a week, you tend to notice concert lighting a bit more than the average concert goer. You realize how lighting can really accent a bands performance. On two opposing ends of the spectrum are bands like U2 and a southern Florida band named Against Me! U2 has been crafting giant stage setups for 20 years and always find new and ingenious ways to light their performance may it be car headlights or giant spaceship like stages. On the other hand you have Brand New who have a tendency to have one lighting set up per show without ever changing it. I once saw a performance where the lighting guy went to his controls and brought up these intense bright white lights which never dimmed at all during the performance. It was intense, but matched the performance perfectly. That's all you can ask for in a live show.


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Author Kimberly Green has always gotten the best deals on commercial lighting@ accessdiscounts.com