Shining a New Light: How Modern Concert & Studio Lighting Transforms Music
Modern lighting in music has become an important storytelling device, connecting many elements that comprise the concert and studio experience. Gone are the days of limited spotlights lighting the performers: today, lighting systems use computer-controlled moving heads, pixel-mapped LED walls, and laser arrays that can synchronize down to the beat. Whether it's the intimate glow of a small jazz club or an outrageous laser light spectacle at a stadium, advanced lighting design captivates the audience into a shared, one-of-a-kind moment with the artist during a performance.
The Technology Behind the Magic: Innovations Changing the Game
Nowadays, what brings excitement into lighting shows are technologies like the DMX-controlled fixtures, RGBW LEDs for hues with more texture, and media servers for real-time video mapping on stage surfaces. Programmable fixtures like Clay Paky Mythos, Robe BMFL, and Martin MAC Quantum Wash have become indispensable for lighting designers of widely acclaimed artists. With these at hand, designers are fully empowered to execute lighting cues, color changes, and effect shifts with an air of intricacy and grandeur.
Generally in studio spaces, producers and directors of photography use versatile studio lights such as Kino Flo LED panels or Aputure LS series video lights to create levels and atmospheres to complement the artist's music, from the lower darker tones of Billie Eilish's "Everything I Wanted," to the bright flashy pop of Dua Lipa's "Levitating."
Brightest Stars: Artists Known for Iconic Light Shows
Beyoncé: A Masterclass in Lighting Spectacle
Few artists exude more assertiveness when it comes to concert lighting than Beyoncé. The Formation World Tour (2016) saw lighting design pushed to an entirely new level, having a giant rotating LED cube in combination with synchronized strobes and wash lights. White beams of light cut through clouds of fog in an electrifying, cinematic atmosphere during the performance of "Freedom" from Lemonade.
Coldplay: Painting with Color
Indeed, it is arguably fair to say Coldplay's live shows took the artistry of color and motion to a higher level in their ability to engage a live audience. In songs such as "A Sky Full of Stars" or "Adventure of a Lifetime", they will accompany lighting that travels with the music and moving lights with Xylobands (glow-in-the-dark bracelets that illuminate in time with their compositions) to create a pulsating sea of color in an arena. Norman Paul, the lighting designer, is famous for using massive LED screens and taking it to the next level with kinetic light sculptures that resonate light in time with the happiness of the band.
The Weeknd: Neon Noir Mastery
For his After Hours tour, The Weeknd's lighting design was inspired by the retro-futuristic realm that his music videos inhabit. Tracks including "Blinding Lights" and "Save Your Tears" were joined by an astounding color palette that consisted of slashes of reds, purples, and bright whites reminiscent of 1980s cities' neon glow-- which aided even further by a labyrinth of moving LED walls enclosing the artist to accentuate the dark, cinematic soundscape his music achieves.
Crafting Intimacy: Lighting in Smaller Venues and Studios
Not all legendary lighting happens in a stadium. Visionaries like Billie Eilish and Sam Smith can teach us how subtle or moody lighting can be a surreal experience for a crowd to be part of, especially from the intimate setting of a small venue and a studio performance. For example, Billie's restrained Amber washes and diffused backlights in her stripped-down version of an NPR Tiny Desk concert demonstrated how soft lighting can convey a song's vulnerability e.g., "When the Party's Over." Likewise, we experience Sam Smith's acoustic sessions and they always have pleasant key lights that capture every nuance or emotion of their voice, but these are simple key lights.
Bringing It All Together: The Artistry of Light and Sound
These artists and their lighting designers all shared a philosophy of curating experiences with lights as they showed an understanding of how lights are more than simply lighting- lights convey an emotion, expand themes, and promote a connection. Lights can bring warmth and a nostalgic glow to a ballad or flicker and strobe the crescendo of a dance track - lights make music a true multisensory art experience. For those wishing to create a version of this experience - professionally or as a directing artist - by exploring a particular type of lights shop, you are opening up a world of marketing options!
Bridging Vision and Performance
Today, lighting has transitioned from an afterthought to an essential aspect of the art process, as audiences crave moments that feel less like a "concert" and more like an "experience." Artists and designers continue to explore new technologies to elevate music from auditory to visual, in ways that can be seen, felt, and heard well beyond the concert hall or recording studio. As concerts and recordings become more complex and sophisticated, the interplay between sound and light and the creative implications that flow from it will only become more complex and rewarding.
Conclusion: The Future Looks Bright
Innovative concert and studio lighting has changed the landscape of what live and recorded music means. With inventive technology and courageous artistic intention, today's biggest stars and teams continue to create performances with impact that linger after the last note. As these trends evolve, one thing is certain the future of music will only be bright.
