Big Stage Demons
Most Lighting Designers consider Pink Floyd’s Light shows as the Holy Grail. I certainly have sat there many hours trying to follow things and then just giving up at the complexity. The Stage looks so simple, and then it just comes alive.
I guess we are familiar with their album ‘The Wall’. But did you know that the album had its roots in an (at that time shocking) incident where Roger Waters was getting disillusioned on the size and scale of their shows.
The Bands success made it imperative that they created massive touring shows, with amazing special effects. Somewhere in there Waters felt trapped that the spectacle was swallowing the music. Being a purist and standing very close to his work and music, he was distressed that the fans were missing the point of his music’s message. What was the point of staging all these massive shows?
At one particularly crazy concert – Waters just lost it and spat at the audience from the stage. The Band was horrified, Waters most of all. For us, sadly, spitting is a part of our lives. But for well brought up English Boys – this was like the most damaging insult to their loyal fans.
The incident traumatised the band. If you follow the bands interviews, it’s very much at the top of their minds and their shame.
The great artists that they are – they turned inwards and used this experience to fire their creative juices and the album The Wall was created.
The Wall centre’s around an artist that uses his life’s experiences to build a wall around himself to shut himself off from the world around him. To live in isolated bliss. But the work ends with him realising the need for love and human contact that he decides to ‘tear down the wall’
Touring behind this great album – the band decided to actually build a wall – brick by brick between themselves and the audience, and end with the entire wall coming crashing down.
So a work that started life as a plea for more intimate sharing of music, ended up becoming the first really BIG Show that the world had ever seen.
Pink Floyd decided to actually build a wall – brick by brick between themselves and the audience and end with the entire wall coming crashing down. This ended up becoming the first really BIG Show that the world had ever seen.
It encompassed every device possible. Projections, larger than life stick figures, flying props – everything you could imagine. The genius of it all was that it all came together and just worked. On many levels. As a cohesive piece of music, as a stage spectacular and as a celebration of the human spirit. It meant many things to many people. To this day I hear fans talk about the shows influence on so many levels. Musically, Technically and Emotionally. If you haven’t already, I urge you to experience it.
Everything you ever wanted to learn about BIG STAGE shows is in there.
Today we are swamped with technology that makes shows on this scale routine. Even the biggest shows seldom make the news cycle unless it is to report a tragedy.
The whole reason for this reference to Pink Floyd, is to inspire the young guys out there to reach for the impossible. To use the tools available today and use them wisely and well. To stitch together great shows on great scale that reaches out to the people today.
As I write this – in a few days U2 will assemble the largest LED screen ever - in the world. And it’s happening in our backyard.
Just a few short years ago – Rang Bhuvans capacity of 2000 fans was a large happening that the city was buzzing over. Today a 50,000 plus concert in a Cricket Stadium is a routine thing. The diehard fans seem to have almost sold out the stadium so there is almost No buzz in the media about the city.
Like Waters found out decades ago – The bigger you get the more inconsequential you become. For whatever reason the bands response was to top themselves in scale. Musically and Visually.
The whole reason for this reference to Pink Floyd, is to inspire the young guys out there to reach for the impossible. To use the tools available today and use them wisely and well.
To stitch together great shows on great scale that reaches out to the people today. To encourage them to drop their phones and step out to experience a community of like-minded energetic young people that want to explore the edges of the human experience.
A while ago one of our leading stage technology houses – was demonstrating computer controlled motors that could pick up people, props and everything in between and spin them around a 360 degree axis at will. I was impressed. But unmoved. There was No story, No flair, No reason for why a guy needed to go from here to there. That’s just me – If there is No motivation – it’s not art.
What was most amusing was that the primary market they were after was the ‘Wedding Market’ always looking for innovative ways to ‘...Here comes the bride’. The idea of a jewellery laden blushing Bride, dressed in her finest suspended many feet in the air has to be the most ridiculous thing ever.
If I were the groom – I’d pay these guys to fly me and my bride outta the reception. What say You?
But hey – That’s a big stage event if there ever was one. At least for one couple.
That’s the amazing progression BIG STAGE events have seen.
Technology that was cutting edge for one of the biggest bands in the world a few years ago, is now being used in Bhatinda for a groom to meet his – perhaps for the first time, on the mandap.
Which brings me to the most important aspect of BIG STAGES. What you see and what you hear.
Our Sound guys have got that aspect covered. Rarely do you hear complaints that the band could not be heard. How good the sound was remains a discussion outside my area of expertise.
Big Stages need Big arenas. From even a few rows back the performer begins to look like a stick figure. So you have to MAKE IT COUNT.
You have to be telling a story. You have to engage your audiences. The audience has to go home happy.