Blinded by the lights: The visual show

A live performance of a prominent band is an audio visual feast, or at least you should expect as much. Most big bands have impressive lighting rigs that work in conjunction with the music to enhance the emotive qualities that the music provides. I like to liken the effects the lighting produces to the similar effects that you get in films with shot size and cutting pace etc.

The amount and colour of light can (in my mind) greatly affect the feel of a piece in regards to whether its a 'happy' or a 'sad' song etc, while rapid lighting changes or strobe lights can 'pump up' the energy of a performance. This use of light does vary in the degree of which it is used in that some bands do not make elaborate setups and instead use subtlety and simplicity to act as a reinforcer to the music, while other bands go all out and bombard the audience with a light show that is almost a stand alone attraction (many acts from the Boiler Room at Big Day Out would perhaps fit this description).

Some, perhaps more eclectic, acts go even further and use their light show to reduce the presence of the band as people; in effect taking over the position as the primary visual element of the performance. One such band is Tool, who employ huge projection screens and extremely minimal lighting on the band (with none at all directed at the vocalist) to push the focus away from them and the 'star' attraction (that is an obvious component of any show for a big name) and bring it to the music itself. The visuals the band uses feel like they have been spawned by the music itself; as if the screens were a picture of someones imagination while listening. The effect is both intriguing and refreshing in contrast to the (sometimes) attention seeking displays that other acts put on.

Tool's reluctance to present the members of the band as an image conjures an interesting question: is the purpose of a live concert to experience the music or to just see the band members in the flesh. I suspect that different people would argue vigorously for either case, but I feel the answer is in fact both. Hearing the live show isn't the same as listening to a CD, nor should it be (what's the point in going, eh?), and I know that I definitly gain satisfaction by watching the musicians themselves performing their work. Having said that I think that going to a concert to just 'see' the band is a little strange (like the Beatles shows where the music was totally drowned out by the audience screaming) and I think it's important that both the visuals and the audio work together to enhance the total experience.