Most, if not all of us, have been to some kind of rock concert at some time in our life.

Whether it was a Skynrd show in the 80’s or the latest teen popstar show last year(I’m sure it was for the kids), we’ve all witnessed great band lighting in its element.

Great band lighting draws you in close, building an intimate connection between you and the band, and then blows you away with huge looks and crazy movement to match the band’s energy on stage.

Do you want to create amazing lighting for your band?  If your desire is to setup some lights and watch them flash in sound-active mode, this isn’t the place for you.  However, if you want to learn how to do band lighting right, keep reading this page…

Beginning With Band Lighting Isn’t Easy:

You’ve got to figure out what lights to buy, what cables to use and how in the world to make it all work together!  There are a myriad of options out there, and everyone wants to sell you something different.  

How do you choose the right lighting for your band and make the most out of what you already have?

The quickest and most effective way to have a great lighting show is to first learn how to use lighting well.

Start Here: What Makes Band Lighting Different?

Band Lighting 101

Band lighting is…(typically) isolated and lower in brightness than other types of lighting.

Some band looks include lighting the audience via blinders and moving lights, but most of your band looks will be just lighting the band on stage with little to no house lighting.

Unlike worship or corporate lighting, you don’t want to include the audience in your lighting for most of the show.  But when you do include them, you make a huge impact!

Your job as the lighting designer (even if you don’t consider yourself to be one) is to bring people’s eyes to the band and keep them there.

Band lighting is…Backlight focused…

Most of your fixtures end up behind the band in band lighting.

Backlight best conveys dynamics, shows color and looks awesome in haze.

For many shows, a simple black backdrop is the only set piece, so the flashing backlight doubles as the “set”.

The backlight is also able to make amazing graphic patterns in the air when you’ve got atmosphere.

And let’s be honest, haze seems kind of essential to good concert lighting, as it allows the lighting designer to paint the air with color and match the band’s emotion. 

But, I also know it’s impractical to assume you’ll always have haze available – that’s simply not true in every situation!

But whether you have haze or not…

Band lighting is…Vibrant, dynamic and showy…

One of my favorite things about band lighting is the ability to be highly dynamic and to really rock out with the guys on stage.

Band lighting takes its shape directly from the music – whether it’s slow and basic, or fast and dynamic.

You need to follow the band anticipate and react to changes in the music. Maybe you even pre-program your show and run it from stage while IN the band. (It’s easier than you think!)

If you have even a basic understanding of time in music, it will help tremendously when lighting bands.

Most rocks songs are 4/4 or similar, with the snare on beat 2 and 4.  You want to time your transitions so that they start and end on beats that make sense musically.

As the lighting designer, you are effectively another member of the band with the dynamics you follow.  This also means if you “play” offbeat or with too much energy, you’ll make the whole band look a bit off.

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

There is a great art to listening to and anticipating music, and it’s an area that every lighting designer can always grow more in.

You might not even consider yourself a “lighting designer”, but just someone who wants to make great lighting for a band you’re in. That’s great- and you are who we’re here for!

Whether you light for bands whose music you know or “busk” – light music that you don’t know – you’ll find that growing your lighting knowledge is invaluable to making a great show!

Band lighting is…Colorful – and there are really no rules!

When lighting a band, color is essential.

Whether it is the tiny color shifts of white, red and blue when lighting a metal band or the full spectrum of flashing hues bathing a pop band in light, band lighting really has no rules in regards to color.

Using color well does require a bit of a “feel” to it, but you can start by following the “rules”.

Once you’ve learned the rules of great color, the real fun begins and you can experiment, change things and light bands by feel!

How to Make a Rockstar Design on a Practical Budget:

At this point, you might be thinking – “I want to begin upgrading my band’s lighting, but I just don’t have the money to do it right.”

At this stage in the game, you may set up all the lighting yourself, and you certainly don’t have the budget to pay a lighting person!  So what’s a band member to do?

The good news is that having a great show doesn’t have to be expensive nor does it have to be complicated.  In fact, you may already have the tools you need to create a great show without even knowing it.

Just by taking some basic design principles and applying them to lighting, you too can bring your lighting to an epic level.  Knowledge, and learning how to use lighting well is the key to great lighting for your band.

For example – by simply getting the right lighting console or controller in place, you can have the ability to create lighting presets for each song you play, and to build effects to the music – even if you only have a few lights.

And, you can run it from stage – even automatically to your music if you wish!

That’s why I’ve created my free guide “3 Steps to Begin with Band Lighting”.