How To Make Your Band Look Awesome On Stage
Last night Michelle and I had a great time taking in all the sights and sounds of Delerium - Cirque du Soleil’s “live music conert that pushes the limit of arena performance.” And holy cow, it was fantastic.
I was stunned by the visual presentation of the show. The multimedia stuff that was being employed was truly mind-boggling. The scale of the projected animation was unbelievable. At one point, they had see-through curtains drawn across the arena LENGTH stage, and they project water pouring into and rising across the whole thing. When it was done, there was a 60 foot high by 250 foot long water tank in front of us. Really specatacular stuff. And that is just one of dozens of immersive environments they created to suck you in. Breathtaking.
Ok, now that I’ve completely fan-boy’d Delerium up, it brings to mind something I’ve always been fascinated by. Stage show. Something that seems so elusive to indie bands ‘cuz we’ve got no money to pay for fancy lights and sets. Hell, most of the time we’re not even getting paid if we’re orignal acts. We do it for luv. Ok, and free beer.
That said, think about this. In your scene, when you’re out checking out bands, do they do anything to set themselves apart? I bet mostly they don’t. Are you gettin’ where I’m heading with this? It would be sooo easy to spice up your stage look and stand apart from the pack, it’s not funny. Basic lighting and props is all you need. And I’m talking household stuff. Well, and your imagination.
Here’s an example: my band of years past was called Bright Red & Black. For one show, we decided to do just such a thing. In keeping with the name, we draped a series of “tapestries” that provided a nice red backdrop to the band on the wall. They were long enough that we could go up the back wall and out along the ceiling and hang down in tasseled points in front of the band. It looked fantastic. It created a defined space where the band did it’s thing, transporting this little greasy bar into something cool where something interesting was about to happen. Total cost? $40 in red material, $10 for a staple-gun. Really effective and really cheap. Another show we decided to bring out all these old B&W televisions and have them running various selected movies and/or static. Putting them on stools and milkcrates created an interesting vertical esthetic and the changing video added some mystery to our show. Another time we brough a bunch of easels and displayed local artists paintings with some clip on lighting to accent them…simple and very effective.
So, how do you make your band look awesome on stage? Easy. Do something with your space. Make it impactful and simple, and people will remember your act as one that has a vision beyond just pounding out teh rock in the dim lighting at the back of the greasy bar. It doesn’t take much to be larger than life, if that’s what want your show to be.
Good luck!
Comments
hey, i want to do that with my band…:)
great tips
That is what it is all about! We, as fans, want to be dazzled and entertained. The theater, the sounds, the colors! Being a musician I have been to many concerts. Watching 3-4 people play instruments does little for my excitement level. Sure, I appreciate the work it takes to play and write music, but… For instance, I love Joe Satriani (Guitar Player) as a musician, I walked out halfway through a show, not out of a lack of respect, rather a lack of feeling entertained.
Absolutely right Moe. Thanks for the comment! Its so true, bands mostly do very little to help themselves stand out.
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