Blog #5: Oh Wonder Concert

A few months ago, I went to an Oh Wonder concert and spent the whole night captured by the music, performance, and lighting. In this specific video, I captured one of my favorite moments of the entire night and I believe that the lighting in this moment played a huge factor in why it stood out for me. When they began playing this song the lights all went dark and the single melody began playing, the beginning slowly builds up so the lights would flash accordingly. The color of the lights were simple, just white light to begin with to match the simplicity of the beginning of the song. Once the beat was added in, a purple light in the corner began to flash as well. So the lighting seemed to help highlight a new instrument or new addition to the environment. I believe this use of just the flashing white backlight in the beginning is super successful because all you see of the performers is their silhouettes and because they aren't singing in the moment you don't need to focus on their faces. The lighting helps to build up the anticipation and excitement leading into the song. This whole experience helped me realize why lighting is so important to making a concert or musical event even more memorable. Yes, it is possible to have a concert outside in natural lighting without any extra stage lighting, but adding that extra element really adds to create an environment.