Lightswitch struck a delicate balance between maintaining the dark and moody atmosphere of Bob Dylan’s show and establishing visibility for larger audiences, creating an intimate experience between artist and audience.
Lightswitch struck a delicate balance between maintaining the dark and moody atmosphere of Bob Dylan’s show and establishing visibility for larger audiences, creating an intimate experience between artist and audience.
Bob Dylan has never been one to follow convention. In stark contrast to the pop shows of today, with huge moving light shows and performances that sound like carbon copies of the recorded radio version, Bob Dylan’s shows feel more like an impromptu studio performance. He prefers a small space with dim lighting, and the arrangements he performs during concerts often sound totally distinct from his famous recorded versions. This sensibility creates a very intimate experience between the artist and his audience, and demands an approach to concert lighting totally divergent from what is primarily on the circuit today.
Lightswitch joined Bob Dylan’s tour from 2005 through 2009. Within the first few days, we were called up on stage during rehearsal and asked by Bob Dylan himself to create a lighting design without movement or color — a very unusual request for a touring rock and roll lighting designer. Tasked with envisioning a show that would feel dynamic and exciting without the use of color and movement, Lightswitch returned to the basics. We broke lighting down into its purest form, and used angle, intensity, focus, and textures to create a totally unique and clean lighting design. We also struck a delicate balance between sustaining the dark and moody atmosphere of Bob Dylan’s show, but also ensuring that it was visible to large audiences. We worked within the small, drape-encompassed performance area to create a safe and comfortable space, much like a recording studio. This created the feeling of intimacy Bob Dylan’s shows are known for while still maintaining visibility for larger audiences.
To this day, elements of the Lightswitch lighting design live on as part of Bob Dylan’s tour. Our lighting design provided a visual atmosphere unlike most concerts, and imbued even enormous stadiums with the feeling of an intimate studio experience. This aesthetic complemented Bob Dylan’s unconventional style, and fulfilled the artist’s vision for a concert experience that feels deeply personal for artist and audience alike.
