Arena shows are the BEST

This year was the 46th annual Bumbershoot, Seattle's Labor Day weekend music and arts festival. I programmed and operated lights for the Key Arena stage the whole weekend. In this video, I show some behind the scenes video of how the production is put together. Acts for this stage included Pretty Lights, Porter Robinson, Bryson Tiller, Troyboi, Cashmere Cat, Tokimonsta, Marshmello, Logic, YG, Fetty Wap, and Zhu.
Moving lights are really fun to program and operate. On this rig, there were over a hundred moving lights, and tons of buttons to push on the full size MA2.
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Design: R90 Lighting
Master Electrician: Heidi Gonzales
Gear vendor: Positive Systems
VJ: Jeremy Jones - Looptid Visuals
Truss: Christie Lites
Lighting Equipment:
Elation Platinum Beam 5R Extreme
Martin Atomic
Martin Mac 101
Martin Mac VIper Profile
Elation Color Chorus
Generic 2 lite blinder
Ultratec Radiance
FQ100 Fog
Business: [e-mail]
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My amazon wishlist: amzn.com/w/209...

[@dougberry4674]

lack of dedicated front lighting is such a common plague right now. always bums me out

[@Nicpagan]

Doug Berry seriously what would it take to get a small dimmer rack and put like 6 profiles FOH lol I hate whenever I see this happen with high end fixtures wasted donate those fixtures to me I'll make use of them 😅

[@daffertube]

if the lighting guy is dancing the show is bound to be good!

[@chibude4350]

Fr i hardly see key lights but why ??

[@LDProOSU]

Woahhh it’s Doug

[@foxiewhisper]

It's fascinating to see behind the scenes of how lighting works in big shows. I had no idea there was such a heavy level of live interaction, with most of the automation acting as "build blocks" to produce something unique for the night. Thank you for sharing this with us!

[@AkashBartlett]

Man I'm late, but the time from 10:00 to 10:32 is the whole reason I want to go into lighting - that moment right there, at 10:05, the beat drops and the world explodes with light and color and movement.... I must have watched that time 100x, and it still gives me goosebumps every time. Thanks Christian. This is the clip I show everyone when they say, so what do you want to do with your life? And I say "this"

[@benwarters]

S A M E.

[@RR-gy6jq]

Just work hard for it.... :)

[@abhinayarora95]

I am like that with lasers lol! haha!

[@60filmproduction97]

same here

[@wafflestoast5228]

The reason you should get into lighting is because of 0:00-12:50

[@mexicalpango]

So basically you are a light dj you have to be proyd cause you make half of the concert

[@Adam-eb3rs]

More thasn half, the lights make the show.

[@LifeRunner4000]

I was about to say that which Adam said, lighting programmers make like 80% of the show and audio engineers the remaining 20%; all shows rely so heavily on an amazing lightshow these days, so.

[@bassface8980]

Actually when djs performing the audio engineer doesnt need to do anything actually because tracks are mixed and masterd very well the engineer only eq and compressing and limiting but no maximizing and he can be on his phone for the rest of his show

[@ForcesPlay]

Some of the best raves I experienced only had some mini lights on the ceiling at some nice bunker like locations. The sound quality and music itself actually takes a huge part for me, but I gotta be honest, huge Festivals like Tomorrowland or Electric Love (attended the second one), have their own charm and can definetely lead to an awesome time with their enormous stages and lights

[@samuelthorogood3878]

actually you'd be surprised what sometimes sound engineers have to go through dealing with DJ's

[@UBERLITEMADSKLZ]

would love more venue break downs like this in the future! super interesting. great video

[@OldCanadianguy953]

I worked in Christie Lites Toronto’s service department as chief engineer from 1997 to 2001. Although some bits of the technology have changed so much is still able to bring back old memories.

[@p1oneer100]

i love watching these videos because it gives me such a greater respect to how much effort goes into putting on a show when im actually there its not just the dj giving you a performance :)

[@jochemmessmer]

10:10 Drone above the crowd, super dangerous! Cool video btw! :)

[@christianjackson]

i agree. They ended up shutting drone operator down

[@ddgarage7025]

I was gonna say... legally I don't think you're able to fly them over crowds. Definitely not safe!

[@videoforgeeks]

As a FAA drone operator comes down to how good your liability insurance is...FAA does not control the airspace inside a venue.

[@aval1998]

@@videoforgeeks AMA has that in their regulations

[@wiekvanvenetie3797]

I think a reliable high end drone with a professional operater (is there some kind if licence for that?) Should be allowed as it can make some crazy camera shots.

[@MusicMakers23]

thanks for being my background sound ;) I feel not alone when i watch your video's while programming. lol

[@mlrd6622]

You are so lucky that you got to programme for Marshmello!

[@freddielo4330]

Man you really are doing lighting engineers justice. You've made so many people respect lighting guys on show!

[@malo6748]

actually changes my whole mind in terms of light shows at concerts. fkin respect man

[@ghostboo8584]

10:05 OMG THAT'S SO BEUTIFULL

[@AdamOpie]

If I wasnt in the film industry this is what I would have loved to do! I dont really know any technical side to stage lighting but it seems like such a great job!

[@JGuz40]

My fav artist Zhu at the 5 min mark. HE KILLS IT

[@MaheshKumar-jc8sp]

Love from India. Your videos have helped me nurture my knowledge regarding lights. Thank you for putting effort and showcasing your worklife on KZbin. People like you are go's to us. Thanks a lot God bless you

[@ItsDaLRB]

you did a lighting job for Marshmello, that's pretty big :)

[@charlielecy5299]

Marshmello is garbage I feel bad for him

[@fishrave7445]

it’s so funny you mention porter robinson- I just saw him for the first time this year at VELD and it was their set that got me interested in light design, which brought me here. I don’t even know where to start I have so much respect for everyone in this profession

[@daansteeman5227]

Holy crap how has this been on yt for 7 years and hasn't shown up on my homepage! I started to go to large hardstyle events about 2 years ago. I love tech in general. From PLC driven machines (my dayjob) to arduino/RPI driven projects I do myself. But ever since seeing the rediculous scale of lighting/lasers/pyro on this type of show I'd love to get a little tour. And whenever possible I'll spend sets where I don't realy care about the music just standing behind the people that make the stage come to life. Don't get me wrong, without DJ's there wouln't be a show. But this is almost the same for the VFX guys and gals. Just yesterday at Rebirth. The euphoric stage had bearly any lightingeffects. Sure, the music was fun, and especially later in the day mainstage just went to raw for me. But the show at mainstage was increddible. Let me put it this way... The DJ's get famous, but there are just as many people watching the just as incredibble (and often not preprogrammed) show the VFX crew is putting up. And to my understanding, often its just one guy, just like you here. And bearly get a "And an aplause for the guys in the back!" at the end of the show. Anyway, I'm glad I found your channel. I'll be watching a lot more of your content!

[@OatmealDonk]

what did you do in education (if you don't mind me asking...) :-P

[@SomeRandomFella12]

I find it a lot more helpful to actually hear what you're doing while its happening like you did in this video, especially going over how you had your screens set up. The school I'm at right now has a Hedgehog and I personally wish that we had a bigger screen to fit more effects onto, so it's nice to see how it's done on an MA.

[@ddgarage7025]

I love videos like this showing behind the scenes! I'm a sound guy who's just starting to get into lighting and all that is crazy interesting.

[@astraluniverse5928]

Thanks a lot. I hope to see more in depth programming related videos, even though your operating is masterclass too. operating is so much easier when you first program everything in a smart way and create good Qs. I personally also still new at this and I wish to learn more about programming from scratch - as if the crew just hanged and plugged in the objects and you need to first give them all addresses before you can even start recording programs. Would love to get more in depth about that.

[@monarchthedj8357]

This atmosphere seems so amazing

[@jordanthurt]

Thanks for posting this. I've been wanting to make more videos like this for the shows I do (except about audio) and this is super inspiring!

[@theshosher]

If you ever go to the Netherlands check out glow. It's a 10 day show in Eindhoven and they have the sickest 20 minute light show on the long end of the local stadium

[@gangmeow]

I do arena shows for tech events. But i do the IT and networking. But i hear the light guys on coms. Im working right along side you guys! Shows are fun. And its very rewarding when its all done and you nailed it.

[@MisterMotel]

so cool to see, I really love lights. especially at parties like this. And its cool to see that its guys like you who really make the party a good party. Keep up the good work man!

[@jonagranath1508]

Can you make a video setting up a show from the beginning? with all effect programming, color, position and so on?

[@nickdunsbergen]

Thanks for the video man! I learned alot, I just got in programming on the hog4. Doing some small gigs at local festivals with just a few moving heads and other fixtures. (Like 6 MH1's, 8 Mac101's and some SGM X5 strobes). I'm slowly starting to understand programming with macro's and so on, but still looking for a way to sort my desk so I can run shows the simple way. Subscribed to see more video's. Keep up the good work! Regards, Nick from The Netherlands

[@spyder027]

How did you get into that job? I do lighting at my church and I’m interested if I can do it for a job

[@nickdunsbergen]

@@spyder027 I had a big laugh about my post I wrote 6 years ago🤣 My advice will be: try to get in contact with professionals around you. Go to a rental company or theatre, they might help you and you’ll find a way in.

[@DJEklipse]

Great video! Can't wait for the rundown on how you have your rig programmed.

[@TheEvilDead44]

this was really awesome.. looking forward to the post show breakdown and board setup

[@mcbeall23]

@christian Jackson, thank you for sharing your knowledge with the world! helping us Hog heads learn the ways of MA

[@user-tl4ly8pr3n]

I go to a lot of big hard dance festivals, and I always wondered how to operate so much lights and I like your videos so much, it's nice to watch

[@Masonmcnamara6825]

I’m 12 years old and I love all this stuff I love disco lights and I have my own small DJ company this is one of my dream job

[@RiteshRajbhandari-lp]

this is genuinely cool

[@foreverfoo9462]

This was a great video. Hard to find this kind of practical and behind the 'scenes' demonstration with running commentary.

[@jojomaki]

It's so fascinating to learn about the behind the scenes of this stage considering I spent majority of my time at Bumbershoot at this stage haha

[@bugyourparents]

just what we wanted to watch today without expecting it to be about pro staging lights. we subbd to your channel a year ago and now we remember why we did, spectacular youtube experience all around, and a big thumbs up from bugyourparents

[@ziembaluke]

Can't wait to see your file tour. Just finished my first show on an MA can't wait to get training in December. Love watching your programming just fantastic.

[@Markus3400]

Get some TW1 as front lights. We use them all the time at festivals. No climbing the rig to change positions on the par cans anymore!

[@christianjackson]

Unfortunately none of our local shops have them

[@VegasDominic]

Good to know that capture looks like the industry standard for visualizations… 😊

[@kvondecks2538]

Very well done video. Loved it. I think it would be fun to see what someone with your high skill level could do with a very small budget of cheap lights. Kinda like I always wanted to hear what The Edge from U2 could do with a single cheap delay pedal. It would be quite a juxtaposition to videos like this one. I imagine it would be impressive and inspiring to artists on a small budget.

[@Whopcap]

The Marshmellow part... Blew my mind! You are so awesome!! Love that you talked us through it aswell as it for an outsider is impossible (yet cool to see) to know what the heck you're doing xD

[@iHCSx]

And I always wondered how this worked. This is crazy.

[@ferusgratia]

Hey man, I really like your videos. It's really nice to see another LD in the field and his thought processes. Thanks for posting! \

[@TheIanrobot]

I love using Vipers, such a versatile fixture.

[@kylevince9877]

Please do more videos like these! They're so much fun to watch!

[@dukewabusia2186]

I like what you did as from 9:45 to the point where the beat drops

[@keoni4824]

This is literally my dream job, thank you for the walk through!!!

[@JoseHeredia]

What an amazing look into your world. Thanks for sharing.

[@d.nguy360]

When you find yourself standing around the 6:20 mark in the video haha

[@GlenMeye]

It's always really interesting to see some behind the scenes footage. Thanks for this video!

[@KCT-ideas]

really like watching your lightning programs ,its awesome sir

[@patcism]

Awesome! Really liked your commentary on the Marshmello set you did there. That would be sweet if you could do more commentary on what specifically you're doing in each show.

[@dj59y]

working with James at R90? cool to see they are doing some fun shows, and your camera hates those backlights on the MA.. free strobe! lol

[@Nicpagan]

charles courser lol that bothers me really high end LIGHTING console and the built in LEDs are cheap and have to low refresh rates for video

[@ChristopherGonzalez-il4is]

This stuff is so interesting to me. And these videos are so in depth for me at least. Maybe one day I can get into this stuff !

[@jaysonesguerra]

Hey, I really appreciate the insight you gave us at 8:30 Looking forward to your full video on that kind of stuff! It's cool seeing the similarities and differences between the way you run this and the way I VJ :)

[@GetThronedEditing]

This is honestly such an interesting video, being able to see the inslights of festival lighting is awesome

[@vetramiga1]

i know this is an older video now but, just a thought .... you're never wasting any monetary value of lighting fixtures if it's letting the fans see the artist they came to see, especially if it's not a DJ that just stands there. yes it's less air power but... eh. depends on the act, but it can be a worthwhile tradeoff.

[@Mrjordantw]

More of these videos! So cool seeing the behind the scenes

[@isaacharris3666]

Awesome video, great to see a bit of the process.

[@DjWooPig]

Very inspirational!

[@xrey209]

Just did Zhu few months back for northern nights , dope team 🤘🏼

[@DawnHub666]

this is fascinating - Never seen anything deep into lighting controlling before - Cool - So ur a DJ and a lighting controller -- U hav the beast jobs senpai I really see how it all comes together. I can really see how a lighting guy also has to understand the music. Maybe more than the sound engineer in a way. I mean they hav to understand levels and such. But a lighting guy really has to know how music and rythym work inside out, just like a DJ. Having been a DJ for 20 years, Im amazed i havnt even thought once about how the lighting is controlled and what the guys would be like - I just totally took it for granted, so its amazing to see this point of view. Jeesus, Raves would be terrible without a decent light guy --

[@WITHOUTKOfficial]

really cool video! i'm usually behind the decks, djing but have always been very curious about the lighting and technical aspect as well! really a cool insight!

[@StevenCornfield]

Loved this video. Always wondered what goes into the lighting for big productions like that. Gonna have to have you come up to Alaska and help upgrade our lighting!

[@dellasx]

Imma say that the lights is the MVP here.

[@MultiLeo21]

Thank you for your service

[@dunste123]

KZbin just suggested this video to me and I'm happy that I clicked. This video is super interesting, keep it up

[@laveras6641]

So cool seeing the backstage tech! Great vid

[@ThatRascalMerlin]

On that color wheel spinning non-stop, I'm guessing it was the position sensor on the wheel itself. I'm not sure if Elation uses a notch/light, or magnet-type sensor. Anyway, If it can't find home, it will keep spinning while looking for it. This is why homing it didn't work. Your show looked great, and I loved your busking page. All really nice!

[@THESUBZILLA]

i personally like outdoor concerts for the reason that the sound doesn't sound like an eco

[@brandoncarey1476]

Can't wait for this walk threw video drop. Super stoked!

[@maus_drummer]

Really cool! Thanks for showing ur great work!

[@bogieyunsson3618]

these videos are extremely helpful! could you do a video walk through of your showfile? where you explain how to run a show, what you do in pre-vis and how you plan it all?

[@krisroams]

I love Porter Robinson!! I've probably seen one of your lighting works at festivals! Awesome job. Looks harder than DJing.

[@ulrikstokkebokjr4129]

Awesome! I’m just a small 17year old ld and i havent been into so many concerts and things like that. Im going to test out you kind of way to use lights instead of the typical theatre cuestack🙂

[@oldaccount67543]

This was awesome, glad I stumbled on your channel. I've always wanted to see a behind the scenes of all theses EDM performances and the crazy set ups.

[@Koblmueller004]

Awesome Video !, Also the Rig looked really good !

[@alexsaini5863]

I love your job, and good video ;)

[@jonathancook4022]

Amazing video quality, good narration and good info. Personally, I've gone down the software on a PCs/Mac option with fader/mfk buttons on a sub wing since I want the features of an expensive desk but at a much lower cost to control anything up to around 180 fixtures. A single show file but with custom position pallets and fixture groups for each show makes for crazy short programming times.

[@andrewbragg5141]

i love your work in lighting

[@ryanmcginnis3378]

thank you! awesome stuff Christian!

[@lordwhatshisname3408]

ran into the lead lighting guy for insomniac at the vegas airport. Coolest dude ever, gave us a buiness card😂

[@alex0kai]

This video is soo great! I love it. You are great.

[@dionprasad7858]

LEGEND! Been waiting for a video like this. Looks sick!!!! Although are you using the 'Blind' feature to pre-activate all the cues before the drop?

[@christianjackson]

+Dion Prasad blind mode is only used for programming. During playback, I have to use a manual move in black to fade the fixtures out, change their attributes while dimmed down, then bring them back up

[@shivashmishra4644]

Dude you're living my dream

[@MrCelego007]

Man, I really liked this video! I loved how you explained everything you did. Im really uncomfortable with the MA never have a chance to learn it, but I would love to. Till this point im just an Avolites Guru haha. Keep it up man!

[@SebastianJeri]

HI! I have a big question. How do bands in festivals sync their lighting? I mean i know how to sync with MIDI and my backing tracks BUT every lighting machine and stuff have their own codes and colors depending on that code. So if im using my own lights, and then go to a show where they have too, theres a big possibility that the colors and movement could change due to each machine MIDI code. So, how do ALL bands sync their lighting show without suffering those kinds of problems? Because sometimes it is impossible to bring your own equipment just to avoid that problem. Thank you!

[@chadbeverly4926]

i love your videos. share as much information as you wish im in school for this stuff right now and i want to learn all i can

[@djgstefan]

Great video. Super interesting.

[@ChuPawka]

Thank you for this video, very informative! Good job.

[@rmp5s]

Looks like a ton of fun, man!

[@slowgold20]

How have I not found your channel before?!? I've been working the theater stage for the last couple years. Managed to catch a couple bits of the mainstage shows though, and your work looks great!

[@slowgold20]

And lol@ 4:30. Welcome to seattle.

[@transist0]

Wow, this is the kind of video I've been wanting to see for a long time. I'm mostly interested in pro audio and I've got a pretty good grasp on that, but what goes on with lighting has always been a bit of a mystery.

[@SirMrDany]

I really miss the full show video...

[@S12Freak]

Simply awesome!

[@mntrmusic]

awesome!! Hi from Spain

[@Nicpagan]

Your a legend.