Written By: Scott Bernhardt
Before any artist or fan ever arrives at a venue, there needs to be a structure. A place for music and sound to traverse from a performance to an experience -- it is an essential piece of the concert that dictates the overall mood.
Most venues are built around a simple idea. The cone shape is the best conductor of sound because it helps to extend the lifetime of a sound wave and amplify its existence. A good structure for music both sounds great and gives a certain feeling to the crowd.
Some venues are created in a natural amphitheater-shaped earth, like the famous Red Rocks or The Gorge Amphitheater. These venues play off of the natural surroundings and create a surreal mix of an outdoor concert experience. Anyone who has experienced a show at these venues can tell you that they are indeed special.
Another style outdoor venue is a stage planted next to a hillside. Venues like The Hollywood Bowl, The Greek Theater, or The Santa Barbara Bowl playoff this concept. The sound travels up the hillside and is able to clearly reach to those at the top.
When dealing with festivals, most production companies opt for a simple, box shape for the basic stage design. Although festivals like EDC may create wild stage setups with lights and lasers included, there is nothing that really contains them or their sound.
Enter the Do LaB. The structures created by their team are instantly recognizable. At a festival like Coachella, look for beautiful bright colors and flowing fabrics, and you'll be in the realm of the Do LaB. What sets their structures apart is that they create a feeling by encapsulating the audience at each stage they construct.
The stunning colors and flowing fabrics that they use let each stage breathe with the music. Stepping into one of their eccentric setups usually means something above you as well, be it a cut fabric roof, or alien flower shaped sculptures. Their unique take on stage design sets them apart and cultivates an entire experience that goes beyond just the music.
Take a look at some of their newly designed structures slated the appear at this year's Lightning in a Bottle.
http://lightninginabottle.org/
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