There is something beautiful about a sports stadium. Ever since I went to my first one in Southern California as a child I’ve always had an affinity towards them. There is something about the way that certain parts of the structure blend with each other, how the stands and field mix with the commercial lighting, and how a building that seats 60,000 spectators can feel small and intimate in the right circumstances. I grew up in the age of the cookie cutter stadiums, where a multi-use football/ baseball stadium meant lots of seating with little personality. Even then, though, I found beauty in structures that most others didn’t.

It’s always fascinating to me to see stadiums in countries around the world. With nine South African cities currently hosting World Cup games, we are able to see nine separate stadiums which make up the personality of the country. From old school, European style architecture to state of the art, these African stadiums have it.

The center-piece stadium of the event is the Soccer City venue in Johannesburg. The 88,500 capacity stadium, which will host the championship match, was upgraded in 2009 to make it a massive, state of the art venue which is has an energy both in and outside of the venue. The stadium looks like a spaceship from the outside with light panels which can be seen from miles around.

Another new state of the art stadium built for the World Cup matches is Green Point Stadium in Cape Town. The venue, which holds 68,000 and was completed in 2009, is touted by officials as one of the most modern in the world complete with a retractable glass roof that would allow natural light onto the grass field when needed.

Not all stadiums were built specifically for the World Cup, though. Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg was originally built in 1928 with improvements made in 1982. This 62,500 seat stadium is traditionally a rugby stadium and was featured in the 2009 Clint Eastwood film “Invictus”. While it may be on the older side, it is known to have the type of personality that we would equate to Wrigley Field or Fenway Park in the States. Other parks such as Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg and Free State Stadium in Bloemfonetin, are also on the “older” side of the coin.

There is a campaign to get the 2018 or 2022 World Cup back here in the United States. With all the football and soccer specific stadiums that have been built since the 1994Cup was hosted here, we should make a great host country. But in the mean time, watch the Cup and take a look at the stadiums. They definitely have a lot of personality.

Author Kim Green enjoys all facets of world competition, including the commercial lighting.

There are a lot of different types of commercial lighting out there. It can enhance anything from sporting events to museums to malls to workplaces, to even housing complexes. Even if you don’t notice it, lighting is always there enhancing not only our ability to look at things, but also how we look at things. It can change our moods and our perceptions about the things around us. It can make blues lighter, reds darker and whites change from welcoming to foreboding. This is why my all time favorite use of commercial lighting is at someplace where it really can influence the way art makes us feel: at live concerts.

If you’re a music fan you have to admit one thing: a live concert would be nothing without lighting. While a song can set a mood, the lighting which surrounds the performers can enhance it, either adding to or slightly tweaking the intended message of the artist. A stage bathed in a red glow makes for a much different message then a stage dressed in a blue hew. Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes lighting can have just as important of an effect on an audience as music does.

Radiohead has always been an artist that has always put a lot of thought into their concert lighting. While other bands might be flashier, Radiohead has always been able to use their light so smartly that they never overdo it. You wouldn’t believe how many bands you watch who barrage you with so many lights that you walk out with your head aflutter with a massive headache. Radiohead, on the other hand, has found ways to use their lights to enhance their songs without overshadowing them. That’s hard to do, especially in large venues.

Radiohead was the first band to fully embrace the use of LED lighting in the concerts. While other bands have used in sparingly, they were the first band to use nothing but the LED bulbs during their 2008 US tour. Because LED is crisper and brighter, it added such a dimension to their performance. Gone were the annoying strobe lights, the stage lighting was succinct and beautiful. They even were able to project images with the on the LED screens while lighting the stage. Plus since the LED lights don’t give off as much heat, it’s also better for the environment.

I once heard a quote that said going to see Radiohead live is like going to church. I have to say, after seeing them multiple times it is almost like a religious experience. There is no better live act to see. Just make sure you take a moment to look at their lighting.

Kimberly Green enjoys all aspects of concerts from T-shirt stalls to commercial lighting.

You ever look up at the lights during your favorite sporting event? If not you might be missing one of the most important aspects of the game.

A couple nights I went to a hockey game. One of my favorite things to do is watch sports live and to me there is nothing like watching a hockey game. There is something so awesome about the beauty and the force that you see on the ice. It’s a mix of toughness (both physical and mental), finesse, and luck all put together in a game that is played on the fastest sporting surface known to man.

Of course, none of this would be possible at a live setting without the commercial lighting at the arena. I know, I know, it’s a mundane thing to think about: lighting. We take it completely for granted at sporting events. But without expert lighting we wouldn’t be able to watch our favorite team go out there night after night to beat their hated rivals.

I know it’s obvious, but one must recognize lighting varies from sport to sport, and from arena to stadium. It’s not just about shining lights onto the playing field, it’s about expert planners, electricians and maintenance men and women making sure that the light shines in the right places at the right times and seamlessly melds into the playing area and crowd.

If you really look at the lighting the next time you go to your favorite sporting event you’ll notice that there are different lighting needs for the playing field and for the audience. For the playing field you have to find the perfect combination of lights to make sure the field of play is easily seen by  both player and spectator alike without overwhelming them with unnecessary brightness or heat. There is an old phrase in baseball that says “He lost it in the lights on that fly ball”. That type of problem is unavoidable at times but as a lighting designer you have to make sure that that kind of issue is kept at a minimum.

For fans, different arenas and stadium have different levels of lighting for the spectator areas. Places like the Staples Center in Los Angeles like to darken the crowd during games so that the playing surface can be better seen. For football and baseball night games, stadiums have a tendency to keep the spectators in a slightly dimmer light then the playing surface, but still give them enough light to walk, eat and peruse comfortably.

Just a little something to think about the next time you go out to root on your favorite sports team.

Author Kimberly Green has experience with interior decorating and specializes in residential home lighting as well as some commercial lighting for businesses.

Everything about the Olympics is a big deal. This isn’t just true about the competitors but also for the behind the scenes works such as commercial lighting.

For the last four days I’ve done nothing but watch the Olympics. Day and night, the Olympics have dominated the television in my house. Get together’s have been canceled, dinners have been rearranged and my DVR has been cleaned out for the events that I miss. There is just something about the pageantry of it, and, more impressively for me, the entire massiveness of it. Just the commercial lighting that has to be utilized to light over a dozen venues for the fans is amazing. I know, I know, here are Olympic athletes giving there all for the chance at gold and I’m focusing on something as small as the “lighting”, but if you think about it its small stuff like this that has to be meticulously considered to put these games on.

Imagine that it’s your job to figure out how to light a venue at the Olympics. Sounds easy enough, but for anyone who has had to work on commercial lighting before (and I have, maybe that’s where this interest comes from) knows that there is a lot to consider when lighting something as important as an Olympic venue. Take, for example, the Richmond Olympic Oval, home of the Speed Skating events for the games. Whenever you’re dealing with ice you have to be careful with the lights you use. If it’s too bright or put at the wrong angle you could be dealing with massive glare off the ice. The trick is, though, you have to be able to light the venue for television while being considerate of the skaters. How do you do this? I don’t really know, I guess that’s why they are professionals and I’m just a blogger.

The Opening Ceremonies of the games was one of the most amazing lighting jobs I’ve ever seen. The director of the ceremonies (who has previously directed the Opening Ceremonies for the Sydney games in 2000) used over 70 projectors to create stunning visual moments that helped bring people an up-close look at Canadian Culture. One of the most striking moments were a pod of projected orca whales moving across the stadium floor. In all, by using the projection lighting, the director was able to make a lot out of a little. Very rarely were live props used, but instead by using the lighting projected onto white objects it looked as it the arena was covered in water or leaves or snow. It was definitely a sight to behold.

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Just like commercial lighting, concert lighting can run the gambit from simple white lights to complex colored lighting which can bring out the subtleties in a venue.

Lighting is one of the true unsung heroes of any concert performance. Just like commercial lighting, concert lighting can take many forms and can be used to bring out subtleties on stage. It’s not just about the spotlights anymore; lighting has taken a big step forward in the concert industry in recent years.

There are two concerts in recent years where lighting has stuck out to me. The first was Nine Inch Nails in 1999. While supporting their double album “The Fragile”, Nine Inch Nails took off for a North American tour visiting, in their words, “hockey arenas”. What made the lighting on this show so incredible was the fact that the band utilized LCD screens for their main lighting. These large screens were attached to machinery that allowed them to shift during the concert and take their place either above or behind the band. These screens could show either images or just color, which made them the primary lighting source for the band. This was the first time a major band had utilized LCD screens for their key lighting on tour, something that has been copied in recent years by some of the biggest bands in the world like U2 and Radiohead.

The second concert that stuck out in my mind in regards to lighting was a 2003 performance by a Long Island band named Brand New. What made this concert stand out was the fact that the band was entirely back lit for their performance. I had never seen a band do this before. Frankly, it was eye opening. There were no lights either above or in front of the band, just behind it. Because Brand New’s music is moody and, at points, intense, this lighting set up was perfect for the band and thoroughly enhanced their performance. I actually recently saw Brand New again recently and they had an entirely new set up featuring bright white lights were used in conjunction with black and white video.

I consider myself a bit of a concert nut. As someone who attends concerts as much as once a week, you tend to notice concert lighting a bit more than the average concert goer. You realize how lighting can really accent a bands performance. On two opposing ends of the spectrum are bands like U2 and a southern Florida band named Against Me! U2 has been crafting giant stage setups for 20 years and always find new and ingenious ways to light their performance may it be car headlights or giant spaceship like stages. On the other hand you have Brand New who have a tendency to have one lighting set up per show without ever changing it. I once saw a performance where the lighting guy went to his controls and brought up these intense bright white lights which never dimmed at all during the performance. It was intense, but matched the performance perfectly. That’s all you can ask for in a live show.

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