Have you ever wondered who’s controlling the jaw-dropping light shows at music festivals and concerts? Or, who creates all the detailed light designs at your favorite clubs and venues? Music Festival Central had the pleasure to speak with one of the legends behind the light-boards, Steve Lieberman. In our conversation, Steve told us about his journey within the entertainment industry and what it takes to run production for some of the world’s biggest electronic music festivals and hottest nightclubs on the planet.
At just the wee age of 15, Steve began his career in the entertainment industry as an extra hand in a nightclub in New York. Fast-forward about 25 years later; Steve is now the lead production specialist for every Ultra Music Festival, and, for the majority of festivals curated by Insomniac Events.
Ultra 2015 in Miami, FL
After Steve got his feet wet in the nightlife scene, he was hooked. He began doing just about anything that needed to be done around the club, until he eventually found himself setting up lights. Shortly after he graduated high school, he took his relationship with nightlife a step further and attended a rave. “It was an eye-opening experience,” Steve explained.
Back in the 90’s raves were the choice parties to attend, and Steve was smack in the middle of this widely growing underground community. What he loved so much about this community was that ‘people got to express themselves freely,’ without the fear of being ridiculed.
Following the summer of his first rave he went to college. He returned to New York for the summers and continued working at nightclubs, learning from the pros and making a summer wage. After college he took his LSAT and pondered the notion of becoming a lawyer. Unfortunately for his law career, the idea of remaining a student inside the walls of a classroom for another four long years didn’t sit well with him, so he decided to take a job back in New York for the same people he started with. Only this time, he took a role on the sales side of production.
During the 90’s, New York’s nightlife scene was thriving and Steve found himself in the middle of another social boom. At the time, there wasn’t much of a festival scene and nightclubs reigned supreme when it came to providing late-night entertainment. During this time, Steve was exposed to the greats of nightclub production. He was able to meet and be influenced by legendary club operators like Phil Smith, Richard Grand, and the famous Peter Gatien, aka the “King of New York Clubs.”
Peter Gatien in 1994 – Photo by Miles Ladin of The New York Times
After paying his dues and learning from the greats, Steve decided that it was time to set out on his own. So, at the ripe age of 21, that’s exactly what he did.
For roughly 4 years, Steve operated lights in clubs 6 nights a week. During this time he solicited club managers with his visually intoxicating skills and eventually began designing nightclubs himself. After having success in the industry it became apparent he could do what he was doing anywhere that demanded entertainment. Steve then decided he was done with New York and wanted to head west.
Steve’s girlfriend at the time (who is now his wife) wanted to go to Los Angeles, however, he wasn’t too into the thought of LA vibes, so they compromised. Their decision led them to sunny Arizona; right in the heart of the desert rave scene.
Rave in the early years – Photo via www.skyscrapercity.com
Steve and his girlfriend jumped into the AZ rave scene with full force. He helped produce 2-3 raves per week for 3 years straight. Most of his raves had him traveling between Phoenix and Tucson. It was a busy time for both Steve’s company and the rave scene as a whole. Unfortunately for the rave scene, raves were attracting more and more negative attention. Soon, raves became known as places where kids took ecstasy until their faces melted to the floor. In other words, they were frowned upon in the eyes of authority figures.
For the most part raves would go on without conflict. However, there were many times when raves he worked at were shutdown. Getting shutdown is never a good thing; nor was it something he wanted to worry about when he was hard at work.
Rave Party Canceled – Photo by www.theavtimes.com
After 3 years of doing raves in the deserts of Arizona, he started doing more work in the legitimate, and still thriving, nightclub scene. From New York to Chicago and Las Vegas to Los Angeles, and even across seas, Steve and his company, SJ Lighting (also his initials), have helped design clubs all over the world.
The word about Steve‘s work being impeccable, and, possibly being the best in the business, spread throughout the production world like wildfire. His creativity and drive to succeed landed him opportunities to build clubs like the famous Crobar in Chicago and New York, Story in Miami, Marquee in Las Vegas and New York, Parq in San Diego, and many, many more.
Marquee in Las Vegas, NV
Around the year 2000, Steve’s career had blossomed into something legendary. He had one of the most impressive resumes of any lighting designer in the field. In fact it was so impressive that it caught the attention of some of the first big-time successors in the newly blossoming music festival scene.
One day Steve’s phone rang–it was one of the creators of Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Florida. He told Steve something along the lines of, ‘so you think you’re hot stuff, huh? Why don’t you come down to Miami and try to handle Ultra’s lights?’ Almost as he was challenging Steve to see if he had what it takes to man the lights at, what was at that time, the biggest electronic music festival in the U.S.
At this time there had only been one Ultra Music Festival in 1999; Steve quickly decided to jump on board and take on the roll as head light guy at the second run of the festival, Ultra 2. Since then, Steve has successfully operated lighting rigs at every Ultra Music Festival in the US and internationally.
From the year 2000 on, Steve has been able to work for festivals on an annual basis, while staying busy month to month with nightclub projects as they became available (or, as he became available). Finally, after putting in years of hard work, Steve had reached the pinnacle of light operating roles.
Ultra 2008 in Miami, FL
Steve was even offered another position from electronic music promoting mogul, Insomniac Events, and their family of festivals. From Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) and its many locations (New York, Chicago, Orlando, etc.), to Beyond Wonderland and White Wonderland, Steve has been crushing lighting designs anywhere Insomniac festivals are being thrown. In addition to Ultra and Insomniac festivals, Steve has also done lights for other festivals, including the mecca of California music festivals, Coachella. Like Ultra and Coachella, Insomniac has quite a big need for amazing visuals, in addition to the need for state-of-the-art technology.
When asked what the next big thing is as far as technology goes at festivals and nightclubs around the world, Steve explained he’d tell me what he tells everyone who asks that question: “the technology is secondary to the design; it’s tools in your toolbox.” To sum that statement up, new technology isn’t necessarily going to be responsible for the next big thing at concerts and festivals; it’s the visionary behind these operations that continues to create until something magical happens.
White Wonderland 2012 in Anaheim, CA
Steve furthered his explanation of how it’s up to the light designer to create something new and fresh by using their knowledge and tools they have available at the moment, as oppose to new technology taking credit, by saying, “[light designers] must have a true understanding of technology and how it goes together.”
Now that Steve’s at the top of food chain as far as production specialists are concerned, he gets to pick and choose his jobs. He said he spends anywhere from 4 months to get a club going from start to finish, all the way up to 2 years; however, 6 months is usually how long it takes to create these unique masterpieces.
Story in Miami, FL
Recently, Steve has helped with the designs at XS inside The Wynn’s sister hotel, Encore. He’s currently working on including 200+ mirror balls (disco balls) inside Trist at The Wynn’s main hotel, and he just wrapped on a brand new club in San Diego called Cake.
Cake Nightclub in San Diego
Cake incorporates a creation called the Reveal G55 (Reveal Glass system). Reveal Glass does exactly what it’s name sound like; it reveals what’s on either side of it. Only, with the Reveal G55 Transparent LCD System, it reveals subjects in a very creative way. It reveals what’s on the opposite sides of glass when it’s programmed to do so, making moving objects appear and reappear at the touch of a button.
At Cake, Steve built Reveal Glass walkways that are occupied by beautiful, scantily dressed, model-like, women. The girls dance within these Reveal Glass walls and seem transparent as they appear and disappear in creative ways that the Reveal Glass operator programmed that night. The operator can also program the glass to play video sequences, watch TV, and of course utilize those psychedelic designs you see at concerts and festivals around the world.
Cake, like all of Steve’s projects, is a work of art. Not too many people think about what goes into the production of their favorite festivals, concerts, venues, and nightclubs, but there is a LOT that goes into it, and, it is truly a form of art on its own. During our interview, Steve made a reference of an artist and their paintbrush in comparison to a light operator and their equipment. Keeping his analogy in mind, I’d have to say that Steve seems like the Pablo Picasso of the lighting world.
Coachella Yuma Tent 2014 in Indio, CA
Although Steve has accomplished so much he stressed that he remains humble and is grateful he has been able to achieve such success in the industry. He is also dedicated to helping people break into the industry if they have a true passion to succeed and have proven they’re going to work as hard as they need to, to achieve their goals.
Before we wrapped our interview, Steve wanted to let the audience in on his true feelings about his career. Steve went on to say, “I’m extremely grateful and humble about all this, and appreciative every single day to be involved and to be working on these shows and I do everything I can to give back to the community. I’ve done my best to kick doors open for people; whatever I can for people. Anybody in the business who is passionate enough to be in the business, I’d like to help.“ In addition to helping people in his industry, he also donates to charities that are set in place to help an array of different causes.
Steve Lieberman at work – Photo via www.laweekly.com
All in all, Steve Lieberman has done an amazing job within the industry he loves. His story is a true inspiration for those attempting to break into the industry and for those who have experienced it for years. Steve’s story points out that if you continue to put yourself out there in a positive light and don’t give up on your goals, those goals can and will be accomplished in any industry.
Steve is even spreading his wings to take on another trade skill, as he was prepping to take his pilot’s license. I guess after nearly a quarter of a century spent building eye-candy for the masses, it must be nice for Steve to have his own private light show as he fly across cities and their skylines as they glow in the night. Knowing that somewhere under the blanket of lights, someone is enjoying his creations, and may one day get inspired to build their work of art for others to enjoy.
VISIT STEVE’S GALLERY OF NIGHTCLUBS
VISIT STEVE’S GALLERY OF FESTIVALS
Podcast via Magnetic Magazine
Featured image www.mixmag.net