In the realm of concert lighting design, Ben Jarrett, one of the three partners at the boutique concert lighting company Squeek Lights, creates a theatrical experience for every show. As the lighting designer for the progressive metal band Coheed and Cambria, Jarrett has established a distinct style by treating concerts as musical performances that immerse audiences in the band's intricate science fiction universe, incorporating stories from comic books written by the band's lead singer, Claudio Sanchez. Jarrett's formal education in theater, combined with his background in music, has greatly influenced his lighting design, which focuses on conveying the specific mood, emotion, and narrative of each song for the current Coheed and Cambria Co-Headliner tour with Taking Back Sunday.

From Theater to Tours

Jarrett's journey to becoming a touring lighting designer began with formal training in theatrical design at St. Mary's University in Winona, MN, where he earned his BA in theater arts. This foundation in theater would prove instrumental in shaping his distinctive approach to concert lighting. "7 learned color theory and angles and instrumentation, all the book learning I got through my college experience, but then it was really after I graduated, working in shops and running shows that I learned the hands-on practical experience, Jarrett explains. His transition from theater to concerts wasn't immediate. After college, Jarrett spent time in event lighting, working weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, and corporate events at Starlite Productions in South Jersey.

Jarrett was then offered an opportunity to become a partner in Squeek Lights, founded by Victor Zeiser, leading to his concert touring work. Jarrett reflects on the company's beginnings: "Victor approached Steve Kosiba, who I worked with at Starlite, and me, asking us to come on as partners. We invested in the business, and since then, we've been developing a concert-focused lighting company. This growth continues to be a promising sign for our future in the industry." Initially, Squeek Lights worked with bands that had not yet toured with a lighting package. Over time, the company has transformed into a full-service operation. "We started by assisting bands who played in small clubs. Now, we are handling events in large arenas, Jarrett notes.

The Art of Musical Storytelling

As noted, Jarrett's design aesthetic is informed by how he brings his unique blend of music and theater into his lighting. With a formal music background, he crafts his lighting to"match the mood and the emotion that the song is trying to convey. This approach is particularly well-suited to Coheed and Cambria, elaborate science fiction narrative entwined with their music. Color plays a significant role in Jarrett's lighting design, influencing the audience's emotional connection to the music and the performance. Different colors when used correctly can help influence your audience into feeling or thinking a certain thing," Jarrett explains, noting how "deeper blues can represent sadness or solitude or isolation, whereas a red and white look can give you the impression of excitement or energy.

Perhaps nowhere is Jarrett's storytelling approach more evident than in his programming of "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3, one of Coheed's most popular and complex songs from their second studio album. The close-to-10-minute-long epic tells the story of a space battle, and Jarrett's lighting design follows every narrative beat. He explains, "The whole song is about an epic space battle with battleships and people flying and dying." During the battle sequences, Jarrett creates what he describes as "two battleships coming broadside to each other and just letting loose with their cannons.* He uses his brightest fixtures-Elation Paragons and ACME Geist Beams—as cannons, with "my lighting rig as the battleship."

But the song's complexity extends beyond the battle scenes. "Then the other five minutes of the song does away with that, and we go into these two long sorts of monologue-y bridges where the tone of the song shifts entirely, Jarrett notes. During these sections, *the stage goes from a big open space battle to just this center spot" that shifts from blue to red as the narrative moves from storytelling to themes of murder. This attention to narrative detail reflects Jarrett's core philosophy: *This is a story. And Claudio's up there singing his story about these characters, and it just wouldn't be right to try to recycle anything." Instead, he lets his "design and programming follow the story of the song."

The band's narrative concept provides rich material for Jarrett's storytelling approach to lighting design. Many of Coheed's albums tell stories about characters from this fictional universe. "Since there is a story element to a lot of their music, I take my approach with their lighting to kind of make it feel like a theatrical show more than just a concert with blinking lights, Jarrett says. This immersive storytelling approach assures the audience feels fully engaged in the music performance.

One of the most engaging elements of the band's current tour, and an element Jarrett had to consider when designing the rig, is a 28 inflatable character called "Blind Side Sonny. It is based on a ruthless character in the song by the same name and fabricated by Netherlands-based Airworks Inflatables. This massive prop, which packs down into a road case and weighs about 300 lbs., serves as the centerpiece of Coheed's performance. Jarrett designed the entire lighting rig with this character in mind, creating "an ability; a lighting rig that allowed me to hit him from every angle."

Programming and Gear

The complexity of Coheed's music does present significant challenges for programming. "On average, it takes me about an hour to program each minute of music, and Coheed's epic space opera performances features songs that can last 10 to 12 minutes," Jarrett points out. These challenges include the need to precisely synchronize lighting with the intricate changes in the music, creating surprising effects that align with the narrative of each song, and ensuring the lighting enhances the overall concert experience for the fans. As a result, programming a single song can take "an entire day or sometimes two days."

To maximize efficiency, Jarrett employs a strategic approach to fixture selection. "I wanted to use at least one fixture type from everything I've typically seen at festivals and other rigs," he shares. "I always have a spot, a wash, a pixel bar, a strobe, a mole, and a hybrid. For this tour, I am using Elation Paragon M profiles, ACME Hyperzone Washes, Chauvet PXL Bar 16s, Elation Cuepix 16/Ps, and Chauvet Maverick Storm 1 Hybrids to fil those roles." This thoughtful selection process guarantees that when the band travels internationally, he can "take the show file and my programming with me and feel confident that the show will translate well to different stages."

As it is a co-headlining tour with Taking Back Sunday, Jarrett collaborated with the Lighting Designer for Taking Back Sunday, Eric Price, to realize a shared lighting rig that serves both bands. This approach reflects the unity and cooperation between the two groups and extends to the practical aspects of touring. "Eric is great. He was also Mastodon's lighting designer, when they were on the first leg of the Coheed and Cambria tour earlier this summer, so from a production standpoint, not many changes were necessary for this leg when Taking Back Sunday took the co-headline spot," Jarrett notes. The shared rig strategy is beneficial as the Taking Back Sunday design also contributed additional floor carts of Elation's Söl Blinders, to augment the main lighting system.

As Jarrett's design career continues, his diverse background in theater, music, and technical production provides him with a strong foundation that he builds upon with his artistic perspective on crafting memorable live experiences. For Jarrett, the key to success lies in recognizing that concert lighting goes beyond mere illumination-it's about storytelling, evoking emotions, and creating moments that resonate with audiences long after the final note fades.

Photo courtesy of PLSN.