Ethan Weber is gearing up to start yet another Rolling Stones tour. This marks the 21st year he has been on the road with these guys, but in reality it’s only a fraction of his career in stage lighting. Along with designing some top-notch shows on his own for bands such as Green Day and Fall Out Boy, he is often entrusted with running larger-than-life productions, such as U2, for other designers. I caught up with Ethan to chat for a spell.
Nook: You recently passed your 30-year milestone in the lighting biz. How did you start?
Ethan: I was in a little punk rock band in college. After graduation we migrated to New York City to become rock stars, but had problems finding a singer, so it kind of fizzled out. I met Abbey Rosen [Holmes] while in college working for the concert committee. She lived in NYC as well, so I called her at See Factor looking for a job. I was hired that afternoon and stayed there for eight or nine years. I owe a lot to Bob See.
Obviously you started touring, but how did you become an LD?
Bert Holman from promoter John Scher’s office called See Factor looking for someone to LD a Lou Reed tour. I was probably the only one in the shop that day, so Bob put me forward for it and they gave it to me.
So you are a graduate of See Factor U?
Proudly. I learned a great deal working and crew chiefing. When the time came to design Lou Reed, Bob helped me lay out the system and offered advice and guidance. I met Patrick Woodroffe while working as a tech on a Bryan Ferry tour, and he became very instrumental in my career. Through See Factor, I also got involved with [stage manager] Al Santos and [Bob] Dylan tours, starting out as crew chief and ending up designing.
So you networked your way up the ladder. What came next?
I lit Lou Reed on and off for eight years. I did some other design work, including Dave Edmunds and The Allman Brothers in ‘92. Also in ‘92, through Bob [Dylan] and Michael Ahern, I got hired on to crew chief a Keith Richards tour. The designer was sacked after the European leg, and the LD job fell into my lap. That led to joining the Stones’ tour in ’94, and I’ve been with them on all tours since.
So are you always running the console on the Stones tours?
No. I started off as the lighting crew chief on the Voodoo Lounge Tour in 1994. On the next tour — Bridges to Babylon [1997-1998] — Dave Hill kept his role as programmer, but stepped down from directing. Mark “Sparky” Risk, who was Vari*Lite crew chief on Voodoo Lounge, was promoted to moving light operator, and I took over conventionals, peripheral movers and spot-calling. Jim Straw and I looked after running the Licks Tour [2002-2003]. Bigger Bang [2005-2007] was just me, and then Dave came back to celebrate the first bit of the 50th Anniversary Tour in 2012. It’s been me for the past year or so.
You seem to have your finger in a lot of productions over the years.
Everything comes from connections. Jake Berry and Opie [Dale Skjerseth] have been responsible for a lot of my work over the years. Winky [James Fairorth] at Tait Towers recommended me to My Chemical Romance a few years ago, and that led, through production manager Greg Dean, to lighting Green Day. It also led to a very enjoyable emo/punk phase with Fall Out Boy and Angels & Airwaves.
So you are willing to take less money to work with smaller acts, I take it?
I meet LDs who say, “I won’t go out for less than $4,000/week.” That’s all bulls**t. It’s nice to make good money, but in the end we do this because we love the art of it — it’s like painting a thousand paintings a night, and we like the lifestyle. I enjoy lighting the younger bands, and most of them don’t have much of a budget. I tell managers that if it’s something I want to do, I don’t let money get in the way. In the end, you’re doing something you enjoy, and you’re making more money than staying at home.
So do you prefer designing smaller shows to running stadium sized ones?
There will always be something very exciting about walking out to your console and being surrounded by 60,000 amped up people. At the same time, being in a club trying to make 20 fixtures look good and different for 90 minutes is pretty satisfying. Nice to be able to do both.
With 20 lights, you have to prove you’re good. With 200, you know it will probably look pretty good, no matter what.
I did Angels & Airwaves with half a truck of lights that I set up myself. It was one of the best and most enjoyable shows I’ve designed/operated. The workdays were usually long and rough, but with a $5,000/week budget, I’d prefer to do the work myself and have more fixtures.
I notice none of your shows are ever run on time code.
To me, there’s not much point in going out and running a time code show. There has to be something creative for me. I’m not saying time code is a bad thing. On some shows, it’s almost a necessity, and I know many non-touring designers who want the consistency, but there’s something about hitting the buttons that I still really enjoy. That, and most of the bands I work with are a bit more organic and less likely to play a song the same way twice.
Long known as being a working LD, do you still get your hands dirty?
Yes. I enjoy the work and the camaraderie with the crew. I believe that since I’m the one who’s responsible for the lighting, I should be there to make any relevant decisions. And if I’m there, I might as well get my hands dirty. A crew chief friend just told me a story about being yelled at by an LD because of some spot positions he wasn’t happy with. If it’s that important, you should be there to make the decision. Spending the afternoon focusing and programming can be tedious, and concentrating through a two-hour show can be a little draining, but it’s not that hard. Get up early and put the extra time in to make sure the lighting is as you want it — it’s our job. Skipping load-outs can be tempting, but I find them to be a good way to ramp down after the show — makes you forget a bad one and calms you down after a good one.
Do you have any rules you live by?
Everything happens for a reason. I believe in Karma. If you come to a fork and have good Karma, you’re going to be led down the right path.
Last words of advice for the readers?
Work hard, be a nice guy, get rid of the ego, and it’s not all about the money. None of us got into this for the money — we did it because we like what we do. And it’s a lot better than growing up.
