Eric Price
Lighting Designer
Inspired by Phish concerts and the iconic Talking Heads film Stop Making Sense, Eric Price embarked on a career in lighting design, working with renowned rock bands such as Alkaline Trio, Taking Back Sunday, and Mastodon. His success is built on a foundation of open communication and high self-awareness, key traits that complement his passion for creative problem-solving—both on stage and at the pinball machine.
Meet Eric
What have your highlights been in 2024 and what is the rest of the year looking like for you?
Highlights this year have been Alkaline Trio, Taking Back Sunday and Mastodon. There are festivals through September followed by a Taking Back Sunday tour with The Used in October. Mastodon is then playing in Australia for a few weeks in December.
Where did you grow up? What was your youth like and what did you want to be when you grew up?
I grew up in Connecticut. When I was younger, I played a lot of sports (baseball and hockey). When I graduated high school, I originally wanted to study astronomy. Unfortunately, the math was too much for me to handle.
Do you remember when you first wanted to work with lighting? What fascinated you about it?
My interest in lighting came from going to Phish concerts in my late teens and early 20's. I decided I wanted to pursue the profession when I saw Stop Making Sense (Talking Heads) for the first time.
You went to Full Sail to study lighting and design. How was that experience?
My time at Full Sail was very beneficial, given my situation. I was previously working stagehand calls in Portland, Oregon, although I wasn't learning much about design or console operation. Full Sail allowed me to immerse myself in a variety of production areas that might have taken years to learn outside of school.
You also acquired some real-world experience along the way. What path would you suggest for an aspiring designer?
I think the choice between "school" or "on the job" education is a very personal one. In my case, I just didn't have the options available to learn on the job because of the limited opportunities in my town. Someone living in Chicago, New York, LA etc. might benefit from going the "on the job" route.
You’ve worked with a number of bands and have served a number of roles in your career. What aspect of lighting do you enjoy the most?
The aspect I enjoy most is the daily changing environments and problem solving. Every day is different.
What is the most challenging aspect of being on a touring production and how do you deal with that?
Being away from home is certainly the hardest thing to navigate while touring. You miss out on so many things such as birthdays, holidays, etc. Alternatively, you have to deal with things out on the tour like varying skill levels from local hands each day, living on a bus with people you may not have known before that tour. I find the best way to deal with both is to really be honest with yourself about what you personally are bringing to the table. High levels of self-awareness are essential in my mind.
How do you collaborate with an artist to align their creative vision with your own? Have you ever experienced where they didn’t mesh and if so, how did you go about finding a solution?
It varies greatly from artist to artist. Sometimes the artist has a clear vision and wants to be heavily involved in the creative process… and sometimes they don’t. Communication is important in both examples. Even if an artist doesn’t really want to be involved, they still may have some subtle wants/needs that can be determined by a casual chat. “Are you comfortable with strong front light?” “In the past, have there been things on stage that stand out and make you more or less comfortable during a show?”
You integrated the new SŌL I Blinder into the Taking Back Sunday set for their latest tour and were the first to use the new light. Any other plans for the small blinder and is there anything else in the new Elation catalog that you’d like to try out?
I will certainly be using the SŌL Blinder again. I was very impressed with the fixture in all aspects of use. I would like to start using them in place of standard two or four-cell crowd blinders.
Have your designs changed over the years and have advances in lighting technology had a hand in that?
I like to think my designs are constantly changing, although in some instances, you are limited by venue size and transportation space that you have to fall back on old ideas that “just work”. Technology has certainly played a role in design evolution for me. Hybrid style fixtures and lower power to higher output allows for more fixtures in rigs and more versatility from less variety.
Is there something you’d like to do in this industry that you haven’t already?
There are definitely bands I would like to work for that I haven’t. I would also like to start transitioning into more design and programming with less time out touring. Old age is creeping up.
What do you like to do when you’re not doing lighting?
I play a lot of pinball in my free time and I’ve recently started golfing. When I am home, I like to cook and hangout with my roommate’s pets.
