As a lighting designer for 13 years, Jason Goers has seen his share of unique and impressive venues. He’s been to Red Rock Amphitheatre multiple times with bands like Leftover Salmon, Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band, Dark Star Orchestra, The Motet and other clients. He’s also had stops at places ranging from Ryman to the Brooklyn Bowl, but nothing was quite like what he encountered recently when he visited Shawne Cave Amphitheatre for two shows. 

Touring with Leftover Salmon, Goers journeyed to this stunning site tucked away in the middle of 60 scenic rugged acres in a national forest outside Murphysboro, IL. It was a true “underground music” experience, as the stage is situated at the base of a massive hundred-foot sandstone formation.

The site’s powerful natural imagery captivated Goers, who, in addition to being a lighting designer, has been a musician for over 25 years. However, once he savored the initial experience of seeing this site, he had to get down to business of meeting the challenges it presented so he could create a lightshow that reflect the distinct jam band sound of his ionic clients. 

How did Leftover Salmon like Shawne Cave? 
“They loved that it was outdoors and the way they sounded there.”

It was great, how you worked gobos on the overhead rock formations. Why and how you did that? 
“In any venue it’s important to highlight the features that make it unique. So, I look around and find what’s special about a space that will help me create some looks for it. Fortunately, at Shawnee Cave Amphitheater, they had spot and wash fixtures attached to FOH roof structure, so the cliff face was begging for some cool looks. To create this look, I used some washes zoomed out to add a nice magenta color wash to the cliff then to top it off I used spot sailboat gobos, and zoomed out to fill the cliff face above the stage.”

Shawnee Cave is a great canvas to work on. How did lighting a show there influence your design?
“SCA is a unique venue, since the high cliffs above the stage create a roof and overhang that keep the stage deck protected from the elements. It was exceptionally hard to get and keep even haze coverage because any breeze would hit the cliff and get redirected down to the stage in an unpredictable swirling motion. So, relying on haze and beams took a backseat to highlighting the cliff face. “

Were there any special challenges lighting at this venue?
“Yes, there are always challenges at every venue. Here the issue was coming up with big looks with a relatively low trim height. As with lighting a stage with a proscenium, the beams get trapped, so I needed to get the audience’s attention another way. Everything is overshadowed by the cliffs so I wanted to catch your eye with gobos then your eyes would work their way down to the musicians and stage.”

How would you compare the crowd interaction at Shawnee Cave to other venues?“When I would look out into the crowd, it was interesting to see as many people looking up as looking at the stage. My priority is to light the talent, then recreate what the music is saying. To me, lighting a crowd is a product of movement instead of a specific goal.” 

If you had to sum up your feelings about the cave three words, what would they be?“Unique, breathtaking, challenging.”