Pretty Lights at Liberty Hall
By Jenny Kratz
The aurora borealis could have been in Lawrence Sunday night.
An aural wall of sparkling color and flashing graphics — courtesy of Pretty Lights — treated concertgoers at Liberty Hall to a sensory carnival that felt like the famous northern light phenomenon — if it had a thudding bass behind it.
Pretty Lights is the innovation of Derek Vincent Smith, a DJ with an impeccable ear for sampling and mixing in an age when anyone with a laptop and an iTunes library can call themselves a disc jockey. Assisted by drummer Cory Eberhard, the Pretty Lights live show is one that gets even those with unaltered minds to shake their hips.
With a set that lasted nearly two straight hours, Pretty Lights overtook the stage at Liberty Hall with a light show that encompassed strobes, disco ball-style sparkle, dancing colored spots, and a video projection that ranged from the standard screen saver to street scenes a la Grand Theft Auto. Combined with the aggressively gyrating packed house, the experience was a lot like a live Apple commercial.
