"Kille - Hit the Lights": My interview with Pearl Jam's Kille Knobel

Photo by Karen Loria

Light. It has a power all its own - the power to illuminate a concert crowd of 40,000, creating a sense of belonging among individual concert goers who feel -- if only for a moment -- that they are an integral part of the show. 

And it has the power to give one member of a band an almost majestic or ethereal aura as a beam of light focuses solely on him or her for a moment in time. 

I'll never forget the night of July 15th, 2006, at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California, when Pearl Jam frontman - Eddie Vedder - radiated in that single beam of light during the song, "Rearview Mirror." 

In typical Vedder style - not seeking a desire to be the focus of the spotlight - he lifted his guitar above his head, using it as a tool to deflect the light from himself onto the faces of adoring fans surrounding the stage.

While creating a thousand points of light throughout the audience had been done before, and it would be done again, for me - it was THAT concert when I began to take note of Vedder’s and the band’s relationship with light.  

Photo cred: Cory Schwartz @cschwa17

Light isn’t just...well, light for Pearl Jam.

It isn’t used to overpower the music with some sort of ostentatious production, so often witnessed at other musical artists’ concerts. Instead, it is used to highlight the voice and the sound behind the music. Most importantly, it is used to interact with the fans.

And it is one woman and her team who create the magic of light for the band and the fans, night after night.

Kille Knobel, known as “Kille” by many Pearl Jam fans, has been the Lighting Director for the band for 18 years. But just what is it like to “hit the lights” for this talented group of musicians inducted into the 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? I interviewed Kille to get a behind-the-scenes peak.

CHRISSIE: You started with Pearl Jam in 2000 as the operator and programmer for the tour. How did you land that gig?

KILLE: I had a friend in college who was a year ahead of me. He had a job with this company called "Light and Sound Design," and they were one of the preeminent rock and roll, television, live event lighting companies. My friend casually asked if I would have any interest working there. Of course, I was interested. He put in a good word for me, and so I started working on the bench fixing lights. I was prepared to do whatever it took to learn the trade and to work my way up. Soon into that position -- only a matter of four months or so -- a console training position came up. They offered it to me. So I started training people, and then they started sending me out on shows occasionally. They were the ones that put me out on Pearl Jam; they sent me out to program and operate it.

CHRISSIE: How did you continue with Pearl Jam after that?

KILLE: Personality is a big part of this industry, and I think I just clicked really well with the band and the people working with them. So when it came back around for a redesign, they offered it to me. This is such a testament to Pearl Jam because I am not the only person -- who maybe didn't have the background or credentials, necessarily -- that they gave an opportunity to. I had never designed a big rock show before, but they believed in me, and they were willing to take a chance on me and give me an opportunity because I was part of the family by then.

CHRISSIE: While I’ve noticed that lighting has become more involved during Pearl Jam shows over the years, it never seems to overpower the band members and their music.  

KILLE: When I first joined with the band, they were just starting to adopt some more current automated lighting, but they really didn’t want it used in a way that was distracting; they wanted it to be about the music. I wanted to grow the show, but I wanted to grow it at a pace that was comfortable for the band. 

The show has become more visually dynamic since when I started, but it has been a gradual change. It almost happened without realizing it. If you sort of visually assault an audience all night long when you really need to elevate a performance moment, your tank is empty. So if you save the moment when you want to create some energy and magic, it’s more effective.

That is something the band has always driven home for me. For me it’s a struggle sometimes because the band is playing full throttle, and it defies a lot of your normal lighting instincts because you want to be right there playing with them. 

Jeff (Pearl Jam bassist) said something to me a number of years ago, which is sort of quietly played in the background any time I go into programming sessions, which is that he has that feeling sometimes too as a band member - he wants to be up in front and big and large, but that’s not what it’s about. You have to resist that temptation and be a part of it but not be the feature and save those moments for when they matter.

CHRISSIE: Are you sticking with the same “Lightning Bolt” set design for the upcoming tour?

KILLE: No, it’s going to be new, but it’s still going to feel like a Pearl Jam show. My design partner, Lloyd “Spike” Brant and I went through lots of different concepts and ideas. It’s tough with a band that doesn’t tour all the time. Usually, when you have a new production design, a band will go out for a year or so, and you really utilize it. These guys don’t tour as much, so we keep our production designs around for a lot longer. So typically, the average lifespan of our production designs is usually around 5 or 6 years. And in those 5 or 6 years, we’ll end up hitting all the markets, and maybe some of the markets might see it twice, but generally it works out so that we are not oversaturating. It’s just the die-hard fans -- for which we are grateful -- that might see it at multiple shows.

CHRISSIE: You had the great opportunity to work with Chris Cornell and Pearl Jam band members on that last tour with Temple of the Dog. I know that was a huge honor for you. Besides the obvious reasons, what did it mean to you to be a part of this tour?

KILLE: When they talked about doing it, you knew it was going to be really special and that every show might be the first and last time the band would ever play in a particular city. I had worked with Chris for a while through Soundgarden, and seeing these guys perform after all those years, and knowing the role Chris had early on in their careers - almost as a mentor in some ways - was special. It was also really fun to work with the PJ guys on something with the goal of it not feeling like a Pearl Jam show. So it was very minimal; it was very stripped down. The set was simple, and it was everything I thought it was going to be. Those shows were mesmerizing and haunting and something very special.

CHRISSIE: We’ve all heard - at the shows and on bootlegs - Eddie say, “Kille, hit the lights.” When did he start calling you by your first name at the shows? Do you remember?

KILLE: Yes, I do. It was when I first started with the band. They wanted the house lights on at the end of the show, but they weren’t very specific. They wanted to feel it out. So initially, I was like, “Do you want me to just take it?” and I was really hesitant because I didn’t know when to do it. So immediately, Ed was like, “I got this. I’ll just let you know.” So that’s how it started - with Ed just cluing me in on where he felt he wanted the house lights to come up. Now, it’s kind of formulaic; we always tend to hit it in the same spot. You'll notice that Ed doesn’t ever say it now because we’ve started falling into a predictable rhythm of when they come on.

CHRISSIE: If Vedder or McCready break off into the audience, is it easy to keep track of them?

KILLE: It depends on the venue. Typically, I can stay with them and get them to wherever they want to go. McCready will nip off so I’m always watching him. With Ed, I kind of know when he’s going to wander during certain songs, so I’m really tuned into where he is. When he does that wandering he doesn’t want to be featured because it’s usually during a solo where maybe Mike is playing. So I have to work with the spots to sort of gingerly bring up a really low amount of light so that we can see him out there and not steal the focus from McCready. Honestly, the hardest thing now is when Ed calls out to people in the audience where I don’t always know about it ahead of time. He’s so spontaneous in his crowd interaction, so he’ll say, “Hey, you with the kid.” I have 12 people on headset with me with all my follow spots and crew on stage looking for who he’s talking to. And by the time we get to the person, the moment has passed.

CHRISSIE: There really seems to be a sense of family among the band and crew members. Has that always been the case, or have you all developed this relationship over time?

KILLE: It’s always been the case. I am going into my 18th year, and that is like a newcomer in comparison to some people that have been there, so it’s a very tight group of people. It’s interesting because for the sound, lighting, and video crew, these guys and gals may be new with each tour and not have had any history with the band. But the vibe on the tour, and the way the shows are is so infectious that people want to come back and do Pearl Jam shows.

They don’t know what they’re getting into when they first say "yes" to the tour when a vendor calls them. But we sort of sprinkle our magic dust on everyone and lure them in because it’s such a good group of people. It’s an honor to work with a band of such decent, good, and inspiring humans who use their position in the world to quietly do such great work. I feel very fortunate, and I know anyone that walks through the doors of our camp feels the same way.

CHRISSIE: What is the coolest part of your job?

KILLE: I think it’s working for a band that never plays the same set night to night. There is not a second of the show where I’m sitting back drinking a cup of coffee. From start to finish, everyone is working hard. At the end of a Pearl Jam show I’m totally exhausted. For those 2 ½ to 3 hours you just have to be on your game. It’s hugely invigorating; it’s an adrenaline rush most nights. Their shows aren’t typical. It’s not just the music; it’s that whole interaction that happens with the audience, creating this world that we go into for those three hours where you’re in this little capsule, trying to create this environment between the band and the audience.

CHRISSIE: What is your favorite memory of being with the band?

KILLE: I have a lot of favorite memories; it's hard to pick just one. This isn't a one-off occurrence; it's a quietly touching moment that happens from time to time at our shows with sign language interpreters. Our family is directly impacted by congenital hearing loss, and these interactions, unbeknownst to the band -- I am sure -- are deeply meaningful to me. Every now and then (the interpreters) will catch Ed's attention if they are near the stage, and he will interact with them in a very spontaneous, unforced way. He's brought them onto the stage and has sung to them, and in one of my most favorite memories - he even slow danced with a very surprised interpreter. I get choked up pretty much every time, as I am reminded of what compassionate and inclusive people we are lucky enough to work with.