Audience members at the Western band department’s Prism concert tomorrow will have more to look forward to than the sounds and melodies made.

The eighth annual event will showcase not only the music — lighting, sound effects and narration provide a theatrical spin.

“It is the most unique concert on campus,” said John Carmichael, Western’s director of bands.

The bands that will preform include the wind ensemble, the jazz band and the Big Red Hillbilly Band, which will play a selection from “O Brother Where Art Thou.”

“It’s not like a regular concert where you sit and read out of the program,” said Emily Wells, a Louisville senior and a trumpet player.

Saxophone player Jeremy Huffman, a sophomore from Evansville, Ind., said the concert gives the band members a chance to kick back and enjoy a more relaxed show.

“We’ll play a few serious pieces, but most of it’s just crazy,” Huffman said.

The lights will move around Van Meter Auditorium from band to band located in various areas of the hall.

“The goal is to move so efficiently that the audience has no time to applaud,” Carmichael said.

The main selection of the concert, “Evolution,” showcases the history of music through narration.

“It’s like taking Music 120 without going to the class,” Carmichael said.

Other selections include a song from “Harry Potter,” the “William Tell Overture” and a James Brown tune.

Carmichael said the lighting will give the audience a sense of movement. The lighting, done by Jeff Smith and Rob Hatcher of the Capital Arts Center, will include strobe lights, mirror balls and spotlights.

“We use the word prism because it’s like shining a light– or our band –through a prism so you can see all the facets and colors of our band,” Carmichael said.

Reach Marci Kacsir at [email protected].

IF YOU GO:

What: Prism Concert

When: Friday, Jan. 24 at 8 p.m.

Where: Van Meter Auditorium

Tickets: $10 adults; $5 students and senior citizens