Without the lighting, that would just look stupid. But add the volumetric lighting in, and you've got a wonderful dark, pretentious scene that perfectly fits the 80s atmosphere. You can never over use volumetric lighting. Feel free to use it in every scene. It never gets boring.
Lets now look at the second example.
Observe how it portrays power and importance. I certainly wouldn't want to come across that in a dark alley. Remember, 80s videos are all about portraying deepness and importance through the use of bad lighting and cheesy props. This scene does a simply magical job of it. 80s video directors were the prophets of their time.