Lighting designer Tony Anzalone was working for Lyon based GL events Audiovisual, who co-ordinated and supplied the high profile event’s technical production.

The 60,000 capacity stadium will be the home of Ligue 1 football team Olympique Lyonnais (OL) as well as hosting concerts and other sporting events including the upcoming European Rugby Champions Cup Final in May.

The grand opening show featured a high energy son et lumière with a cast of 1500 people culminated in a show-stopping performance by popular US rapper will.i.am.

GL events Audiovisual’s head of lighting Alexandre Trapon asked Tony to create the high-impact lighting scheme and specification, and he decided that 90% of the lighting rig would be made up from Robe products.

The BMFL Blade was an obvious choice as the luminaire is built for stadium shows and long throw applications, so it was picked for its immense power, and with the framing shutters, its ability to focus and highlight very specific areas of the action on the pitch.

Tony used BMFLs last summer on the Patrimonio Guitar Festival in Corsica, and after that excellent experience was keen to use them again. This time he chose the BMFL Blade version as the framing shutters “allowed me to precisely follow the flow of the show unfolding on the pitch”.

The BMFL Blades were positioned on 10 x trusses flown around the perimeter of the venue’s roof on all four sides and up to 70 metres away from the action taking place on the pitch below … making the need for a super-bright fixture even more crucial.

“The intensity to weight / size ratio and the comparative low power consumption and the reliability all led us to choose the BMFL,” commented Tony.

He added that the units were also extremely quick and easy to programme. He programmed the show in several overnight sessions onto a grandMA console which he also ran for the hour long opening show.

The 70 x LEDWash 1200s were also positioned on the flown trusses and used for general pitch and audience illumination in a wide range of colours, achieving excellent coverage.

The Pointes were rigged on truss sections on wheels which were pushed into position around the perimeter of the pitch before the show started. Their piercing beams and multiple effects added many exciting layers of colour and dynamics to the action.

Finally the eight LEDWash 300s were on the circular stage / DJ booth in the centre of the pitch for will.i.am’s energetic performance which went down a storm with the crowds. The fixtures were chosen for their small size and portability.

The show is one of a number of large and high profile events in France to feature large numbers of Robe BMFL and Pointes, in a market that has expanded exponentially in the year since Robe established their own subsidiary.

Photo Credit: Nicolas Rodet