Blearred Milano dealt with the tour lighting design, which saw the Arolla Aqua take centre stage. We spoke to lighting designer Jordan Babev about the project.
Max Pezzali’s first real stadium tour in over 30 years of career, Max Forever, sold out across all venues, drawing floods of fans of all ages eager to sing along at the top of their lungs to his every hit.
The 10-date tour was a nostalgic journey through time, uniting different generations with the taste and icons of the 1990s. The former 883 frontman performed over 30 songs, including timeless hits, rarities and his new single, released a few months ago after a four-year hiatus.
The tour’s stage design was nothing short of spectacular. All the visual elements created a nostalgic, celebratory atmosphere, highlighting the milestones of Pezzali’s career.
Jordan Babev from Blearred Milano, the studio which dealt with the show’s lighting design, shared his insights.
Hi, Jordan, let’s start right away with one of the new features of the 2024 tour. How did you respond to Agora Rental’s proposal to use the Claypaky Arolla Aqua?
For us, it was a great opportunity, which we seized immediately. We have always had great confidence in Claypaky lights, and they did not disappoint this time either, on the contrary. The Arolla is an excellent unit with a light output that perfectly meets our expectations. We worked smoothly with Agora, allowing us to integrate these lights seamlessly into our design. The quality and reliability of the Arolla Aqua enabled us to create a show we are extremely satisfied with.
Can you tell us how you used them?
We used 158 Arolla Aqua units as the central part of our lighting design for Max Pezzali’s tour. Our goal was to use a versatile light that could transform the stage design during the performance, creating different visual configurations. Spotlights highlighted key moments, adding dynamism and depth to the stage. The Arolla’s ability to adapt quickly and offer a variety of colour and movement options ensured the show’s quality remained optimal.
What features impressed you the most?
The Arolla Aqua is truly remarkable, with a light output that matched our expectations. The speed of the spotlight movement and the quality of the colour mixing were particularly impressive. The Arolla’s ability to maintain constant, vivid brightness, even at great distances, was crucial for evenly lighting every corner of the stadiums. Moreover, the robustness and reliability of the lights allowed us to confidently face each evening, knowing they would perform flawlessly.
What other Claypaky lights did you use for Max Pezzali’s 2024 stadium tour besides the Arolla Aqua?
To complement the 158 Arolla Aqua fixtures, we also used 57 HY B-Eye K25 units. This choice successfully met all our design and performance requirements. Limiting the variety of lights allowed us to optimize programming and management while maintaining high-quality and visual consistency throughout the show.
CREDITS:
Creative Direction: Sergio Pappalettera
Lighting Design Studio: Blearred Milano | Lighting Designer: Jordan Babev | Operator: Gianni Porcaro
Rental company: Agora
Agora Lighting Crew: Marco Carancini | Damiano Gasparini | Pablo Consoli | Jacopo Germiniasi | Devis Laurino | Giuliano De Lauro | Simone Ronconi