Robe Has So Much Fun with Young Thug posted: 13/01/2020
Rising star rapper and songwriter Young Thug has cut a reputation for musical experimentalism, style and dynamic collaborations, and just finished a major US arena tour co-headlining with Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) which has been hugely popular and well-received. Lighting and production designer, Stu Dingley was asked onboard the production team by creative director and production designer Meggan McKenzie (Kenzi). Meggan originated the creative concepts for the set and staging designs which they worked on together to evolve a look and style that would support both headline artists.
Once this started to materialize, it provided a strong starting point for Stu's lighting scheme for which he specified 40 x Robe MegaPointes, 20 x BMFL WashBeams and 24 x Robe Robin 600 LEDWash units as his main moving lights.
These were supplied, along with the rest of the lighting equipment, by LMG where the account was handled by Craig Mitchell, who Stu notes provided an outstanding service as usual.
The set elements included a large upstage LED wall and a prominent high riser accessed by two grated sloping ramps, a swing, a DJ booth and several transparent scenic shards lit internally with LED tape to create an infinity effect.
The front edge of the riser was also clad in blow-through LED panels with a wall of LEDWash 600 fixtures behind.
Being a co-headliner, a major requirement was having enough variations in the scenic and lighting designs to offer both artists completely different and individual performance environments.
A box truss was installed overhead, flanked by two finger' trusses for the main lighting positions, together with an upstage and downstage truss. The box and fingers trusses were automated to create multiple looks and shapes with the rig - from flat overhead wash looks, to aggressive 45-degree positions mirroring the riser ramps.
Stu and Meggan wanted to be able to close the stage space right down for some sections of the show, effectively transforming it into a room for a separate performance area, giving the artist(s) an intimate space, so the trussing configuration was drawn up to facilitate this, with the box truss being able to start the show at ground level and rise throughout the intro.
The MegaPointes were positioned on the two finger trusses and around the box truss alongside numerous strobes. They were used to create all the big signature looks and eye-candy moments. I simply needed the most exciting and brightest moving lights available explained Stu and in my opinion right now, that is MegaPointes and BMFLs.
The BMFL WashBeams were along the back truss, and also in a row on the floor just in front of the video wall. We needed power looks and lights that held their own against the video, so that also informed the choice of both types of fixture. stated Stu, who is a big fan of Robe products.
Stu likes MegaPointes in particular and is consistently spec'ing them onto shows and tours as reliable and excellent creative tools.
He made the most of their feature set, like the accurate shuttering. One of Thug's default lighting looks that recurred throughout the set in different forms was a line of BMFL WashBeams focused along the front of the stage, creating a dramatic wall of lights from the top of the rig.
Sometimes he used the BMFL's zoom and frost features to shift and alter the collective looks of these fixtures which generally stayed focused on the downstage area but also allowed for bold, revealing blow-through-the-rig looks.
While the lighting rig was designed to work practically for both artists, lighting for MGK's set was operated by his own LD, Wes Henrard, who Stu says brought a completely different perspective and operational style to the rig, creating some incredibly energetic moments in the arenas before Thug took to the stage.
Wes was also very happy to have Robes in the rig!
Each artist played for 75 minutes. MGK went first with plenty of epic rock-show and lighting bigness and boldness, which flipped to being starker and rawer when Stu took over to match Thug's animated and uniquely energized live delivery.
Meggan was entirely entrusted by Young Thug to bring his creative vision to fruition from her initial concept to final production, and she oversaw all elements of the show closely.
Building a strong visual team for Young Thug is a crucial element to the final product, Meggan is very particular with whom she chooses to work with, as the team are responsible for the ultimate success of the show. She trusted Stu implicitly to produce an exciting lightshow relevant to the artist's music as well as bring his own ideas into the production and set design.
Lighting director, James Washer, programmed and looked after the show on the road.
James is an outstanding programmer and LD, so it was a real pleasure to have the chance to work together on this project observes Stu.
Stu really enjoyed the creative process and formulating the show. Collaborating with Meggan is always great. She has a unique vision and many different ideas so combining our different strengths is a really positive experience.
Stu has been using Robe products since his professional career started around nine years ago after he graduated from Rose Bruford College in London, UK. He has worked hard and gained recognition in a short time, making the move to LA a year ago - to be right amidst the action - and continue building his career designing production and lighting in the live touring, concert sectors and music TV sectors.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...
29/05/2026
At just 20 years old, Sean Melia from Summerhill Co. Meath has been revealed as the winner of Super Garden 2026. Sean is the youngest ever contestant and winner...
29/05/2026
Experimental HIV vaccine achieves a long-sought goal In a first for the field, all non-human primates given a new series of vaccines generated antibodies capabl...
28/05/2026
Thomsons Climate Crisis Toolkit is already being put to work, helping journalist...
28/05/2026
FOX Sports' MLB coverage dominated the night at the 47th Annual Sports Emmy ...
28/05/2026
One of the most memorable postseasons in baseball history would have had no memo...
28/05/2026
NBC's Sunday Night Football is among the most-decorated and most-watched pro...
28/05/2026
The 2026 Sports Emmys marked a watershed moment for Prime Video Sports. After bu...
Robe Has So Much Fun with Young Thug posted: 13/01/2020 
