Vari-Lites star at the heart of Romeo Santos' record-breaking Utopia posted: 22/10/2019
The epic Utopia concert by Latin American music superstar Romeo Santos broke the all-time concert gross record for a single performance at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium on 21 September. Produced by Live Nation, the sold-out concert saw Santos joined by guest artists including Raul n Rodr guez, Elvis Mart nez, Luis Vargas and rapper Cardi B.
Yamil Charif and Richard Vicens of YC3 Lighting Design took charge of the entire design for the four-hour show, at the request of Santos' Production Manager, Javier Rolo. The artist had an idea of what he wanted, but he gave us a lot of creative freedom to interpret that, says Charif. Between Javier, Richard and myself, we created a concept and presented it to the artist. He loved it and we took it from there.
At the heart of the show's rich visual design, Charif and Vicens specified more than 100 lighting fixtures from Vari-Lite among their extensive lighting rig. Lining the 260ft wide stage and multiple Runways' were Vari-Lite's unique VL6000 Beam fixtures. These were partnered for the first time by the new VL6500 Wash, which made its world debut on Utopia. Sharing the same large format body as the VL6000 Beam, the 50,000-lumen output VL6500 Wash fixture features the distinctive radial diffusion blades and advanced CYM+CTO color mixing. In addition, Vari-Lite VL4000 BeamWash and VL3500 Wash FX fixtures were also specified for their distinctive, powerful output and effects capability.
To achieve their concept, lighting fixtures were carefully selected to fulfil specific purposes. We chose the VL6000 Beam for the Runways because of its unique look and its intensity, says Charif. We knew it was going to look great on camera and have the punch that we need in a stadium like the Metlife.
This punch' from the fixtures was essential not just because of the scale of the venue, but also because almost every surface of the enormous stage - walls, ceiling and floor - was covered with bright LED screen. Lower powered beams would have been lost against this background.
Making the most of their looks and output, Charif and Vicens positioned 48 VL6000 Beams across the stage's Runways, with 24 of the new VL6500 Wash fixtures lining the sides of the stage. Being the first to use the VL6500 Wash was very exciting, says Charif. It's similar in size and output to the VL6000 Beam, but looks like the old school VL5, with those blades. It's a super-cool look, but at the same time we have the output we need in a stadium to create beams and shapes.
He adds, When the artists walked on the runways, the way the VL6000s and VL6500s would surround them made the stage look even bigger than it was.
For Charif, the Vari-Lite fixtures were essential elements of the design. Those lights were the most important fixtures for us, he says. We were very strict about the Runway and stage fixtures being the VL6000s and the VL6500s. They were the only fixtures in our rig that were non-negotiable. There is literally nothing else on the market will give us that effect. And they work together very well - they really exceeded expectations for us.
Working alongside Charif and Vicens in achieving the show visuals were scenic engineer Gustavo Perezlindo, and lighting programmers Elian Charif and Tomas Villanueva. It was a team effort, says Charif. My brother Elian, as lead programmer, and Tomas programmed the entire show, making Richard's vision possible. They did an impressive job, took every detail into count and worked non-stop to get every single punch and hit recorded. We are lucky to have such a good team of passionate, energetic professionals.
Europe Stories
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
22/12/2025
For a decade, popular German podcast Fest & Flauschig has hosted an annual Chris...
22/12/2025
Monday 22 December 2025
Sky extends PGA TOUR partnership until 2029, as Sky Spo...
22/12/2025
Siobh n McSweeney, Rory McIlroy, Elon Musk, Catherine Connolly, Jim Gavin, Ivan Yates and Traitor Paudie Moloney lead new characters for Callan Kicks the Year 2...
22/12/2025
Winner announced in the picturesque surroundings of Wicklow's Avondale Tower and Treetop Walk
Andrew Trimble wins the show in his first series as coach
Th...
22/12/2025
The 2025 winners have been announced today, Sunday 21 December, for Ireland's largest choral competition Choirs for Christmas hosted by RT lyric fm.
Ove...
21/12/2025
John Shortt named Young Sportsperson of the Year Kerry are the Team of the Year
...
19/12/2025
With Playout Release 2025.4, ToolsOnAir continues to push professional playout w...
19/12/2025
19 Dec 2025
VEON's Mobilink Microfinance Bank Launches Islamic Banking Oper...
19/12/2025
The six-part drama, set in a close-knit Welsh town fractured by an unspeakable c...
19/12/2025
Rohde & Schwarz drives the future of mobility at CES 2026 At the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Rohde & Schwarz will present a powerful lineup o...
19/12/2025
RT is proud to return to the RDS to support the 2026 Stripe Young Scientist & T...
18/12/2025
Canada's largest indoor arena has transformed its live production capabilities with a full ST 2110 infrastructure and Calrec's compact Argo S console. S...
18/12/2025
Long-term agreement includes the SES SCORE platform and hybrid distribution worldwide to deliver more than 5,000 hours of golf tournaments annually featuring th...
18/12/2025
18 Dec 2025
VEON Upgraded to Nasdaq Global Select Market, Enhancing Investor Visibility Dubai, December 18, 2025 - VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital o...
18/12/2025
Thursday 18 December 2025
Sky Sports remains the exclusive home of the Masters ...
18/12/2025
Using the additive process of 3D printing, layer after layer gets printed until an object is as close to the final shape needed as possible. Historically, machi...
18/12/2025
In 2025, RT proudly supported 185 arts and cultural events across the island of Ireland, reflecting significant growth since the scheme was re-launched in 2014...
18/12/2025
RT Sports Awards 2025 live on RT One and RT Player at 8:05pm on Saturday 20 December
On Saturday 20 December live on RT One and RT Player at the earlier t...
18/12/2025
RT lyric fm presents a very special Winter Solstice edition of Ambient Orbit, l...
18/12/2025
At 7.45pm on 1st January 1926, the precursor to RT , then 2RN, delivered the fledgling new Irish state's first public radio transmission. From those first c...
18/12/2025
December 18 2025, 05:30 (PST) The Movie Experience SLO Becomes First U.S. Exhib...
17/12/2025
Investigative journalists across the Western Balkans and T rkiye continue to con...
17/12/2025
The right playlist is essential on New Year's Eve, building the energy as you get ready and keeping it high as you count down to midnight. This year, Spotif...
17/12/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
17/12/2025
Wuppertal December 17, 2025
Riedel Builds Global Communication and Commentary ...
17/12/2025
December 17 2025, 17:00 (PST) Dolby and LG Unveil a New Era of Home Audio With ...
17/12/2025
Wednesday 17 December 2025
Heated Rivalry will be coming to Sky and streaming service NOW on 10 JanuaryTurn on cookies to view this content. Go to Privacy opti...
17/12/2025
RT has announced that Kathy Fox has been appointed Commissioning Editor with re...
17/12/2025
With the new season of Dancing with the Stars shimmering in the not-too-distant future this New Year, the celebrity and dancer pairings of the twelve couples ha...
16/12/2025
Hawkins has landed on Spotify, just in time for Stranger Things Season 5, Volume...
16/12/2025
Wherever you are, your favorite music and audio content should go seamlessly with you. That's why Spotify has partnered with NAVER Corp, Korea's leading...
16/12/2025
2025 Wrapped arrived bigger and bolder than ever. This year's experience is designed to be ultra personal and shareable, with new features like Wrapped Part...
16/12/2025
16 Dec 2025
VEON Announces Release Date for Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2025 R...
16/12/2025
16 Dec 2025
VEON's Kyivstar Invests in Renewable Energy in Ukraine with Acq...
16/12/2025
Harmonic's XOS Advanced Media Processor Improves Streaming Video Quality and Boosts Viewer Engagement SAN JOSE, Calif. - Dec. 16, 2025 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: ...
16/12/2025
RT Sport Awards 2025 live on RT One and RT Player at 8:05pm on Saturday 20 December.
On Saturday 20 December live on RT One and RT Player at the earlier t...
16/12/2025
Singer -songwriter Brian Kennedy has been announced as the final celebrity dance...
15/12/2025
Cape Town, November 13, 2025 - SES and International artist and humanitarian, Fo...
15/12/2025
Luxembourg, December 15, 2025 - SES, a leading space solutions company, and Abra Group launched fast and reliable multi-orbit inflight connectivity service on t...
15/12/2025
15 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan Delivers First Starlink Direct to Cel...
15/12/2025
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor finds himself the topic of year's cracker jokes
Oasis, David Harbour, Celebrity Traitors and Angela Rayner all feature in this y...
15/12/2025
Comscore Expands Cross-Platform Campaign Measurement to Include Audio and Social New capabilities strengthen cross-platform campaign reporting suite; CCR rebran...
15/12/2025
RT .ie has reached one billion page views this year and is on track to finish 2025 2% ahead of last year. Average time spent on the site is up 3% on 2024, with ...
12/12/2025
Last month, Spotify announced a new collaboration with the ATP Tour, the global governing body of men's professional tennis, aimed at bringing the next gene...
12/12/2025
Friday 12 December 2025
Ted is back! Seth MacFarlane's live-action comedic ...
12/12/2025
Uachtar n na h ireann, Catherine Connolly visited RT Raidi na Gaeltachta's...
12/12/2025
Ireland AM host Eric Roberts has been revealed as the sixth contestant taking to...
Vari-Lites star at the heart of Romeo Santos' record-breaking Utopia posted: 22/10/2019 
