Dutch indie pop group Son Mieux played two sold-out shows at Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome recently where 32 Claypaky Volero Cubes, provided by AED Group Netherlands, made their country-wide debut.
Volero Cube is a unique fixture in Claypaky’s portfolio, a compact IP66 moving head that seamlessly merges beam, wash and strobe effects with pixel-to-pixel control – a toolbox of playful possibilities. Son Mieux filled the Ziggo Dome with 17,000 fans each night garnering praise for their high-quality sound and immersive concert experience.
Lighting and Set Designer Jasper Nijholt of Jasper Nijholt Lighting Design was tasked with creating a lighting and stage design that would have an open and layered appearance with dynamic elements visible throughout the show. “For Son Mieux, staying close to their fans and ensuring that they feel part of the energy of the show is crucial. The lighting and stage design contributed to this,” Nijholt explained.
His lighting design offered ways to evolve throughout the evening beginning with just floor lighting, a centrepiece above the band and light from the band riser. “In the first part of the show, the Volero Cubes were a real eye-catcher creating backlighting behind the band,” said Nijholt. “They were also used for narrow beam effects in the air and to add power to the musical accents with the strobe lines.”
It was his intention to use only white tones of light, ranging from CTB to CTO and everything in between, according to Nijholt. “It was fascinating to see the Volero Cube at Claypaky’s showroom. The intense strobe lines inside the wash fixture are incredibly powerful and allowed us to add extra impact while working with white lights. The ability to connect the fixtures very closely together was exactly what I needed for this design,” he added. “The overall setup consisted of blocks of fixtures, and I was looking for an eye-catching element near the band, a row of lights that would connect the band riser to the surrounding design. The Volero Cubes gave me the opportunity to create stunning visuals while simultaneously powering all the accents.”
By illuminating the venue from the band riser, the Volero Cubes had a prominent position in Nijholt’s lighting design. “They were unique due to their versatility, powerful strobe effects, compact design and the ability to use different white tones to create visual strength and dynamics in a show,” Nijholt said. “They performed amazingly. They provided exactly what I hoped for: beautiful looks with high output. In relation to the entire lighting rig, I sometimes had to reduce the intensity on the lighting console to keep everything balanced, as the Cubes have plenty of power!”
Nijholt gives kudos to Hans van de Wiel and Jelmer Dijkshoorn at AED Group Netherlands for providing the fixtures and Ampco Flashlight Group for their flawless installation on site. Special thanks go to Claypaky, he says, for being “incredibly helpful from the moment I reached out to them about using their fixtures for the shows and for allowing me to be the first lighting designer in the Netherlands to use the Volero Cubes.”
Members of Nijholt’s team at the Ziggo Dome included Lighting Programmers Bob Walraven and Mike Driessen, Associate Lighting Designer Glenn Neyndorff and Assistant Lighting Designer Stef Oude Nijhuis.
