When Aki Bosse sings about dreaming, living, loving and despairing, it often sounds surprisingly happy and danceable. Übers Traumen (‘About Dreaming’) is also the name of his latest album, for which he undertook a major arena tour in Germany in 2024. Lighting Designer, Rico Münzer has been lighting Bosse (and his band of the same name) since 2018.
For the current tour design, no fewer than 200 GLP fixtures combine to create a unique look. In total, the designer specified 86 GLP KNV Arc, 76 JDC Line 1000, 24 impression X5 Wash and 14 JDC1 in a structure to fill the stage space.
The KNV Arc and JDC Line 1000 were in the design from the beginning, without which the intended look would not have been possible, as Münzer explains: “At the beginning of the design process I had the idea of working with circles. Initially I planned this with LED surfaces, which was generally well received by the team. But ultimately, I concluded that video content is not artistically the ideal medium for Bosse live shows. These concerts thrive on spontaneity, song parts rearranged on stage, spontaneous announcements and actions. All of this has to do with fixed video content. But simply camera and VJ elements were not the right solution either.”
Special show moments were designed with KNV Arc in mind. “It was when I was looking for a different way of creating the right expression that I remembered GLP’s KNV Arc,” he continued. “These devices aren’t brand new anymore, but they haven’t been seen in shows a thousand times, so they still offer a fresh look. I have used the KNV Cube once but have never worked with the KNV Arc. In contrast to an LED wall, which looks like a grey block when switched off, the circles formed from the KNV Arc look impressive as purely physical objects. In combination with the stairs, they looked harmonious and stylish, even in working light; a nice, fresh stage look.”
Münzer assembled the KNV Arc sections into a total of nine circles, set at three different stage depths and heights. To give the rings additional stability, the technical service provider AMBION also manufactured steel circles that held the clamps of the individual KNV Arc modules. In addition, each ring was supported at three points to avoid twisting and to achieve different angles of inclination if necessary.
The designer mainly used the KNV circles as a static look, but occasionally also as an effect, with “the strobe level putting great accents on the coloured LEDs”. He explained: “In general, we avoided over-using this beautiful look to keep the special moments special. In my opinion, it is counterproductive to keep using a beautiful look, a great fixture or an effect during a show so that it quickly loses its magic. The KNV moments brought us, and the audience, a lot of joy. After the shows, many people came to the FOH position, expressing their admiration of the circles and asking about the product.”
A staircase equipped with 76 GLP JDC Line 1000s was another powerful eye-catcher in the stage design and were placed on the stairs. “I simply like their look and the different possibilities that arise from white light / strobe effects and the RGB colour level,” Münzer added. “The device is incredibly versatile. With Bosse, I often used it in conjunction with the KNV. Due to the relatively large number of units, and the fact that the space on the stage could be extremely limited, it would either open up completely, or simply create a specific backlight for the stage level.”
The designer perceives the GLP impression X5 Wash as more of a “beautiful classic wash light” – a “workhorse” that he used for much of the general look and stage lighting.
Filling the remaining stage spaces, Münzer used 14 JDC1. “I used them everywhere because they are a great way to add colour and space,” he continues. “I like their brightness and robustness. Even when used at rainy festivals nothing was broken.”
The tour proved a complete success and culminated in an open-air ‘home gig’ in Braunschweig on 17 August.
Rico Münzer thanks the artist foremost for the trust placed in the designer and his ideas. “He was simply a very likeable person and a great artist,” he reported. “Aki Horn from Auf die feine Tour immediately believed in the project and campaigned for it in many places, he continues. The designer also paid tribute to the entire Bosse crew, especially Beli and Tobi Grote. The general service provider for the tour (set construction, lighting, rigging) was Kassel-based AMBION GmbH, which, in the shape of Jesko Purmann and Alexander Neuparth, provided “fantastic support at all levels”.
