Iconic Spanish pop band La Oreja de Van Gogh is using 67 Claypaky HY B-EYE K25 as one of the key creative tools in their new tour’s lighting design.
Formed in 1996, the band has become one of the best-selling and most beloved acts in both Spain and Latin America. The new tour marks the highly anticipated return of the band's original singer, Amaia Montero, making it one of the biggest live music events in Spain this year. Public expectation has been extraordinary with more than 100,000 tickets sold within the first hour of sales for the arena tour.
From a creative perspective, the production represented the beginning of a new visual chapter for the band, creating a stage concept that respected their identity while introducing a completely new artistic language. The idea was to move away from the current trend of massive LED screens to a show where light itself became the main storytelling tool.
“The concept was inspired by the optimistic futurism of the 1960s, combining clean architecture, white materials and projection,” says Lighting and Set Designer Maxi Gilbert of Madrid’s XLR Estudio. “Every scenic element was designed to receive light rather than simply support video content. The objective was to build emotion through light, color and movement instead of technology.”
With the entire stage conceived as a blank canvas for light, every scenic element was finished in white: the set pieces, stage floor, platforms, lampshades, cables and even many of the technical elements visible to the audience. “Rather than treating lighting as something applied onto the stage, we wanted the entire scenography to become a surface capable of receiving and reflecting light,” Gilbert explains. “One of the most important aspects of the design was the way color spread across the whole environment. Light didn't simply illuminate the performers, it transformed every object on stage simultaneously. The scenery, floor, props, cables, amplifiers and all visible elements became part of a single visual composition that evolved throughout the performance. Instead of relying on large LED screens, the stage itself became the screen.”
Working with an entirely white environment also required extremely careful control of color temperature, intensity and beam placement, he notes. “Every lighting cue had to coexist with the projected content on the scenic surfaces, allowing both disciplines to complement each other without competing.”
Gilbert chose 67 Claypaky HY B-EYE K25s for the production and integrated them into the scenography with a series of custom white lampshades that elegantly housed each fixture. These elements were motorized, moving vertically at variable speeds throughout the show, allowing the lighting to become part of the stage architecture.
The fixtures were distributed throughout the overhead rig to build different layers of light across the stage, illuminate the performers, enhance the architecture of the set and create aerial compositions above the stage and the audience.
“The HY B-EYE K25 wasn't just a lighting fixture in this production – it became an integral scenic element, constantly changing the perception of the space as the lampshades moved and the light transformed the all-white environment,” Gilbert points out.
In selecting lights for the show he was looking for a fixture that could be both subtle and spectacular. Since the entire stage was almost completely white, every beam, every texture and every color became part of the scenography itself.
“The HY B-EYE K25 gave us the flexibility to move from delicate washes to highly graphic aerial looks while maintaining the same visual language throughout the show,” Gilbert explains. “Another important factor was color temperature and intensity control. Because the lighting constantly had to coexist with projections on the white scenic elements, I spent a great deal of time balancing those two parameters. The fixtures allowed us to fine tune the light, so it complemented the projections instead of competing with them. More than simply lighting the performers, the fixtures allowed us to sculpt the architecture with light.”
According to Gilbert, the HY B-EYE K25 stands out not only for its versatility but also for the quality of its light. “The transition between beam, wash and graphic effects feels completely natural while maintaining excellent consistency and color quality,” he says.
In addition, he enjoyed using the fixture’s Full Pixel mode. “Being able to control every individual LED allows us to map the fixture almost like a video screen. In several songs we programmed subtle star effects and pixel-by-pixel textures that became part of the scenography rather than simply acting as lighting effects,” he explains.
Gilbert is also “a big fan of the rotating front lens. It creates a beautiful sense of movement and depth that feels organic rather than artificial, especially when working with white scenery.”
He found that the fixtures performed “flawlessly” throughout the rehearsals and the tour’s premiere. “We pushed them through a wide range of looks, from almost imperceptible atmospheres to highly dynamic moments, and they always responded with precision. The consistency of the output, smooth dimming, fast movement and overall reliability allowed us to execute the design exactly as envisioned,” he reports.
Support from Claypaky was excellent throughout the entire process, Gilbert adds. “Having a manufacturer that understands the creative needs of lighting designers and responds quickly makes a real difference during the development of a production. That collaboration gave us confidence from preproduction through to opening night.”
He also cites “the outstanding work” of Lighting Programmer and Operator Diego Alarcos. “From the very beginning he understood the creative intention behind the design and translated it into the show file with remarkable sensitivity and precision. Every night he brings that vision to life with incredible consistency, and his contribution has been fundamental to the success of the production.”
Susana Martínez Allende is the Set and Visual Designer with Angela Notario Gris the Video Editor. TwinCamProInternational is the technical provider for the show. Acson Light & Sound, Claypaky distributor for Spain.
Gilbert believes that deliberately choosing restraint in designing the show makes it quite unique. “Instead of filling the stage with technology, we focused on creating emotion through light, architecture and movement. Sometimes the most powerful image comes from giving light the space to breathe.
“For me, lighting is not there simply to illuminate the music – it is part of the storytelling. The greatest compliment for a lighting designer is when the audience remembers a feeling without remembering where the light came from.”