Sebastian Yatra plays the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City (photo: Carlos Alvar)
Mexico - A full complement of Elation luminaires gave a spectacular closing to Colombian singer Sebastián Yatra's tour earlier this year in Mexico City, where he shared the stage with several artists, including Mexican singer Carlos Rivera. Chris Penso, an experienced lighting designer who has worked with Latin stars such as Franco de Vita, Carlos Vives, Chayanne and Marc Anthony, was responsible for lighting Yatra's tour.
For two special performances at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, the amount of lighting gear was enhanced and to spectacular effect. At Penso’s disposal were 66 Chorus Line 16 LED pixel bars, 36 Rayzor 760 LED wash/beam lights, 34 Smarty Hybrid and 28 Smarty Max moving heads, 10 Fuze Wash Z350 single source par moving heads, 24 ACL 360 Matrix LED moving head panels, 20 Protron 3K Color strobes and 12 DTW Blinder 700 IP. Yatra worked with video engineer and content creator Williams Hincapie on the tour.
Penso commented about his lighting design: "The objective for this tour was to have a wide variety of textures, atmospheres and different sensations. Since Sebastian's repertoire is very diverse, we wanted to be able to go from very aggressive and dynamic looks to very subtle and minimal scenes.”
The LD revealed his favourite Elation lights to be the Chorus Line 16, positioned above the LED screen in the centre of the stage with others in musician platforms and on the stage proscenium; and the Rayzor 760, which were mounted in pairs on three parallel structures to project general washes or narrow beams thanks to its wide 5°- to 77° zoom.
"The Chorus Line 16 were a vital tool for the show and offer an infinite range of scenic possibilities,” Penso said. “Whether as blinders, back light, for aerial and dynamic effects, or when used with the zoom closed, they create a truly striking visual effect.”
Penso says that he has always loved wash lights, a lighting staple that he describes as “very faithful.” He comments, “The Rayzor 760 is a fixture of incredible color accuracy with a very well-calibrated white that looks particularly different from anything on the market. Its seven lenses project light in a very particular way and its colors are brilliant and powerful.”
Vertical ladders and diagonal podiums on both sides of the LED screen housed the Smarty Hybrid luminaires from which both gobos and defined beams of light were projected, as well as wide washes of infinite color thanks to its Beam/Spot/Wash modes in conjunction with smooth CMY color mixing.
The Smarty Max hybrid moving heads were hung on two horizontal structures and used as side lights while at floor level Fuze Wash Z350 LED moving heads had the important role of supporting with fill light onto the musicians and Yatra himself. In a traditional look, DTW Blinder 700 IP fixtures were mounted on a front structure to light the audience and at times generate strobe effects.
Three circular arrangements of ACL 360 Matrix were included in the design. These 5x5 RGB LED panels with motorized pan/tilt movement were placed facing down and during intimate moments of the show were used as the main light onto the singer. Finally, the Protron 3K Color RGBW LED strobes were distributed at the top of the entire assembly, both in the vertical grids and horizontal structures.

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