DJ BoBo is an iconic figure of the eurodance era. With more than 15 million records sold, the Swiss artist is one of the genre’s most successful performers. He is also widely recognised for his elaborate live productions, combining music, storytelling, dance, and visual spectacle.
His latest production, The Great Adventure, premiered with four launch shows at Europa-Park in Rust, Germany, in mid-January, ahead of the main 28-date European arena tour running from 1 May to 14 October 2026. The lighting design is once again created by GERDON DESIGN, who have collaborated with the artist since his 2022 tour.
The premiere shows at Europa-Park went very well. Once again, this is a projection-based design, where the stage set acts as a mapped surface. For us as lighting designers, that means working with great precision and attention to detail, since a large amount of white scenic surface is used for video content, says Thomas Gerdon, managing director of GERDON DESIGN.
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The stage itself is minimalist, conceived as a canvas for the visual narrative. Projection defines the staging, while the lighting design plays a complementary role. The result is lighting that enhances what the projection establishes rather than competing with it.
The lighting system features 113 fixtures from GLP’s X5 series, including 49 impression X5, 46 impression X5 Compact, and 18 impression X5 IP Maxx units. The decision to build the entire rig from a single product family reflects the demands of a production where visual consistency is essential.
“I’m a true advocate of the X5 series fixtures”, explains Gerdon. “The show works more like a musical than a conventional concert. The stage becomes part of the visual content. For that, we need exceptional colour brilliance in the lighting. The impression X5 allows us to reproduce virtually any colour present in the content, either by matching it or creating contrast. It was also important to create a coherent visual language, something that can only be achieved reliably by using fixtures from the same series”.
The production is shaped by two opposing creative demands. In songs where dancers, flags, and acrobats fill the stage, the lighting’s primary role is to ensure visibility without distracting from the performance. In the more intense dance numbers, that logic shifts entirely.
In the dance numbers, the lighting has to amplify the energy. In those moments, the lighting becomes a performer in its own right, adds Gerdon.
Two trusses positioned at the mid and rear sections above the main stage carry the impression X5 units, providing the broad and even lighting base that defines the show’s visual aesthetic. With up to 22 dancers on stage simultaneously, this lighting creates the unified colour field needed to visually connect the performers with the projections.
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The impression X5 Compact fixtures extend throughout the performance area, from the main stage to the catwalk and B-stage. They are used for both effects and ambient lighting, as well as footlighting along the edges of the performance space.
The B-stage, a large platform used by performers including some of Switzerland’s top artistic gymnasts, incorporates impression X5 IP Maxx units installed beneath grated platform sections to create uplighting effects. Two specific moments in the show make particular use of this arrangement.
In Pray, the singer appears alone on the B-stage, accompanied only by a followspot and columns of red uplight generated by the X5 IP Maxx units. The fixtures add visual depth and atmosphere without overpowering a deliberately restrained and minimalist scene.
In We Make a Change, those same fixtures become a completely different visual focal point. A lightweight fabric, moved by airflow from fans positioned beneath the stage, is illuminated from below in intense blue. The material captures the light and appears to glow from within.
The show follows an overarching narrative in which DJ BoBo embarks on a journey through different worlds, with large-scale scenic elements amplifying the sense of spectacle at key moments. Among them are two twelve-metre-high inflatable skeleton kings and a giant flying eagle suspended above the stage with a wingspan of 26 metres, appearing during the climax of the show.
Throughout the entire The Great Adventure tour, the X5 series provides GERDON DESIGN with the colour fidelity, flexibility, and consistency needed to work in perfect sync with a projection-based concept, shifting between visual support and spectacle according to the needs of each moment.
Photo credit: Julian Huke
