Def Leppard Hysteria In Las Vegas With Some Robe Influence

Legendary Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famers Def Leppard – one of the biggest-selling rock artists of all time – played 12 incendiary sold-out shows at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, complete with a spectacular new visual and lighting design created by Montreal-based Lüz Studio.

On Lüz’s lighting rig were some core Robe products, including WTF! IP rated LED strobe-wash-blinder fixtures, Tarrantula wash beams and four RoboSpot systems running with 18 BMFL FollowSpots, all supplied by Christie Lites, co-ordinated via their UK office.

Lüz Studio was brought on board to produce a completely fresh live performance environment for the band, which involved delivering a full visual package, including a stage set and some very striking video content. Embracing all the visual elements collectively ensured great optical harmony and balance, a creative treatment noticed and very much appreciated by fans.

A starting point for the stage aesthetic was a massive 110 ft wide by 40 ft high upstage LED screen, with a triangular-shaped double-layered set of risers in front, flanked by two diagonal staircases and two ground-level raked diagonal trusses per side.

The band made their entrance via the venue’s large stage lift, and the show started with them ascending to stage level and initially being framed by an automated ‘hero’ triangular-shaped truss that flew out during the first number, completing the last segment of a Union Jack-shaped truss facing the audience. This was a nod to their British roots, hailing from Sheffield in the late 1970s.

As the design started to evolve, creative director Matt Larivee knew early on that they wanted to use WTF!s and RoboSpots.

He had seen the WTF!s during a visit to the Robe factory in the Czech Republic at the end of 2025. “They looked fantastic, so I thought they would be ideal for this residency, especially to cut through the massive video wall. I really needed fixtures with plenty of power and options.”

The four floor-level angled trusses traversed the stage set at around 8 ft heigh, two each side, and the 18 WTF!s were deployed on these trusses.

The set was a combination of Def Leppard classic anthems, moments and greatest hits from their nearly five decades of popularity and success, together with edgy new material, so Matt needed plenty of latitude and dynamics in the lighting to cover all eras of the music.

He loves the WTF!’s zoom feature, as well as the pan and strobing options, but it was actually the warm white LED zone of the fixture that was a dealmaker for him.

This was because he knew he could get that classic retro blinder look that would help define a range of classic ‘big rock’ looks – which, together with the associated video content, were juxtaposed so elegantly.

The 24 x Tarrantula wash beams were split into two batches of 12. One set was positioned on the downstage truss, used for general band and mid-stage wash, and picked for its intensity and relatively directional beam, so he could contain the field-of-light without it spilling onto the diagonal-shaped set piece upstage of the band.

The other 12 were on the floor, either side of stage, washing across the band from a lower level, again using the contained beam path to avoid messy encroachment onto the side walls.

A total of 18 x BMFL FollowSpots were utilized, running on four RoboSpot systems, each following the four mobile band members with three BMFLs from the front, plus either one of two from the back. The operators were all positioned offstage. Matt would have ideally liked to use FORTES on the system, but he was happy to go with BMFLs. They are reliable and a known fixture that have graced many of his previous designs.

Apart from the enormous flexibility that RoboSpot brings to any performance area, Matt specifically likes this remote follow system because of its straightforward application and abundance of good operators.

The fluidity and consistency unlocked by being able to imagine lighting and video worlds together with the 3D set parameters simultaneously for a high-profile show like this was visibly present, and, as with any Vegas residency, production values were high and there were many expectations.

“We – us, the band, management – all wanted the show to have an arc, so songs and timings were carefully selected where we could build those moments, and create big, bold, memorable looks that were not overcomplicated, so they really spoke out to the audience,” noted Matt.

These reinforced the songs and narrative while providing an additional tempo, framework and drama for the show with lighting and video combined. Notables included a giant leopard, which looked about to pounce off the screen and onto the stage at any moment, but these kept rolling through the nearly two hours of rock-tastic energy.

Many of the video environments also included virtual lighting, diligently calculated to riff and contrast with the real lighting onstage, evoking an eye-catching synergy of optical trickery that also helped move everything along.

The Lüz Studio team worked closely with Def Leppard’s longtime lighting director, Cole MacDonald, who flew out to Montreal and pre-vizzed with them, as well as being on-site at the Colosseum and running lighting for the shows.

Lüz Studio’s Pierre-Luc Bedard led the lighting programming with Philippe Marquis and Cole MacDonald.

The new-look stage presentation was a huge hit with everyone, especially the fans.

Def Leppard is a band with almost a cult following and many fans from different generations catching multiple concerts during a touring or performance cycle. Impressions from numerous comments suggest that for them, this – the band’s third Vegas residency – was a next-level, “best ever” live show phenomenon!

Photo Credit: Courtesy Lüz Studio

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