AUSTRALIA: When Indian playback singer Javed Ali brought his Rafi Aur Main tour to the iconic Sydney Opera House in May, audiences were treated not only to an evening of timeless music but also to a dynamic lighting production that evolved seamlessly alongside the performance. At the heart of the visual design was a versatile rig of CHAUVET Professional STRIKE, Maverick and Rogue fixtures, orchestrated by lighting designer Roosevelt D’Souza.

Set against one of the world’s most recognisable performance venues, the sold-out concert took audiences on a musical journey through romantic melodies, Bollywood classics, retro favourites and classical-inspired compositions. Reflecting the breadth of Ali’s repertoire, D’Souza crafted a lighting design that continuously adapted to the changing moods and energy of the three-hour performance.

“We changed looks throughout the concert to keep pace with the versatility of Javed Ali’s music while also reflecting its very moving soulful quality,” explained D’Souza. “So, we might have a song start off very low keyed, and then, all of a sudden there are beats of suspense music. At that point, we have lights blinking throughout the entire concert hall. The CHAUVET Professional fixtures gave me this kind of flexibility.”

Rather than relying solely on fixture movement, the design frequently created visual dynamics through carefully timed colour transitions, shifting between deep blues, bright whites and richly saturated hues to complement the emotional progression of each song.

“Congo is my favorite color,” said D’Souza. “I use this in my intros to the audience/stage for the show. It creates a space effect kind of an effect that can go with the song to give us a nice vibe. Then we add other colors for the variety and movement.”

The lighting rig also took advantage of a staggered truss design, with trim heights reaching up to 60 feet and additional lighting positions suspended approximately 16 feet above the stage at varying intervals. The varied rigging layout provided greater creative flexibility, enabling the programming of 65 distinct lighting looks throughout the concert.

“Having different spacing made it easier to create new looks,” D’Souza noted. “The set was long, so we created 65 different looks in order to have the variety we were after.”

A key element of the production was the deployment of 12 CHAUVET Professional Color STRIKE M motorised strobe fixtures, which provided broad stage coverage while also illuminating the venue’s overhead architecture, creating dramatic colour effects and high-impact strobing sequences.

“It was important for me to cover the entire stage, so we had a broad canvas to work with,” D’Souza explained. “In my view, there was no better way to do this than with the Color STRIKE M. We used it to light the roof to expand our design, to create strobing action, and to set different tones with color effects.”

Complementing the lighting was a programme of video content featuring imagery of the artist alongside Indian-inspired visual motifs. D’Souza enhanced these visuals using colour washes generated by the Maverick and Rogue fixtures, reinforcing the atmosphere throughout the performance.

“The music of my client and the aura of the venue itself called for powerful imagery on stage,” concluded D’Souza.

The result was a production in which lighting, video and music combined to create an immersive concert experience, matching the emotional range of Javed Ali’s performance within one of Australia’s most celebrated cultural landmarks.