Leon Bridges – The Boundless Tour

Lüz Studio combined advanced modern technology with the retro vision of Leon Bridges for the artist’s debut arena tour.

At the beginning of 2022, the management and production teams for Leon Bridges reached out to Lüz Studio, looking to take their production value to the next level for the artist’s first-ever amphitheatre and arena tour through the US and Australia. Wanting something grandiose, the teams were especially interested in the studio’s past work merging virtual set extensions and lighting with practical stage lighting to add depth and create mesmerising effects.

The Lüz team wanted to strike the artist’s signature balance between retro and contemporary. They also wanted to ensure Bridges, as someone new to the large-scale arena environment, would be able to connect even with the audience members furthest away. As the studio wanted Bridges to give his most authentic performance, they knew they’d need to guarantee he could move freely. To achieve this, they pushed the limits of the NVIDIA AI Background Remover, spending many hours in R&D going back and forth with tests to lock down their live keying.

They also created real-time ray tracing scenes to achieve an even more accurate image in their refined 3D look. With this show, Lüz Studio successfully covered their tracks and made the heavy technology driving things inconspicuous. The final, fully integrated results flowed naturally with the performance, following the artist’s vision rather than weighing down the show with unnecessary distractions.

“Notch gave us so many ways to enhance Leon’s movements while keeping only what was visually necessary.”

Simon Rouhier, Notch Designer, Lüz Studio.

Additional press coverage:
Glam Adelaide, HoustonPress, Santa Barbara Independent, WXPN.

Credits
Client: Leon Bridges
Production: Mick Management
AV Suppliers: Fuse Video & PRG Lights
Production Manager: Kit Blanchard
Tour Manager: Trey Allen
Creative Directors: Bobby Mathias & Matthieu Larivée
Production Design: Lüz Studio
Lighting Design: Bobby Mathias
Creative Producer: Marie-Christine Dufort
Video Content Creative Director: Dave Pawsey

Interactive Designer and Disguise Programmer: Philippe Marquis
Notch Designer: Simon Rouhier
2D & 3D Motion Designers: Camille Joubert, Maxime Lortie, Maxime Rouleau-Villeneuve, Sébastien Deschênes, Sindre Ulvik Péladeau, Joanna Czadowska, Frédéric Mathieu, & Émilie Fortier
Production Design Project Manager: David Rondeau
Lighting Director: Bobby Mathias
Video Camera Director: Blake Hopkins