22/05/2026
How Robe iBOLTs and WTFs! Shaped the Visual Identity of Lucie’s 40th Anniversary Tour
INTRODUCTION
Iconic Czech rock band Lucie celebrated their 40th anniversary with explosive concerts in four major cities around the Czech Republic – one in Brno, one in Ostrava, two at the O2 Arena in Prague and finishing up with one in Pilsen – all sold out.
The band’s lighting designer, Lukáš Patzenhauer, specified 24 x iBOLTs, 48 x WTF! strobe-wash lights and 5 x BMFL WashBeams running on a 5-way RoboSpot system. Lukáš has been lighting the band for 12 years, and for this design, he worked closely with band member Michal Dvořák, who created the scenography and stage design for this tour. The technical production was coordinated and managed by SMART Production, headed by Josef 'Pepa' Ženíšek.
iBOLT – THE CENTREPIECE OF ROCK ENERGY
Position
On the floor along the upstage and downstage edges. Also for side lighting.On a circular truss above the revolving B-stage.Below the stage, revealed by moving grills above.
Challenge
Create big rock looks, bold and spectacular lighting aesthetics and highlight dramatic moments. Focus on the dynamics of music and reinforce this with appropriate lighting, accenting these moments in the set.Choose powerful, versatile fixtures for clean stage design.
Key benefits
Why iBOLTs worked so well:
Cut through five large blocks of LED screen with ease thanks to super-intense output.Combination of brightness and speed, which is essential for a hard-driving show like this. The iBOLT is very fast for a fixture of this size.Ideally suited to this stage design to provide strong rock-style beam definition.iBOLT offers great flexibility – one fixture can cover multiple design roles.Works perfectly with mirror effects and the moving robotic arms used on the B‑stage to create show-stopping effects.
Quotes and references
LD: “It is fantastic to be able to use one light for so many different functions.” LD: “It’s great that on such a large stage with so many LED screens and other lights, iBOLT will always stand out.”
WTF! – A MULTIPURPOSE POWERHOUSE: STROBE, BLINDER, WASH, RAPID MOVEMENT
Position
On three automated upstage lighting pods, arranged in a 3x3 matrix pattern.Along the front edge, downstage of the mid trusses.
Challenge
To deliver massive and incredibly powerful strobe hits.Have truly versatile units, which can move and be used for washing vast spaces as well as arena-wide blinding, pixel mapping and beam work.
Key benefits
Why WTF! stood out:
Easily shone through transparent LED screen blocks thanks to enormous strobe and blinder output suitable for arenas.Created variations of different looks – strobing, blinding, washing, pixel mapping – a truly multipurpose unit with pan & tilt movement, saving space and expanding creativity.Asymmetrical zoom on strobe LEDs connected with movement capability created the effect of massive sheets of light falling down. Moving capability added extra depth to the stage design.WTF! has the perfect effects package for energetic musical moments as well as audience interaction.
Quotes and references
LD: “The WTF! is incredibly powerful and versatile.”LD: “I used them a lot for strobing, blinding, pixel mapping and washing.”
CONCLUSION
Lukáš has been using Robe products in his work for some time, and he chooses the best fixtures for the show and for the look and style of lighting that he and the artist want to create.
He has long been a fan of Robe’s BMFL series of luminaires, and for this Lucie design, the five BMFL WashBeams were on the front truss, from where they could pick up the band at nice acute angles without any unsightly light spillage on the stage.
From both a creative and production perspective, this approach – using a RoboSpot system for remote following – saved having spot chairs and people on the truss, which is much safer and a more comfortable working environment for the operators.
For Lukáš, arguably the most enjoyable element of working on these important gigs was seeing the entire show live and in a real performance environment after approximately a year of preparation, together with the buzz of collaborating with an ace production team.
