The inspiration and creative process behind Carlos Vives’ Tour Al Sol
- Aurora LX Studio
- Jul 7
- 4 min read
How we developed a creative ecosystem where storytelling, lighting, video, cameras and technology come together to bring Carlos Vives’ newest tour to life.
In live entertainment, the creative process often starts with the stage, the lighting inventory or the size of the LED walls. For Tour Al Sol, Carlos Vives’ newest tour, we started somewhere completely different:
What if the journey of the sun could become a live concert?
That question became the foundation of the entire production. Rather than designing each department independently, we developed a unified creative system where scenography, lighting, video, cameras, special effects, programming and automation all originated from the same narrative. Every technical decision was made to serve an emotional purpose.
Building the story before the stage
Instead of organizing the show around songs or energy levels, we divided the concert into four narrative acts that follow the journey of the sun throughout the day.
Sunrise · Origins represents roots, identity and the connection with the land.
Midday · Energy embodies movement, vitality and celebration.
Sunset · Emotion shifts the performance into a more intimate and nostalgic atmosphere.
Finally, Night · Celebration transforms the stage into a space where technology replaces the sun as the primary source of light.
This structure became the foundation for every creative department, influencing lighting behavior, visual content, camera direction, special effects and the emotional progression of the show from beginning to end.
The Color Bible
Once the narrative was established, we developed a comprehensive Color Bible to define the visual identity of the tour. Each chapter was assigned its own color palette inspired by the natural evolution of sunlight throughout the day.
Warm ambers, earthy tones and golds accompany sunrise. Bright whites and warm yellows drive the energy of midday. Corals, magentas and deep reds introduce the transition into sunset. Night embraces deep blues, purples and carefully placed golden accents reserved for the show's most powerful moments. Every color was chosen with one purpose: to communicate emotion.
Visual content that supports the story
For Tour Al Sol, the LED screens became an extension of the narrative rather than simply displaying content. Every visual was created exclusively for the tour using a production pipeline that combines Notch, Unreal Engine, TouchDesigner, 3D motion graphics, digital compositing and real-time rendering, under the creative direction of Sergio Rodríguez (@sergioirodriguez) and developed and operated by Gonzalo Patalagua (@_ulteriorworld).
Each piece of content was designed to coexist with both the lighting system and the camera language. At times, the screens become landscapes inspired by Colombia's Sierra Nevada mountains, the Caribbean Sea and dramatic sunsets. At others, they disappear completely, allowing the IMAG system to become the visual focus. Generative content, atmospheric overlays, cinematic LUTs and hybrid compositions blend live camera feeds with digital imagery, creating a visual language where technology never competes with the artist, it amplifies the story.
Designing for the camera
One of the project's guiding principles was recognizing that the concert would be experienced both inside the venue and through screens around the world. For that reason, a dedicated camera direction document was created, defining camera movements, instrumental moments, transitions between IMAG and graphic content, color treatments and specific behaviors for Steadicams, Ronin systems and fixed cameras. The result is a camera system that feels fully integrated into the performance rather than simply documenting it.
From concept to reality
The entire production was designed in Vectorworks, where stage architecture, rigging, lighting positions, video systems, camera locations and tracking infrastructure were developed as a single 3D environment.
From there, the project moved into Capture and Depence², allowing the team to previsualize lighting, video content, special effects, camera coverage and transitions long before rehearsals began.
This workflow made it possible to validate hundreds of creative decisions months before load-in, reducing programming time while giving every department more freedom to explore creatively.
A technical rider designed to tell stories
The technical rider was conceived as an extension of the creative vision. The system integrates state-of-the-art lighting fixtures, modular video configurations for arenas and festivals, automated tracking through Zactrack, redundant control using grandMA3, a Luminex-based network infrastructure and a platform ready to integrate lasers, flames, CO₂ effects, automation and performer tracking into one unified ecosystem.
Rather than simply specifying equipment, the rider defines how every technology contributes to the story.
Programming every moment
Every department is synchronized through a comprehensive Run of Show using SMPTE Timecode. Lighting, video, playback, cameras, special effects and automation all operate within a single synchronized system.
Each song includes dramatic objectives, visual references, camera behaviors, transitions and key moments that were carefully planned long before rehearsals. Alongside the programming process, the creative team continuously evaluated the emotional impact of the show to ensure every decision supported the overall narrative. The result is a production where every element performs as part of the same score.
More than a concert
When storytelling drives lighting, video, cameras, programming and technology, the audience stops noticing the tools behind the experience. They don't remember which console controlled the lighting. They don't remember which software generated the visuals. They don't remember how many LED screens were on stage. They remember how the show made them feel. And perhaps that is the ultimate goal of live entertainment design: To invite the audience to experience the same journey the sun makes every day—rising, reaching its highest point, transforming, celebrating... and beginning again.
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