The Black Eyed Peas truly lit up the stage at the historic three night stand at the Stade de France that marked the start of their last World Tour. The shows took place in the three times sold out 80,000 capacity stadium, in the suitably named City of Light: Paris.
Known for pushing the boundaries of music, fashion and technology to deliver stand-out performances, Fergie, Taboo, and apl.de.ap performed the finale of their show in unique dynamic-light costumes developed by Rogier van der Heide and his team who incorporated Philips technologies such as LED and OLED. See in this video how we designed and made these costumes, and then read further below…
The collaboration with the Peas began when Fergie wore a one-of-a-kind dress Rogier and his team designed with Philips lighting technology, while performing at the June 2011 Billboard Music Awards. With this latest performance for European fans, the ever-pioneering Black Eyed Peas raised the bar even further, with outfits specially designed around embedded lighting that is synchronized with the giant vidiwall on stage and the beat of the music.
Black Eyed Pea members in their LED suits designed by Rogier van der Heide . From left to right: Fergie (left) in her LED leather catsuit, apl.de.ap (center) in his connected suit, and Taboo (right) in his LED suits. (Photo Courtesy of Roger van der Heide)
Fergie’s leather catsuit has been artfully integrated with 175 OLED panels, which sparkle like mirrored glass when turned off. When illuminated, the panels are controlled remotely through a software program to orchestrate patterns and lighting sequences to the set-list, resulting in a truly innovative and integrated performance of music, lighting and technology.
In addition to Fergie’s catsuit, the team developed leather costumes for apl.de.ap and Taboo that integrate different lighting elements to reflect their unique personalities and styles. apl.de.ap wears a leather LED suit, designed to mimic a graphic equalizer, as well as integrating the Philippine flag, as reflection of his national pride and love of music. Taboo’s unique gilet complimented the group’s futuristic style with silicone studs to diffuse the light of nearly 1,000 LEDs, moving in patterns across his body and in sync with the the other band mates.
Close up of apl.de.ap in his LED suit. (Photo Courtesy of Roger van der Heide)
“For the Black Eyed Peas, every performance has to be memorable, constantly evolving to the next level to ensure fans get a new experience with every show,” said B. Åkerlund. “After the Billboard Awards, we went back to Rogier van der Heide because he is not only an innovator in lighting, he understands design and we knew we could collaborate and explore the use of light in unique and interesting ways on the tour costumes.”
“Innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum; it takes collaboration with creative, like-minded individuals who can explore the possibilities from multiple angles and areas of expertise in an organic and authentic way,” said Rogier van der Heide . “Working closely with B. Åkerlund and the members of The Black Eyed Peas, we were able to integrate OLED and LED technologies into the costume design through fashion. We have created something truly unique to kick off the 2011 The Beginning tour.”
