PAULBERGER SHOW 2026 – arena lighting technology at the LANXESS arena Cologne

01. The Challenge

On 30 May 2026, in the LANXESS arena in Cologne, the first “PAULBERGER SHOW” took place – the first major arena format by the creator crew featuring YouTuber iCrimax. In the German YouTube and gaming scene, PAULBERGER stands for 'best friend' and refers to both the creator group and its community. For their live arena debut, numerous creators performed their music together on a large stage for the first time.

The show was designed as a family-friendly live experience for a young gaming audience – featuring two show segments, each lasting about an hour and a half, with an intermission in between. For us, this meant a full-scale arena lighting production that had to function reliably throughout the entire show and meet the high visual expectations of a YouTube-savvy target audience.

The key challenge was the tight schedule and the coordination of all trades: a single setup day followed by rehearsals, at the end of which the complete lighting technology for an arena show had to be in place, set up, and programmed.

02. Our Solution

photon handled the lighting production for the PAULBERGER SHOW. To ensure the tight setup day ran smoothly, we prepared a large portion of the lighting pre-assembled in MLT trusses in advance and rehearsed the setup over two days in our own warehouse with a well-rehearsed crew – this allowed the arena setup to be set up much faster and more predictably.

The lighting setup combined Martin PXL Washlights, Chauvet Color Strike, ROXX B4 and Robe Esprite, complemented by Robe Forte and LTX as followspot systems for the follow spots on the changing acts. Immediately after the setup, rehearsals followed, where lighting and show were coordinated.

As general contractor, we subcontracted sound and LED walls to our partner Contour, who delivered them on our behalf – the sound system via a Meyer-Sound-Panther-system, the LED screens from Absen. We likewise subcontracted the Special FX to PTI Wroblewski and the camera equipment to Sweetspot, both working on our behalf.

03. The Result

The first PAULBERGER SHOW was implemented as a large arena production – thanks to pre-assembly in MLT trusses, the lighting technology was ready on time and ran stably and show-ready throughout both parts of the show.

For the premiere of a new arena format, photon thus delivered a reliable, camera-compatible lighting production that supported the visual experience for the audience in the LANXESS arena and the young community.