Abu Dhabi, UAE — The Saadiyat Nights festival stage may well be one of the most enchanting settings for a concert anywhere. Situated on a beautifully curated island, it offers what designer Jack Kelly calls a “masterclass in design, seamlessly blending an elegant, curved fascia with the evolving backdrop of the Saadiyat Island Cultural District.”

Inaugurating a new season at such an exquisite setting demands something far out of the ordinary, which is precisely what Kelly and his team, along with designer Ben M. Rogers delivered on January 9th as Saadiyat Nights launched its 2026 concert season with captivating performances by the iconic Diana Ross and Seal.

From the moment Ms. Ross began the evening with, what one critic praised at “an absolutely giddy combination” of “I’m Coming Out” and ‘”Baby Love,” the audience was swept up in the joy of the moment. Fitting the occasion like a finely tailored pair of elegant evening gloves, was a collection of 138 CHAUVET Professional fixtures.

“Our primary objective for the festival this season was to develop a lighting scheme that offered maximum versatility for a diverse roster of incoming artists while aesthetically complementing the architectural lines of the stage,” Kelly said of the lighting rig. “The Chauvet fixtures aligned perfectly with this vision, offering a superior balance of high-end performance and consistent reliability.”

Given that Saadiyat Nights is a 10-week outdoor residency, having IP65 rated fixtures was a must, according to Kelly. “It was non-negotiable,” he said. “When compared to other weather-protected options on the market, we felt the Chauvet fixtures offered the most robust build quality and the best performance metrics available for a production of this scale.

“We maintained a rigorous focus on detail during both the design and installation phases,” continued Kelly. “To ensure a seamless and robust production, we implemented comprehensive system backups and redundant signal paths to keep the system as stable as possible.”

This diligent curation resulted in a rig that featured 32 Maverick Storm 2 Profiles. 30 Maverick Storm 2 BeamWashes, 38 Color STRIKE M motorized strobe-washes and 38 Rogue Outcast 1 BeamWashes. Working in harmony with this lighting are a 14m wide by 7m high main video screen and two 8m wide by 6m high IMAG screens.

The capabilities of this rig were beautifully demonstrated during Diana Ross’s appearance by her longtime designer Ben M. Rogers who reflected the myriad emotions of his client’s performance down to the subtlest nuances as it moved from exhilarating joy to soft reflections on her storied career.

“I deployed my touring setup where the lighting console drives all parameters of the media server layers to ensure I maintained a consistent visual image,” said Rogers. “The visual for Diana Ross were curated with her and set a clear visual palette for each song. With the MediaMaster server, I then refined and adjusted color, and playback on content in the same way I did the lighting rig to maintain the balance of color and contrast throughout. With the backup band in pure white outfit, rich colors framing the performers, and Ms. Ross being as warm and elegant as ever, we rocked the stage, helping this stunning venue begin its 2026 season in beautiful fashion.”