Gnarly Integrations and Fingers Crossed — Observatory on Jacob Collier's DJESSE World Tour
- Observatory
- Mar 7, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 27
Some projects test you technically. Some test you creatively. The best ones do both simultaneously — and Jacob Collier's DJESSE World Tour sat firmly in that category.
Observatory was brought on board as the video content partner for what became one of the most ambitious concert tours of 2024, working alongside Creative Director Ben Bloomberg — a collaborator with a decade-long creative partnership with Collier — scenic designer Luke Edwards, and lighting programmer Tess Monor. The tour culminated in a sold-out headline performance at The O2 Arena in London: the largest indoor venue in the UK and one of the most prestigious stages in the world.
The Creative Challenge: Serving a Genre-Defying Artist
Jacob Collier operates in a creative space unlike almost any other performing artist. Harmonically adventurous, emotionally vast, genre-defying — his music draws from jazz, gospel, pop, orchestral composition and beyond, often within the same song. Designing visuals that could honour that breadth without overwhelming it was the central creative challenge of the project.
Observatory's role was to create and oversee the production of rich 3D animation that enhanced the emotional depth and theatricality of the live experience — acting as dynamic backdrops to Collier's performances, and amplifying narrative moments across a diverse musical setlist. Working closely with Bloomberg and the wider creative team, Ben Sheppee led overall creative direction, asset production oversight, and technical integration for large-format LED.
"Gnarly" — and That's a Compliment
The O2 Arena show was, by Bloomberg's own description, the most technically demanding of the run. "The process of integrating the visuals was particularly gnarly and we started The O2 show with some untested programming and fingers crossed — having that show go smoothly was a great feeling and testament to how hardworking and talented our crew is," he said in the TPi feature.
For Bloomberg, the three most special shows of the run included New York's Radio City, the Greek in LA and London's O2 Arena. Observatory's content was central to all three of those landmark moments.
A Stellar Production Roster
The tour's vendor roster reflected the scale of the ambition. Vendors included Solotech (audio), Liteup (lighting and staging), 80six (video and production rehearsal space), Observatory (video content), BPM SFX (special effects), Fly By Nite (trucking) and Phoenix (bussing). Tour manager Kat McNeill noted of the supplier roster: "I have worked with these vendors previously, and they all provide an excellent level of service and support."
Ambition at Every Scale
This project represents something important about how Observatory works at its best. We're not a studio that simply receives a brief and delivers assets. We embed creatively — working alongside directors, scenic designers and lighting programmers to build something that's genuinely integrated, where the visual content doesn't just accompany the performance but shapes it. That's what made the DJESSE World Tour such a rewarding collaboration, and why the O2 night — untested programming and all — was worth every finger-crossing moment.
Source: TPi Magazine — Jacob Collier's Camp Embark on Their Most Ambitious Tour Yet, March 2025.
