Nico Labbé: The Man Behind the Lights
“I’ve always been fascinated by light,” explains Nico Labbé, smiling, the spark still very much alive in his eyes.
Despite over forty years in the business and countless stops around the world, it takes only a few minutes of conversation to understand that Nico Labbé has lost none of the passion for lighting that has been with him since early childhood.
Armed with flashlights and a cassette player, a young Nico took his first steps into the world of lighting by pretending to be a lighting designer.
“I would put on music by Genesis, use gels to change the colours and create my own shows on my bedroom ceiling. I was playing with light… that’s how it all started.”
Having grown up in a family involved in theatre and television, it was only natural for Nico to explore that world. But after a year of studies, it was clear that Nico was destined to light the stage, not perform on it.
Make Your Own Luck. Make a Name for Yourself.
Barely an adult and following an initial stint at Solotech, Nico set his sights on Toronto to launch his lighting career on the advice of his employer at the time, Jacques Tanguay, owner of Éclairage Tanguay Inc.
Newly arrived in the Queen City, he barely had time to unpack before heading out on a two-month tour with Platinum Blonde as the second lighting assistant. “I lived in Toronto for almost a year without ever really sleeping in my apartment,” he recalls.
Beyond lighting, Nico never turned down an opportunity to learn and expand his experience. In fact, he was always the first to take on fill-in assignments as a pyrotechnician. “You wouldn’t have expected that from me,” he says with a laugh, remembering the times he spent hiding in the back of the family car because he was afraid of fireworks.
His ability to respond well under pressure quickly drew attention. Having earned the production teams’ trust, Nico rose through the ranks and began working on major projects, collaborating with some of the most prominent artists at the time. “I’ve always worked on big events without seeking them out,” he says. “I was comfortable in that environment.”
Nico deeply values that place and that trust, knowing full well how fleeting they can be in the live events industry.
“It takes a long time to make a name for yourself. But it can be ruined very quickly.”
Over the course of a career that has allowed him to work alongside some of the greatest artists and professionals in the entertainment industry, certain encounters stand out. One was with lighting designer Yves Aucoin, who took Nico under his wing and played a defining role in his career by giving him the opportunity to step into his role with several artists. “I was his heir apparent,” Nico recalls.
“We’ve known each other for more than 35 years. I worked with him when he started taking on major tours.” What followed was an impressive list: “Yves worked with Richard Séguin before leaving to tour with Roch Voisine. I took over and worked with Richard for several years.”
It was a pattern that repeated itself several times: whenever the man known as “Lapin” in the entertainment industry began a new collaboration, Nico would take over with the previous artist. “Yves then went to work with Garou, so I continued working with Roch for several years. And when Yves started working with Céline Dion, I took his place with Garou… But Yves stayed with Céline, so I guess I’ll never work with Céline,” he says with a laugh.
It was while working with Roch Voisine that Nico acquired a nickname that has stayed with him to this day: El Conceptor. His friend Jacques-Martin Philippson coined the nickname after a show, at a loss for words after seeing a lighting concept Nico had created.
Around the World… en Français!
“It would be easier to name the artists I haven’t lit!”
From one collaboration to the next, El Conceptor spent years travelling the world with some of the biggest names in French-language music: Charles Aznavour, Gilles Vigneault, Lara Fabian, Francis Cabrel, Roch Voisine, Isabelle Boulay, Garou, Richard Séguin, Véronic DiCaire and Marc Dupré, to name just a few.
“You make your own luck,” he explains. “You meet an artist, you build a relationship, and then, just like that, someone comes to see a show. Lara Fabian came to see Isabelle Boulay. That’s how I met Lara, how we became friends and how we started working together.”
Nico has always made a point of building relationships rooted in respect and communication.
“I never idolised the artists I worked with. We always spoke as equals, face to face, and told each other the truth. I see the show every night. I can say what works well and what doesn’t.”
Nico Labbé
Account Executive, Global Special Events
Solotech
For El Conceptor, the job extends far beyond the lighting console. “There’s also a significant human side to it,” Nico explains. “When I meet an artist, we go out for a meal or have coffee together. Talk to me. The artist has a vision in mind; I need to understand it so I can bring it to life.”
“From my very first meeting with Nico, I knew I could trust him completely,” says Garou, who worked with Nico for more than 15 years. “So much so that I had more conversations with him as friends than conversations about the staging.”
“Trust is absolutely essential when you know that you will never truly see what the audience sees. I’m onstage, and people are looking at me. Nico’s talent gave me the peace of mind to focus on my performance.”
In 2019, Nico and Garou reunited for the Forever Gentlemen tour. Sharing the stage with Roch Voisine and Corneille gave Garou a rare opportunity to spend time with his friend at the console. “That is my favourite memory of working with him,” the singer recalls. “With frequent breaks from the stage, I was able to watch his work evolve and play a part in its development. I couldn’t tell you whether I enjoyed the work itself or the friendship more.”
From Nico’s Memory Box
Monsieur Aznavour and Monsieur Nico
Over a career spanning nearly half a century, some collaborations have become memorable. One of them was with Monsieur Charles Aznavour, a true monument of French music.
“He called me Monsieur Nico. So, I called him Monsieur Aznavour.”
The collaboration between Messrs. Aznavour and Labbé spanned more than 15 years and nine farewell tours! Before becoming his lighting designer, Nico was his tour manager in North America. “I attended to him in his dressing room, so I had the privilege of spending some time with him before the shows. Sometimes I would spend 10 or 15 minutes with him, talking about anything and everything.”
Mr. Aznavour also relied on El Conceptor to make sure he got to the stage on time. One night in New York, as usual, Nico entered the singer’s dressing room to let him know that he was due onstage in 15 minutes… “And there was Liza Minnelli, a close friend of Monsieur Aznavour, sitting with him. She said to me, ‘Come sit down, have a glass of champagne!’ So there I was, drinking champagne with Charles Aznavour and Liza Minnelli, and then Robert De Niro walked in, followed by Bono!” Nico says with a laugh, still somewhat incredulous that it ever happened.
It was only after the death of Mr. Aznavour’s lighting designer, Michel Quesnel, in the early 2000s that Nico took over the console for all of the legendary singer’s performances outside France. He was there for Mr. Aznavour’s final U.S. concert.
“I have the setlist from his final concert, written in his own hand. I also had his complete discography autographed. It was shaped like the Arc de Triomphe. I treasure it.”
“For you Nico. Always with me. With Love, Charles Aznavour”
From Russia with Love
El Conceptor’s career has taken him to more than 50 countries and some of the world’s most legendary venues: London’s Royal Albert Hall, the Olympia in Paris, New York’s Radio City Music Hall and the State Kremlin Palace.
“The crazy thing about the Kremlin is that even though it’s an enormous 6,000-seat venue, what strikes you is its sheer scale and coldness. It’s intimidating at first, but once the show gets underway, everything feels normal again,” he explains.
And Moscow had more surprises in store for Nico.
“With Lara [Fabian], we did a show in a private room at the Kremlin. A show for 50 people, including President Vladimir Putin. Let’s just say there was more security than there were guests!”
Leaving the Road to Come Home
After more than 35 years behind the console, Nico Labbé decided to leave touring life behind and come home to Solotech. In 2021, he became a senior technical specialist, a role that has continued to evolve.
Now an account executive with the new Global Special Events team, he is responsible for developing business opportunities tied to some of the industry’s most ambitious productions, a new challenge he is taking on alongside his mentor, Richard Lachance, Senior Vice President, Global Special Events, at Solotech.
“Richard is a friend, a colleague, someone I’ve known for more than 40 years,” he says. “Richard could be enjoying retirement right now, but he came back to pass the torch to me. I’m not here to replace Richard; you don’t replace Richard Lachance. But you can carry on what he built.”
“We’re very fond of each other,” says Richard Lachance after hearing his protégé’s comments about him. “We work well together; he’ll be perfect for the role. I wouldn’t have done it for anyone else,” he says of his decision to come out of retirement to guide Nico through this new professional challenge.
Nearly forty years earlier, Nico had described himself as Yves Aucoin’s heir apparent. Today, history seems to be repeating itself.
“It’s a gift from heaven,” he says with his trademark smile.
For Nico, this change in role is not a break from his life behind the console, but a new way to put his experience to work. After more than 40 years alongside artists and production teams, he understands their respective realities, the pressure that comes with large-scale projects and the importance of bringing the right people together around a shared vision.
That hands-on knowledge, combined with the trusted relationships he has built around the world, is now an asset to the new Global Special Events team.
“Nico has an intuitive understanding of production. He knows how to create a design, but also how to make sure that design is used as efficiently as possible. He knows how to work from both perspectives: the production side and the artist’s side. People really like him.”
Nico “In His Sweet Spot”
Asked when he had felt most in his element, Nico doesn’t limit his answer to his career.
“I’ve always felt like I was where I belonged. But, you know, when you talk about finding that sweet spot, work, your personal life, your friends, your health… all of that is part of the equation. It’s the whole picture. For the past three years, I’ve pretty much been in that sweet spot.”
