volume 2 issue 12 2009 - Mobile Production Pro

FROM THE PublisherWith this issue we wrap up our coverage of the industry in2009, and we felt that U2 would be the appropriate tour tofeature. After such a difficult year for many of us, we wantedto feature the outstanding show of the year – U2. Several othershows were strong candidates, but I admit to having a personalbias for the people on this tour. People like Dennis Sheehan, JakeBerry and Rocko Reedy are the primary reasons that I am stilldoing this business. Their support of me personally and the workwe do have made life a lot easier and certainly more productivefor our entire team. So, first and foremost, our thanks and minepersonally, go out to those three people, their entire crew and all thevendors.Also in this issue, we are again taking a look at my favorite holidayshow, Tran-Siberian Orchestra. This show has evolved over the pastcouple of years to become a holiday staple, much like the RadioCity Rockettes. TSO delivers their style of Holiday Rock (as I call it)in a highly professional and polished manner that is a real treat foranyone who loves a blend of sharp production and good music. Ihope we can continue our tradition of covering this show every year.It gives me a great excuse for an enjoyable evening out with my wife.I get to see the show, cover a great production and make my wifehappy all in one evening. That is a treat for any guy!As we wrap up the year, all of us here wish all of you the best ofholidays and our hope for a much better year in 2010. We pray thatthings will be brighter, more productive and a lot less stressful foreveryone in our beloved business.Larry SmithWe understand your needs“TSO has used Potenza Enterprizes since their first tour.They’ve grown with us from 2 trucks to 26 . Their attentionto detail, the caliber of their drivers & equipment is thereason we use them and will continue to do so. They arepart of the TSO family”. Elliot Saltzman,Tour Director -Trans-Siberian Orchestra.TouringTransportationSpecialists !!!Toll free 1.877.832.5546potenzaent@on.aibn.comwww.potenzaenterprizesinc.comHOME OFFICE STAFFa 7 s 3 p 2ph: 615.256.7006 • f: 615.256.7004mobileproductionpro.com2961 Armory Dr • Nashville, TN • USA 37204Publisher: Larry Smithlarrysmith@tourguidemag.comManaging Director: Chris Cogswellccogswell@mobileproductionpro.comChief Writer / Photographer: Michael A. Beckgrockit@comcast.netContributing Writer / Tour Link Coord.: Jessi Wallacejwallace@mobileproductionpro.comArt Director / Graphic Designer: Kristin Salawaykristin.tourguide@gmail.comksearcy@mobileproductionpro.comOffice Manager: Jennifer Russellofficemanager@mobileproductionpro.comWebmaster: Michael Stalcupmstalcup@mobileproductionpro.comContributing Writer: Bill Abnerbigolbill@comcast.netContributing Writer: Michael Waddellmichael_waddell@mac.comContributing Writer: Mike Whartonwharton8317@bellsouth.netADVERTISING SALES OFFICEJessi Wallace • Nashvillejwallace@mobileproductionpro.comph: 615.256.7006 • f: 615.256.7004TOUR LINK BOARD OF ADVISORSBenny Collins, Jim Digby, Jon Nevins, Stuart Ross,Bobby Schneider, Jay Sendyk, Seth Sheck, Nick GoldNicki Goldstein, Chuck Randall, Michael Waddelltourlinkconference.comPUBLISHED BYAnvil Productions, LLCph: 615.256.7006 • f: 615.256.7004©2009 Anvil Productions, LLC. Nothing may be reproduced without writtenpermission of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit any andall editorial content included in this publication. The publisher has made everyattempt to insure accuracy and consistency of this publication. However,some listings & information may be incomplete due to a lack of informationprovided by various companies listed. Please send any inquiries to theattention of the publisher. All advertising appears at the paid solicitation ofthe advertiser. Anvil Productions, LLC, can not be held liable for any errors,omissions or inaccuracies appearing in this journal in the form of editorials,listings or advertising.Member of:4 mobile production monthly

VideoVideo Scenic Convergence:Tait Technologies Takes the Mantra to RealityTait Technologies takes the next logicalstep into the future of LED video andhigh tech scenic applications; seamlessintegration for a unified solution.Tait Towers and Frederic Opsomer, founderof System Technologies - both well-knownnames in the entertainment design industry -today announced the joint founding of the newcompany, named Tait Technologies, effective asof 1 February 2010.The new company will be lead by FredericOpsomer, who assumes the position of CEO ofTait Technologies. The company will have itsheadquarters in Waardamme, Belgium.By setting up Tait Technologies, both partieshave taken a strategic decision to refine theirfocus on the converging video and scenicindustry. The company will develop andsupply standard and bespoke mechanicaland automation solutions that allow easyand seamless integration of video and scenicproducts.Backed by long-standing reputations inthe live entertainment design industries,Tait Technologies will focus on providingthe entertainment and event designindustry with the following key services:➤ Rental of scenic and mechanicalproducts. Tait Technologies will carry a full,European-based, rental fleet of Tait Towers’renowned scenic and mechanical productsused throughout the world of live design andentertainment.➤ Custom designedmechanical structuresfor the Integration ofvideo products. TaitTechnologies will alsodesign and developbespoke mechanicalstructures to integratewith demandingcreative videoapplications for theentertainment sector.➤ Development ofstandard and custommadeautomationsolutions. Withan unparalleledunderstanding ofthe demands of theentertainment industry,Tait Technologies will design and deliverboth standard and custom-made automationsolutions; solutions that enable their customersto seamlessly integrate video and scenicproducts into sophisticated presentationapplications.Tait Towers and Frederic Opsomer have anunparalleled history of successful cooperationon major projects throughout the liveentertainment design industry. Amongst others,the companies collaborated on The RollingFor additional info.contact Frederic Opsomertel: + 32 491 123321frederic@taittechnologies.comtaittechnologies.comStones Voodoo Lounge and U2 Popmart tours.The founding of Tait Technologies will serveto further consolidate and enhance the closerelations between both parties. )6 mobile production monthly

TransportSpirit of America Tours/Corporate TransportThe New Transportation SpecialistsSpirit Of America Tours is a division of CorporateTransport, LLC located in Solon, Ohio. Having beenin business for five years, Corporate Transport hasfocused solely on the corporate and high-net worth individualsand their ground transportation needs.Two years ago, Spirit Of America Tours wasfounded as a division of Corporate Transport,LLC with the sole purpose of meeting theneeds of the touring individual. This divisionwas formed due to the many requests theywere getting from athletes, authors, publicfigures and royalty to provide a consistentservice during their various tours that it wasembarking. Unlike any other service thatwas being provided in the industry, Spirit OfAmerica Tours rose to the top and set newstandards for their touring clients.SOAT’s Ray Duval comments, “We like to saythat we are like ‘Disney on Wheels’, becauseour unique form of service is magic. Ourexperience is one that creates a need in ourclients, one that becomes so indispensable thatthey cannot live without it. Spirit Of AmericaTours delivers a world-class experience, wejust happen to use luxury vehicles as one ofthe tools to help us attain the end result.”What exactly makes SOAT unique inthe industry?➤ Managers can make one call and explainthe entire tour requirements. They book thetour once, and they can move on to otheraspects that need attention.➤ Security personnel make one call to us andexplain the security protocol for the tour. Thisis a plus to them, because they don’t need toexplain the protocol to multiple limousinecompanies throughout the tour. By explainingit once to SOAT’s team, it is carried out andexecuted consistently throughout the tour.➤ Managers can allow the backhouse teamto assist them when it comes to making dinnerreservations, shopping outings, etc. for theirclients.➤ All team members have undergone extensiveFBI background checks, and many have beencleared at the highest security levels.➤ For the tour manager or tour accountant,imagine the ease of booking the entire tourat one time with one company that insuresthe delivery of consistent service levels andequipment type throughout the entire tour.Contact Ray DuvalSpirit of America Tours, Inc.34208 Aurora Rd, Ste 153 Solon, Ohio 44139direct dial: 440.465.4212 fax: 440.348.2301co. email: ray.duval@soatours.compersonal email: rhdmad@sbcglobal.net➤ It does not HIRE team members itSELECTs them. The difference is that it is nottrying to put a warm body in a position, butrather it is selecting the correct individual forthe job... with the correct DNA, as it were.➤ The team must have what it calls theSERVANT GENE. What we are talking abouthere, is that they have a gene inside of themthat creates a need in that individual to serveour clients in a manner that is unheard of inthe industry today. They need to serve theclient in order to be fulfilled inside.➤ The selection process for an individual isvery rigorous:-Full and extensive FBI background checks aredone on all team members-A 4-hour intensive interview is done withan industrial psychologist to determine if theindividual has the correct DNA and will beable to handle the rigors of an extended tour.-Three days are spent with an expert in thefield of customer loyalty, teaching our teammembers how to create a unique experiencefor the client, anticipate the needs of that clientand be pro active, rather then re active.➤ When on tour, SOAT provides companypersonnel and equipment, thus eliminatingany chance for failure in experience levelscontinued on 448 mobile production monthly

SoundMeyer Sound JM-1PMakes Africa’s Gospel“Experience” Uplifting Everywhere“The Experience,” a non-denominational gospel musicconcert in Lagos, Nigeria has grown to become by far the largestmusic event in Africa. A Woodstock-sized throng estimatedat 450,000 jammed into the Tafawa Balewa Square and spilledover into an adjacent cricket field for a spiritual celebration featuring14 American and Nigerian gospel artists, including headlinersKirk Franklin, Phil Driscoll, and Bebe and Cece Winans. Theevent’s ongoing sound system supplier, GQ Acoustics of Lagos,pampered the enlarged crowd this year with an expandedMeyer Sound system that had been boosted with more MILO ®line array loudspeakers and 700-HP subwoofers, plus a newcomplement of problem-solving JM-1P arrayable loudspeakers.“The main venue is an open quadrangleabout 170 meters across, with the stage onone long side, grandstands opposite, andthree-story pavilions on the short sides,”explains David “dB Dave” Dennison, aconsultant engineer who assisted withsystem design and technical support. “Theextreme width made it impossible to coverthe far corners effectively with only the linearrays. Fortunately, the JM-1Ps were perfectfor delays and fills because I could add 20degrees of horizontal coverage by simplyadding another box until I had exactly what Ineeded. That was priceless.”Of the 16 JM-1P loudspeakers, four wereplaced on each of the two delay towers forback corner coverage, three per side wereaimed far off-stage toward seating areasbeyond the coverage of the side arrays, andone per side was used for VIP areas adjacentto the stage.The main stage system comprised 14MILO line array loudspeakers plus14 MICA line array loudspeakersper side for side fill. Two UPA-1Ploudspeakers covered immediatefront-center while 36 700-HPsubwoofers at the stage arranged forcardioid response plus two at eachdelay tower supplied bass impact.The stage monitoring complementincluded 16 MJF-212A stagemonitors, four MTS-4A full rangeloudspeakers, and two USW-1Psubwoofers. A Galileo® loudspeakermanagement system with twoGalileo 616 processors was employedfor signal processing, and the system wasaligned using GQ Acoustics’ own SIM® 3audio analyzer.Except for a few groups bringing their ownengineers, FOH mixing was entrusted toGQ Acoustics’ Andrew Adesina and IfeanyiFor additional info. about the Meyer SoundJM-1P arrayable loudspeakervisit: meyersound.com/products/jm_seriesAchibiri of House on the Rock, the organizerof the event.“The sound this year was awesome,absolutely out of the world,” says Achibiri.“I’m certain we will have GQ Acoustics andMeyer Sound back again next year. No othercompany in the region can do this kind ofwork.”Peter Iriah, managing director of GQAcoustics, was pleased that his bolsteredsystem stayed one step ahead of the swellingattendance. “Also, the high level of technicalsupport we received from Meyer Soundwas invaluable, going far beyond what mostcompanies provide,” adds Iriah.As in past years, the 2009 Experience wasconvened by Paul Adefarasin, founder andsenior pastor of the House on the Rock.Based in Lagos, House on the Rock is amulti-racial, multi-tribal church with 35sites in Nigeria as well as branch ministriesthroughout Africa and Europe.)10 mobile production monthly

Trans-Siberian OrchestraBiggerBetterBrighterby Michael A. Beck12 mobile production monthly

PHOTO BY LEWIS LEEphotos by Michael A BeckEvery year starting in October a touringphenomenon unlike any otherexperience on the road takes place.And every year it is our pleasure togo out and cover it just to see what’snext in the mind of gonzo productiondesigner Bryan Hartley. The tourwe’re speaking of is, of course, Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The productionis exclusive in nature for many reasons.First and foremost, it has no individualstars on stage. Yes, there are searingperformances by the musicians out onthe tour. However, the real star of theshow is the production itself.The centerpiece of the production hasalways been the visual aspects of theshow. The philosophy of the productiondesign has always been to includeas much of the audience as possible in afront row experience of sorts. This hasbeen accomplished by extending productionelements out into the house both inthe form of flown pods and an elevatedplatform behind the mix position. Overthe past three years, the main rig over thestage consisted of three large pods. Lastyear’s show was expanded to use threesets of two concentric pods which eitherfunctioned independently of one anotheror could fly inside one another to functionas three dense pods.This year, Hartley departed from the poddesign over the stage opting for a massivearray of linear truss. However, as mundaneas that may seem, the finished lookwas anything but. “It’s similar to severalyears back when I had straight truss,”Hartley told us. “But I have so muchmore going on up there now that therereally is no comparison.”He’s right. This was the first year he wascleared to use video in large amounts,and he didn’t waste the opportunity.Opting for video content rather thanI-MAG, he was able to insert video imageryon the vertical surfaces of two trusslines of the flown rig as well as using itas a three-floor mounted 6 x 15 foot setpiece called firewalls. In addition to thepanels in the air and on the deck, Hartleymounted six 4 x 8 foot panels dubbed“TV screens” on Panagraphs and surroundedthem with VL-3500 Washs and3000 Spots. While the lighting systemwas indeed a configuration of straightsticks, the longest runs of truss were ableto articulate utilizing hinges that werecustom designed by longstanding TSOmobile production monthly 13

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pictured on opposite page - MEC (Catering Crew): Top: David Rell, Brent Beimfohr, Tim Lawler, Diane Gonzales, AngeloFrancavilla, Eric Gratton, Mark Gratton, Bottom: Henry Miller, Emily Diller, Matt Mosley | Production:Andy Omilianowski, Jeff Boguski, Billy Flynn (floor), David Comeau, John Warren, Candice Simmons, CarlAcampora, Paul Serio | Chaos Crew: Tyler Munson, Steve Burkholder, Dave Sheppard, Dustin King, WayneMatlock, Joe Finn | Laser Crew: Brian vanTrigt, Wally Gazda | SGPS: Top Left: James Ford, Bottom Left: KyleWolfson, Top Right: Jeremiah Anderson, Back Right: Tony Micheals, Middle Right: John Kehoe, Bottom Right: JeremySorensen | Audio Crew: Back-left to right: Ricardo Avila, Mike Connors, Scott Fraser, Jay Muth, Front-left to right:Kurdt Vanderhoof, Chris Hoffmann | Syncro Crew: Robbie Sheene, TJ Benton | Riggers: Tim Finncannon,Mark Ward, Russel Keith | Lighting Crew: Trevitt Cromwell, Marty Langley, John Lunio (computer image),Justin Dowbiggin, Dan Cassar, Mark Donahue, TJ Benton, Robbie Sheene, Daniel Brooker, Alan Gregg, MattTucker, Jason Bowman (on road case), Brad Wagg (floor) | Carpenter Crew: Top: Russel Voyta, Scott Wienclaw,Jason Hahn, Bottom: Bob Madison, Bill Watkins | Backline Techs: Eric Gormley, Ron Hise, Ed Halverson |Pyro Crew: Noam Sigal, Gregg Pearson, Hans Lundberg, Adam Cryderman, Keith Maxwell, Clint RanseWest PerformersMusical Director: Al PitrelliKeys: Jane ManginiString Master: Roddy ChongBass Guitar: Chris AltenhoffGuitar: Angus ClarkKeys: Derek WielandDrums: John OReillyNarrator: Tony GaynorSingers: Tommy Farese, Bart Shatto, KristinGorman, April Berry, Katie Hicks, Andrew Ross,Erin Henry, Abby Lynn Mulay, Jeff Scott SotoStrings Musician Caitlin MoeWest CrewTour Mgr: David ComeauProduction Mgr: Jeff BoguskiProd. Co-ord.: Carl AcamporaRoad Mgr: John WarrenAsst. Road Mgr: Candice SimmonsStage Mgr: Andy OmilianowskiProd. Asst: Paul SerioDrum Tech: Ron HiseGuitar Tech: Ed Halverson, Eric GormleyFOH Eng.: Kurdt VanderhoofLighting Director: Dan CassarRiggers: Mark Ward, Russel Keith, Tim FincannonCarpenters: Russel Voyta, Bill Watkins, ScottWienclaw, Jason Hahn, Bob MadisonSGPS Grid/Crew Chief: John KehoeSGPS Grid Tech: PRGM Kyle Wolfson, AnthonyMichael, Jerimiah Anderson, Jeremy Sorenson, JamesFordEpic Lighting/Crew: John Lunio, Matt Tucker,Alan Gregg, Jason Bowman, L Mark Donahue, TrevittCromwell, Daniel Brooker, Marty Langley, JustinDowbiggin, Brad WaggSyncrolite Crew: TJ Benton, Robbie SheeneChaos Video Crew: Joe Finn, Dave Sheppard, DustinKing, Steve Burkholder, Tyler Munson, Wayne MatlockClair FOH Eng/Crew Chief: Mike ConnorsClair Monitor Eng.: Chris HoffmannClair Sound Crew: Scott Fraser, Ricardo Avila, JayMuthLaser/Crew Chief: Brian Van TrigtLaser Tech: Wally Stan GazdaEFX Tech: Adam CrydermanPyro Shooter/Crew Chief: Keith MaxwellPyro Tech: Clint Ranse, Hans Lundberg, Noam Sigal,Gregg PearsonMerchandise: Billy FlynnBus Drivers: Dave Harrison, Jeff Hay, James RedMurphy, John Morgan, Jimmy HolmesTruck Drivers: Joe Lephew, Paul Fyffe, WilliamFerguson, John Pyle, Wally Brown, Joe Frank, JohnnyWinn, James Fyffe, Tom Sims, Jeffrey Thomas, JamieOuten, Dave Faulkner, Reginald Haynes, RaymondWaterman, Troy Baumgartner, Troy Metts, TheodorePaiva, Glenn HoffmanCatering: Mark Gratton, David Rell CEC, MattMoseley, Henry Miller, Brent Beimfohr, AngeloFrancavilla, Tim Lawler, Erik Gratton, Emily Diller,Diane GonzalesCatering Bus Driver: Roger Burrisvendor, Epic Entertainment Technologies.The primary challenge of this production ishow to get 17 trucks into the venue in timefor a matinee performance, something thatoccurred on a fairly regular basis throughoutthe run. Whereas logistical efficiencyis a standard mantra on all productions, itbecomes a religion on this tour. The resultwas an ingenious integration of form andfunction. The vast majority of truss used inthe rig were WinVision video panels as wellas Versa TUBE. Although the end result wasdazzling, the notion of having to uncase hundredsof feet of video panel and Versa TUBEthen mount it to the truss on a daily basis wasbeyond unworkable.Fueled by the reality that what Hartley wantsHartley gets, the geniuses on the tour andin the shops of both Epic and Chaos Videodevised a system through which both lightingand video panels never left the truss with veryfew exceptions. Additionally, the video panelsthat played independently of the lightingrig rode in custom racks similar to set carts.All of this made for a sensational executionof the show from a video perspective, but itwasn’t enough in and of itself for Hartley’stastes. So he backed the stage with a massivewall of Soft LED, which offered an outstandingbackdrop for the show. He then drovethe video as far into the house as possibleby running it through the arena’s LED bannerstrips. This gave the audience a sense ofbeing totally immersed in the production.This year’s lighting system contained a muchhigher concentration of automated lightingthan in years past. While there was a smatteringof ACLs and conventional pars loadedwith LED panels, the bulk of the showconsisted of Vari*Lite 3000 Spots and 3500Washs.While in years past the effort to extend therig out into the house consisted of two enormouspods, this year the look was comprisedof eight small pods hung in two rows of four.These arrays were made up of the truss andcorner sections used in the pods that flewover the stage in previous years. Mr. Hartleyallows nothing to go to waste.Two other elements of the production thathave been mainstays from the beginning arepyro and laser. Pyro, presented by TorontobasedPyrotek, had a spectacular array ofcolored flames, dragons and a great lookinggold gerb waterfall to finish the show amongthe 15 different pyro effects that were used inthis production. However the standout effectfor this writer was the sensational use ofFire Screen which was developed by Pyrotekand put to better use on this tour than everbefore. As the temptation to get wildly verboseabout lasers in this show is pressing, thereality is that it doesn’t take a lot of languageto describe what happened. It was simply biggerand better than ever before.mobile production monthly 15

16 mobile production monthlyphotos by Michael A Beck

pictured on opposite page - Bryan Hartley – Production Designer | Yader Mena - Rigger, Ken Mitchell - Head Rigger, TomCusimano - Rigger | Patrick Zales President of the Charlotte chapter of the Bryan Hartley fan club, Bryan Hartley- Lighting Designer | Front: Jorge Del Angel - Syncrolite Crew, Roseanna Capuano - Syncrolite Crew | Erik Swanson -Clair Sound Crew, Michihiro Tanikawa - Clair FOH Engineer, Dave Wittman - FOH Engineer, Scott Evans - Clair SoundCrew, Robert Taylor - Clair Sound Crew Back: Bryce Ferris - Epic Lighting Crew, Allyson Solar Epic - Lighting Crew,Will Anglin - Epic Lighting Crew, Tim Solar Epic Lighting / Crew Chief | Jeff Snider - Production Coordinator, PatrickWhitley - Production Manager, Elliot Saltzman - Tour Director, Kenny Silva - Road Manager, Stephen Levy Mazin -Production Assistant, Ken Brown - Assistant Road Manager, Steve Roman - Stage Manager | Nick Zangari - EFX Tech,Jason McEachern - Laser / Crew Chief, Jason Bridges - Laser Tech | Front: John Bedell - Chaos Video Crew, BrandonOosterhof - Chaos Video Crew Back: Wayne Boehning - Chaos Video Crew, Kenny Ackerman - Chaos Video Crew / Chief,Kevin Levasseur - Chaos Video Crew, Dave Duca - Chaos Video Crew | Kyle Sabel - Guitar Tech, Imy James - DrumTech, Cris Lepurage Guitar/Keys Tech | Front: Tristan Ford - Pyro Shooter / Crew Chief, Nick Zangari - EFX Tech, JanSanderse - Pyro Tech, Back: Sean O'Donnell - Pyro Tech, David Domanski - Pyro Tech,Danny Silvestri - Pyro TechEast BandMusical Director: Bob KinkelNarrator: Bryan HicksString Master Anna PhoebeGuitars: Chris Caffery, Alex SkolnickBass Guitar: John Lee MiddletonDrums: Jeff PlateKeys: Luci Butler, Vitalij KuprijVocalists: Jay Pierce, James Lewis, SteveBroderick, Tim Hockenberry, Rob Evan,Jodi Katz, Danielle Landherr, AlexaGoddard,Valentina PorterEast CrewTour Director: Elliot SaltzmanProduction Mgr: Patrick WhitleyProd. Co-ord.: Jeff SniderRoad Mgr: Kenny SilvaAsst. Road Mgr: Ken BrownStage Mgr: Steve RomanProd. Asst: Stephen Levy MazinDrum Tech: Imy JamesGuitar Tech: Kyle SabelGuitar/Keys Tech: Cris LepurageFOH Eng.: Dave WittmanLighting Designer: Bryan HartleyRiggers: Ken Mitchell, Tom Cusimano, Yader MenaCarpenters: Scott Nordvold, Steve Robinson, EricBolenbaugh, John Prater, Manny MedeirosSGPS Grid / Crew Chief: Jesse SugimotoSGPS Grid Techs: Vince Gallegos, Buzz Gibson,Will Wilkison, Daniel Wright, Mark McKinneyEpic Lighting / Crew Chief: Tim SolarEpic Lighting Crew: Will Anglin, Allyson Solar,Bryce Ferris, Ryan LeComte, Marshall Blair, JarretBorodenko, Terry Smith, Glenn Rupert, Mark AbraSyncrolite Crew: Jorge Del Angel, RoseannaCapuanoChaos Video Crew/Chief: Kenny Ackerman,Brandon Oosterhof, Dave Duca, John Bedell, KevinLevasseur, Wayne BoehningClair FOH Eng.: Michihiro TanikawaClair Mon Eng./ Crew Chief: Tony LunaClair Sound Crew: Robert Taylor, Scott Evans, ErikSwansonLaser/Crew Chief: Jason McEachernLaser Tech: Jason BridgesEFX Tech: Nick ZangariPyro Shooter / Crew Chief: Tristan FordPyro Tech: Jan Sanderse, David Domanski, DannySilvestri, Sean O'DonnellMerchandise: Don HallPyrotek’s sister company Laser DesignProductions has always been a standard fixtureon the tour as well. However, this yearlaser designer Doug Adams brought a littlemore than ever before. The centerpiece ofthe laser array for this show was two 25-wattlasers that were originally designed for lastyear’s Michael Jackson production. Whenthat show was tragically canceled, the lasersbecame available and Adams put them to useon the tour. Although only two units werecreated for the Jackson tour and both weredesigned into the TSO look, Adams andcompany had to hustle and get two moreonline for this tour.“The thing that distinguishes these lasersfrom everything else is not just their power,”Adams told us. “It took us a long time tobuild these things. The colors are absolutelypure. Red is red and there is no doubt aboutit, and we went one step beyond standardRGB. These have yellow as well.”In addition to the high-end visual technologythis show presented, there was also a representationof gold stage craft worked into theshow’s main reveal. The show opened withtwo guitar players positioned downstage leftand right and the lead violinist mid-stagecenter. As the music began they all rose intothe air on scissor lifts. This show also unitizedthe rising mix position platform, whichhas been the case in years past. However, thistime it got a bit a face-lift as the sides of theplatform sported a rounded fascia of “mirrorball” type mirrors.This show offered something that couldn’thave been expected, and it only happenedat the Charlotte show. John Zales, local residentof the area, asked if Bryan Hartley wasanywhere to be found and as it happenedHartley was at the console. Zales explainedthat his nine-year-old son Patrick was a hugefan of Hartley and asked if it would be possiblefor the youngster to meet the master.Hartley agreed, and up came Patrick. Whenasked what made him a fan of Hartley’s Zalesexplained, “I love the way lighting works withmusic. I found out the lighting designer ofthis show, and my dad helped me find outwhat other shows he did. So I looked themup, and I became a fan.” Hartley just smiled.7mobile production monthly 17

Commercial grade quality and competitively priced! 7KW to 100KW generators, powered by a rugged Kubota orCummins diesel engine. RVIA-approved models and multiple options available. Enclosed units feature convenient single side service andremovable doors for easy access to maintenance parts. Experienced support staff to help guide you, includingelectrical and mechanical engineers.Generator service in the Atlanta and Charlotte areas. From simple repairs to complete replacements, we handle itall on most makes and models. Convenient interstate access and mobile service available!Atlanta Area: 3412 Florence Circle ❙ Powder Springs, GA 30127Charlotte Area: 348 Bryant Boulevard ❙ Rock Hill, SC 29732© 2010, EPSTour CreditsTSO Founder/Composer/Lyricist/Producer:Paul O’ NeillTSO Composer/Music Director/Co-Producer:Robert KinkelTSO Composer: Jon OlivaMusic Director: Al PitrelliDirector Of Touring & Production:Elliot SaltzmanLighting Design: Bryan Hartleybryanhartley.comProduction Design: Bryan Hartley, Elliot SaltzmanStage Design: Jeff Boguski, Patrick WhitleyBusiness CreditsManagement: Night Castle ManagementBand Artist Development: Dina FanaiAccounting: Robert Bandman for Prager and FentonBooking Agent: William Morris AgencyRecord Label: Lava/Atlantic RecordsLegal: Rooks & FerraraMerchandising: Bravado MerchandisingAdditional Photos: Beth Kelly of Beth KellyPhotography, Matt WignallPublicity: Cataldi Public RelationsString Contractor: Steve TrudellTrudellOrchestras.comLighting: Epic Production TechnologiesSound: Clair Showco ChicagoTrucking: Potenza Enterprizes Inc.Buses: Wildfire Coach Leasing Inc.Lasers: Laser Design ProductionsPyrotechnics: Pyrotek Special Effects Inc.Truss Automation & Custom Grid :SGPS, Inc / ShowRig, IncVideo: Chaos Visual Productions, SyncrolitesStage Set : Touring ResourcesRolling Stages: All Access StagingScaffolding: Mountain ProductionsFreight: Sound MovesRadios: Road RadiosGear & Expendables: Tour Supply Inc.Touring Generator Services: JRW Generations, LtdTour Passes: Cube PassesTravel Agent/Flights:Imperial American Express Travel ServicesTravel Agent/Hotels: TNT/Relativity TravelTour Security: East End Protection ServicesRehearsals: Studio Instrument Rentals (New York City)Production Rehearsals: Mid-America CenterThe Stage is Set....Let’s Roll!Sho-moves Transportation is a full service Entertainment transportation company.We provide trucking solutions for all types of freight for the live entertainment industry.Our Goal...Is to allow our clients to produce the show rather than deal with transporting the show.Shomoves has years of experience in trucking time sensitive shows throughout North Americaand Mexico. With trucks and trailers through our multiple terminal locations we canget it there On Time and when needed!Theatrical Tours Film & Television Expedited Freight Live Sporting EventsConcert Tour Transport Circus Productions & Tours Dedicated DriversTerminals located in Las Vegas, NV Toronto, Ontario, Phoenix, AZ866-407-8881info@shomoves.ca18 mobile production monthly

*Sentient Charter is a program of Sentient Jet, LLC (“Sentient”). Sentient arranges flights on behalf of clients with FAR Part 135 air carriers that exercise full operational control of charter flights at all times. Flights will be operated byFAR Part 135 air carriers that have been certified to provide service for Sentient and that meet all FAA safety standards and additional safety standards established by Sentient. (Refer to www.sentient.com/standards for details.)Your Access toPerformance with Passion.At Sentient * , we understand that success isn’t something that comes easily. Ittakes focus, years of preparation and relentless dedication. With an innovative9-point safety program and a staff of service professionals available 24/7, it’s nowonder that Sentient is the #1 arranger of charter flights in the country. SentientCharter can take you anywhere on the world’s stage - on the jet you want - at thecompetitive price you deserve.Sentient Jet is the Proud Platinum Sponsor ofthe TourLink 2010 Conference Jet BarbequeTO LEARN MORE, PLEASE CONTACT:David Young, Vice President - Entertainment, at dyoung@sentient.com or 805.899.4747

u2.360° Tourthe largest tour to ev24 mobile production monthly

In the latter part of 2008, the groundstarted to rumble from across the pond.The word was that U2 was preparing toset sail with the largest thing to ever goout. that was interesting, but if we had adime for every time we’ve heard “this’llbe the biggest thing ever” we couldafford tickets to see Madonna. However,this is U2 and wherever U2 goes so goesthe army of huge thinkers like WillieWilliams, Mark Fisher, StageCo and, ofcourse, Jake Berry among many others.All of the sudden “the largest thing toever go out” deserves a lot more thanpassing interest of “we’ll see.”THE BANDBono, The EdgeAdam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr.Paul McGuinness – Managerer go outby Michael A. Beckphotos by Michael A BeckFor those who haven’t heardanything about this leviathan we’llstart out simple. The tour wasdesigned for stadiums and it is safeto say that this stage is withouta doubt the most unique andambitious touring show design inhistory.While it was not designed toplay in the round, it did play toa 360º crowd from an “end-on”position in the stadium. Althoughthis certainly added more seatingavailability, it brought the age-oldmatter of site line obstruction intoplay. The answer was as elegantas it was functional. Fashionedafter Los Angeles International AirPort’s iconic “Theme Building,”the structure of this show stood100 feet tall with a center spireknown on the tour as the “pylon”that reached close to 100 feetabove the main structure.The structure weighs 250 tonsprior to the production hang. Itonly touches the ground at fourpoints and after the productionhang, the total weight capped out420 tons. Although this isn’t a lotmore than other stadium shows,what made this one differentwas that it seemed to apply 105tons of downward thrust at eachfoot. And because the legs ‘arch’rather than stood vertically, theload isn’t completely downward.It presses down and out from thecenter. With all of that in mind,two of the engineering challengeswere the need to disperse the loadevenly, and keep the legs fromspreading at their bases.The answer to the weightdistribution was to tie it alltogether and create a shoe so stiffthat the weight would cover theentire area between the legs. Atthe end of the calculation, theload was only about a ton per padon the ground, which isn’t anymore than one would see on anyother stage. The feet were tiedtogether with tension rods that randiagonally under the center of thestage and in a square all around.This stopped them from spreadingoutwards.The arched design of the legscreated another challenge. Theycouldn’t be built as freestandingbits and tied into one another atthe top. The solution was amazingbecause of the arched design thelegs couldn’t be built from thebottom up. The only answer wasto build them from the top down.Sounds odd don’t it? The crownof the structure was built first andflown by 4 huge hydraulic lifts thatclimbed between 2 truss towers.These lifts traveled on 7 trucksand were brought in for the build,dismantled and removed from thebuilding until the load out whenthe whole process took place inreverse.Because this was a seriousbalancing act the lift had to bedone with extreme precision. Thiscouldn’t be left to one personcontrolling each tower. Thus, all 4lifts were controlled from a centralcontroller. When the centerpieceof the roof was completed, it wasflown high enough to attach thefirst leg section. Each leg sectionmobile production monthly 25

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grass. Berry added, “The flooringsystem assured that there was noway we were going to save thegrass, but without it we would stillbe loading out of Barcelona.”The power needs on this showwere what one might imaginefor a show of this size. CATEntertainment Services’ MitchMargolin discussed, “In thebeginning you have to have moreout there than less because youdon’t know what looks Willie[Williams] is going to put up andwhen. We started out thinkingwe’d need about 2,000 kw, andonce things settled down and wesaw what the show was doingevery night, the real total mutateddown to about 1,400 kw.”In the beginning, the showrequired 90 runs of 4/Ø (weighingat a pound a foot) feeding into thestadium. Margolin offered somepersonal perspective, “When Iwas running power out on U2’sZoo TV Tour, we were running36 runs, and I was thinking ‘manthis is insane.’ When I saw this, Irealized what insane really is. Butthat’s what this show takes.”had 4 attachment points per endwhere it pinned together withthe other sections and ultimatelyinto its footing. Then the legsection would be craned up in ahorizontal attitude. When it wasat the right height, it was gentlyconnected to its outside 2 pointsby riggers who were inside theroof. These outside points wouldthen act as a pivot point. As thecrane lowered the leg section, itguided itself into its final positionwhere the riggers would connectthe bottom points. The riggerswould then move down throughthe inside of the legs and repeatthe process until the structure wascomplete.The buzz within the touringindustry is the amazement at thesleek look coupled with the sheersize of this stage and that nothinglike it has ever toured before.However, rock ‘n’ roll’s architectextraordinaire Mark Fisher hasa different view of it all. “I aman architect first and foremost,”he told us. “I just make myliving in rock ‘n’ roll. I couldintroduce you to a thousandarchitects and engineers whocould design this stage as wellor better than I did.”Fisher went on to explain thatit was something of a pleasureto get a design that was any kindof stretch at all. Although therewere some challenges inherentin project, the biggest one wasdesigning this thing to be taken onthe road. Fisher explained further,“What we bring to the projectthrough our relationship withStageco is the ability to put a teamtogether that can take the thingout on the road, put it up and tearit down every 5 days. That’s thereal magic trick. For me, the thingthat the rock ‘n’ roll world deliversthat the conventional constructionworld couldn’t is the ability todeliver it time after time on timein cities 400, 500 and even 1,000miles apart. That’s what the rock‘n’ roll world should really beproud of because it’s developed aculture and skill base that allowsthat to happen.”In order for this show to get in andout of a stadium it took 5 cranes,38 trucks per roof (there were 3roofs) and 48 trucks of productiongear. Tour Production DirectorJake Berry explained, “On moststadium shows you’re carrying 32to 38 trucks of gear. On this onewhen we get to 38 trucks, we stillhave ten more trucks to go.”Berry explained that the massivesize of this production carried withit larger than normal logisticalconcerns. Put quite simply, therewas more truck movement andmore gear to be distributed aroundthe floor. Therefore, it was decidedearly on for the tour to carry itsown flooring system providedby German based APF (ArenaPanel Flooring). “It’s commonknowledge that if you do a showon concrete it’s easier becauseyou can drive your tucks in andthings push easier and forkliftsdrive better, and you don’t tripover the edges of plywood.” Berrytold us. “By laying the arena deckwe were in essence creating ourown concrete floor, and by takingit with us we had the same flooreverywhere we went.”Of course the decking systemadded another 15 trucks to thecount.The down side is that there wasno way to avoid killing the grasswherever the show played onThis amount eventually shrunkdown to down to 65 runs. Thatbeing said, it’s still a massiveamount of copper to be pullingaround the stadium. Where itreally got ugly was getting it upto the roof. There was significantworkspace in the ceiling of thestructure for crew to load in andmaintain lights and sound, andalthough there were 2 elevators inthe roof to get gear up and downbecause there was not a personnellift. The crew got up and downby way of ladders inside the legs.This was also the way that powergot up there.The requirement was to pull fivelines of 4/Ø up each leg. Themere thought of that is enoughto have anyone who understandsthe process reaching for hardliquor and tall glasses. It was JakeBerry and Green Site CoordinatorSeth Goldstein who found thesolution – Aluminum 4/Ø. Whoknew? Margolin admits that thealuminum was not as soft andpliable as copper. On the otherhand, it didn’t have anywhere theweight of copper and that madeall the difference. So much for tallglasses.The actual stage area was acircular platform that was built byTait Towers. It took up the entiremobile production monthly 27

u2.360° Tour the largescenter area between the legs of thestructure. With the exception ofthe backline gear on stage, it wasextremely clean.There was an upstage walkwaythat allowed the band to getrelatively close to the fans behindthe stage. There was also runwaythat contoured the shape of thestage leaving about 30 feet ofspace between the “B” stage asthe runway was called on the tourand the main stage. This area wascalled the Red Zone and was filledwith audience members who paidto be in there. While the Red Zonewas the area where fans couldhave the closest access to the band,it was the least expensive ticket inthe house. This was done in aneffort to beat scalpers at their owngame.The “B” stage was only accessiblefrom the main stage via motorizedbridges. Their home positionswere at 10 and 2 o’clock relativeto the stage, and they were ableto move anywhere around thestage. This allowed the band toget deeper into the crowd andinterface with fans both insideand outside the Red Zone. It alsohad the added benefit of offeringthe odd goober the experience ofgetting tossed out of the show forhitching a ride on the bridge asit flew over the crowd. It takes allkinds.PRG brought a major effort to thisshow, with 196 Bad Boy units,8 Big Lights, 156 Atomic Strobe3ks with color changers, 6 Nova-Flower 2Ks, 12 Lycian truss spotsand Strong Gladiators as well as afew other knick knacks.The bulk of the heavy lifting inthe lighting system was done bythe Bad Boys. Most of them werehung in the legs and roof of thestructure. The lights in the legsprovided key light and back lightdepending upon where the bandmembers were as they movedabout the stage. Backlight wasalso provided from the lights inthe pylon that pointed down outof the center of the roof. BadBoys and high-powered Nova-Flower units positioned on 7platforms placed around the upperlevels of the stadium, along withGladiators that the tour carried ashouse spots, provided additionallighting for the stage. In additionto lighting the stage, the Bad Boysand Nova-Flowers were also usedto light the skin of the roof.However, controlling all of thisgear around the house posed aninteresting challenge. Dependingupon the venue the show might beplaying in, the amount of DMXand ICOM cable needed to makethe satellite lighting positionshappen could be unspeakable.The only logical solution was todo it all wirelessly. PRG’s TimMurch discussed that with mPm,“We actually found the limit tothe distance you can go withwireless DMX. It was one of thoseinteresting little challenges we hadin Barcelona. The first systemwe had didn’t work so we had tochange it out then we had to havesome RF techs come and sort itout.”When it all boiled down togravy, the result was a collectionof follow spots, Bad Boys andNova-Flowers on 7 platforms at5 different locations that needednothing more than local power,which was dropped by the house.There is one interesting note aboutthe PRG Bad Boy. Show Designer/ Director Willie Williams usedthe process of a blind shootout todecide what his main source ofstage light would be. The eventtook place in Wembley Stadiumwhere they shot from the end ofthe floor up across the seats andonto the scoreboard. In addition tothe Bad Boy, the audition includedthe VL3500 and the MAC 3000as well as a few others. Murchexplained what happened next,“When we fired them all up, I wasstanding next to Willie and heturned to me and said, ‘I’ll bet youreally want yours to be the one onthe left don’t you.’ He was right. Itturned out to be the case”Not only did the Bad Boy blowthe completion out of the water in28 mobile production monthly

the shootout, but also it stood upto the strain of touring with equalsuccess. Murch told us that thebreakdown rate was less than onepercent.In addition to the Bad Boys andstrobes in the structure, each leghad a truss section that contained3 Lycian truss spots. When theoperators strapped in for the show,the truss flew up in a diagonalattitude and tucked neatly into theleg of the roof never to be noticedagain. It was a very sleek designfeature.Mirch was specific about bringingtwo matters of concern to thestory; his ardent respect for bothWillie Williams and LightingDirector Ethan Weber. “Willie’svision, that I was introduced to in2008, and what we all achievedin Barcelona was truly amazing.Willie really drove it beautifully.I had never worked with EthanWeber, but I can now say that heis one of the best moving lightprogrammer/operators I have everseen on a show. He really hit itright from the very beginning, andit only got better from there.”One cannot talk about U2 withoutto mentioning FOH AudioDirector Joe O’Herlihy. He joinedthe band on September 25, 1978.When mPm discussed this tourwith him he was typically low key.“When you have a show this bigand you’re playing in nothing butstadiums, you’re going to haveyour challenges. Every room hasits sweet spot. In all but a few caseswe were able to hit it if I may beso rude as to say so.”O’Herlihy went on to explain thatthe amount of headroom builtinto the system was a big benefit tosome of the more difficult to mixrooms such as Atlanta’s GeorgiaDome. “Preventing the room fromreacting badly is half the battlein difficult situations,” he told us.“But you have to run your showas it is, after all, it’s a rock ‘n’ rollshow, and you have to have theenergy that goes along with theconcept. You will find that with thesystem we’ve created with the 360°touring event is that we have asubstantial amount of headroom,which is a saving grace in allof this. We also have a systemthat is distributed magnificentlyregarding the area that we are ableto specifically direct sound into.That means that we don’t everhave to have the system runningat it capacity in any way, shapeor form to deliver the quality ofaudio first and foremost to getup into the nether reaches of thestadium.”Because the show was designedto play to all sides and the stagestructure had 4 distinct sides,the system was hung facing 4equally distinct directions by alloutward appearances. However,at a closer look, the rigging waspositioned to spread the systemout to offer outstanding coveragethroughout the room. However,the show didn’t play in the roundin the classic sense. As was saidearlier, the stage played end-on.That meant that the SPL (SoundPressure Level) had to be greateron the line arrays making the longthrow. O’Herlihy said the parallelline array configuration was partof what made that possible.When asked if there we anystadiums that beat him in his questfor the highest possible qualitysound, O’Herlihy was graciouslynon-specific saying that there werea few places that gave him moretrouble than others. However, hedid add that the design of newerstadiums don’t seem to take intoaccount that in addition to the8 or 10 football games there areactually going to be concertsplayed in the venues as well. Theresult is a copper box loaded upwith thousands of square feet ofreflective surface that kills a goodmix.The one visual aspect of this showthat most assuredly had peoplewalking away talking was thevideo presentation. It is also themost difficult to describe. Indeedwhen asked to describe it beforethe show Jake Berry simply said,“It’s too hard to explain, you’ll seeit.” Because of the 360º nature oft tour to ever go outmobile production monthly 29

the show the screen was a verticalcylinder that tapered in from topto bottom like a funnel. It wasmade up of several plates thatvaried in size (larger at the top).Each pixel of the overall displaywas individually loaded into itsrespective plate and then had to bemapped into the overall look. Thescreen contained roughly 450,000pixels. The show started with thescreen at a high trim above thestage. At one point during theshow it flew into a lower elevation.From there the top of the unitexpanded up to an elevation thatwas several feet higher than whereit started at its first position. Inthe process of this expansionthe individual plates separatedcreating an entirely different kindof display. This meant that inthe mapping process the verticalexpansion had to be accountedfor as well as a light twist thatoccurred as well. It also revealedthe bracing of the display whichnow became an active part of thedisplay.Once fully deployed, the thingfully encompassed about 90percent of the area betweenthe roof and the deck. Thedeployment of the unit wasvery slow, and like all large-scaleautomation moves, it had a softstart and stop. Of all of theengineering solutions put forthin this production, this one mayhave been the best. The challengewas to create this funnel shapedcylinder and make it expandvertically and still maintain itsshape.The answer was in the structure ithung from as well as the frame ofthe unit itself. The frame consistedof a series of X braces that couldscissor out in order to allow thecylinder to deploy. The unit,which was divided into 4 tears,hung off of a circular frame. Thetears were supported off of sparsthat extended into the center ofthe circle. Eight hoists with theexception of the “C” tear, whichwas lifted at 16 points, lifted eachtear. All of this was operated by amotion control system. Regardlessof where you watched the showfrom, this was an incrediblydramatic display.Monitor world on this tour is agood bit more complicated thanon most tours. The show has3 monitor engineers, AlastairMcMillan – Bono, Niall Slevin– Edge and Dave Skaff handledAdam Clayton, Larry MullenJr. and Programmer/Keyboardplayer Terry Lawless. On the lasttour, two people off of the samedesk ran monitors for Bono andEdge. This time out, the 2 wereput on separate consoles, whichgave the engineers more precisecontrol.Because there is so much gearneeded to fill the monitor needsof this show it all had to be basedunder the stage. That’s nothingnew as they were under the stageon Vertigo as well. But on thistour, they were under a walkwaythat served as the band’s entrancefrom upstage. This had them agood distance from the action.Contact between them and thebackline guys who were in directcontact with the band memberswas critical. This was achievedthrough an open mic.That wasn’t enough. By the timean issue got from Edge through hisguitar tech Dallas Schoo and on toNiall Slevin time is lost. Therefore,there was a separate video cutspecifically for the monitor guysso that they could see exactly whatwas going on onstage at all times.This was a tough to pull off giventhat the cut was pulling from thesame cameras that were going intoI-MAG, and what was importantto Video Director Tom Kruegermay not have been of paramountimportance to the guys under thestage.Once the stage is built, 48 trucksof production gear rolls in. Halfof the gear that has to be storedwas put back in the trucks, asthere was precious little storageroom to be had wherever theshow was. The task of gettingeverything where it all has to gofalls to the one and only RockoReedy. There’s no arguing thatthis is the largest tour to ever goout, but Reedy takes it all in stridewhile handing the praise to thosearound him. “Well what I’m mostfortunate with, and it’s easy to sayit but it’s the God’s honest truth,is that I’m surrounded by the bestpeople in the world.” Reedy toldus.“They brought George Reeves outand gave him the title of assistantstage manager which I don’t getbecause you’re either the stagemanager or you’re not. But he’sa spectacular stage manager, andhe’s much younger than me, so I’dbetter watch myself. Then there’sJake. The thing that Jake alwaysbrings to the table whether he’sdoing Dinosaurs, The Stones orU2 is an organizational skill thatis unmatched by anyone else. Sofollowing his lead makes it allpretty easy.”Big respect for Jake Berry andGeorge Reeves notwithstanding,Reedy had equal admirationfor the crew. He went on toexplain, “It didn’t take too longin Barcelona for everyone to geta feel for the big picture on thisthing. They understood early onthat with this much gear how andwhere it comes into the room iscritical, and they showed a greatsense of cooperation with oneanother understanding that thisisn’t a race.”Seeing it come in the doorand spending time with thoseinvolved and making it happenis the only way to g et a feel1 Jack Richard - Automation Tech, Raffaele Buono - Head of Automation, Timothy “TK” Woo - Automation Tech, Simon Twigg- Automation Tech 2 Front Row: Niall Slevin - Monitor Engineer, Dave Skaff - Monitor Engineer, Alastair McMillan - MonitorEngineer/Recording, Jennifer Smola - Audio Tech, Jo Ravitch - Audio Tech/Crew Chief, Vincent Perreux - Audio Tech, Tom ‘Duds’Ford - Audio Tech, Jason O’Dell - Audio Tech Back Row: Hannes Dander - Audio Tech, Pascal Harlaut - Audio Tech, Dave Coyle -Audio Tech, Chris Fulton - Audio Tech, Jason Brace - Audio Tech, Josh Flower – Frequencies, Lunch Box - Audio Tech, KelseyGingrich - Audio Tech, Blocker - Audio Tech 3 Russell ‘Bits’ Lyons - Lighting Tech – High Platforms, Ethan Weber - LightingDirector, Alison Triplett - Lighting Tech, Craig Hancock - Lighting System Crew Chief, Mick Stowe - Lighting Tech Dimmers/Distro, Jessica LaPoint – Lighting Tech, Jake Sullivan - Lighting Tech – Moving Lights, Stuart Lee - Lighting Tech: General/Mains, Alex Murphy - Lighting Associate, Andy Beller - Lighting Tech – Moving Lights, Chris Keene - Lighting Tech, GarethMorgan - Lighting Tech, Christopher Davis - Lighting Tech, Nick Barton - Lighting Crew Chief, Blaine Dracup - Lighting Tech/Moving Lights 4 Jake Berry - Tour Production Director 5 Dallas Schoo - Guitar Tech: The Edge 6 Rocko Reedy – StageManager 7 Terry Lawless - Programmer/Keyboards 8 CAT power crew - Cisco Reyes , Erich Nemier, Jon Boss - CAT CrewChief, Dennis Crespo, Todd Miklos, Jimmy Angerami 9 Todd Mauger - Head Rigger, Riggers - Scott Fremgen, Robert Slepicka,Dion Pearce 10 Philip Docherty - Guitar Tech: Bono 11 Joshua Kapellen - IT Specialist 12 Scott Nichols - Security Director13 Jessica Berry - Production Coord, Sarah O’Herlihy - Security Assistant, Helen Campbell - Production Coord 14 Front Row:Adam “AJ” Rankin - Asst Head Carpenter/Bono Stage Assistant, Jesse Thayer - Carpenter, Rick Beulink - MOJO Barrier, JohnnyMendez Gonzales - Carpenter MiddleRow: Carpenters - Kerry Rothenbach, Andrew Johnstone, Appy Thörig, Hajime ‘Haji’ Minatodani- Back Row: Flory Turner - Head Carpenter, Gino Cardelli - Carpenter 15 Front Row: Patrick VanSteelant LED Tech/Crew Chief, EoinMcLoughlin - Camera Operator, Jeroen “MyWay” Marain - Video Engineer, Tobias Kokemper - LED Tech, Richard Jewell - CameraOperator, Luke Levitt - Video Tech, Stefaan Vanbesien - Video Engineer, Ollie Clybouw - LED Tech Back Row: Jeroen Mahieu - LEDTech, Jan Bonny - LED Tech, Mark Cruikshank - Camera Operator, Frederik Goemaere - Video Techfor this production. This is anexceptional group of people,but there is no question that themost extraordinary among themis Jake Berry. He has a graceand ease about him that seemsto spread throughout the entirebuilding. When asked what thebiggest challenge of the tour is,he finally settled in on letting thecrew answer the question, “I’ll betif you asked the crew what thebiggest challenge is they’d say it’sstorage.”While walking the site with him,mPm asked what it was like inthe beginning. He admitted thatthere were some rough spots to berubbed out, and then he gesturedto the ballet of work going onaround us, smiled and said, “Lookat it, you don’t see much panicgoing on here now though doyou?” Nope. 730 mobile production monthly

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CLAIR featureU2 360°Redefines Live ProductionIt’s almost a given for U2 to push the creative envelope when it comes tolive production, and U2 360°, the band’s current tour in support of its latestalbum No Line on the Horizon, more than lives up to that reputation bytotally redefining the live production experience and outdoor stadium sound.U2 is playing stadiums everywhere thistime out, with a 360-degree audienceconfiguration, ambitious staging, acylindrical LED video screen, and a Clairsound system which marks what might bethe largest collection of speaker cabinetsin touring history. The 170-foot “spider”centerpiece structure, inspired by theTheme Building at LAX, incorporateslighting systems, manned cameras andspotlights, the massive video screen, andspeaker arrays.U2 360° also marks a 30-year relationshipbetween U2, Clair, and the band’saudio director and FOH engineer, JoeO’Herlihy, who has been involved withthe groundbreaking production fromconceptualization to implementation.“The ‘360’ concept was first envisioned bythe band at the end of the Vertigo tour inHonolulu’s Aloha Stadium in late 2006,but had really been a plan since the JoshuaTree days,” says O’Herlihy. “They presentedthe idea as a goal for the next tour, andI was charged with developing, planningand implementing an audio design whichwould not only set new industry standards,but would also maintain what U2 and theirfans have come to expect—sonic quality,high dynamic range, and crystal clearstadium sound.”O’Herilhy and show designer WillieWilliams, along with Mark Fisher andJeremy Lloyd from production architects/designers Stufish, worked collaborativelywith Clair’s R&D and engineeringresources beginning in early 2008 toestablish design criteria andstructural requirements.Notes O’Herlihy, “We knewthat the PA system, type, andapplication design had to bea line source array system,and the new Clair i-5 wasthe most timely and perfectsolution to accommodate theoff center stadium 360-degreeconfiguration.” Final versionswere approved almost a yearlater, and featured a system whichwas based around the Clair i-5line array and fully integrated intothe set design (See Sidebar).In early 2009, the team testedtheir theories and ideas by settingup the i-5/i-5B stadium systemat Toronto’s Rogers Center (SkyDome). Tests included verifyingsonic calculations and phasereferences, and establishing lowend time alignment. The goalwas to maintain full 360-degreecoverage, and cover the audienceright up to the edge of the stagewith an even, uniform distributionof high SPL, full dynamic range,and high quality sound.The massive sound system covers15 zones with a combination ofhangs: L/R hangs of 36 i-5 & 36i-5B each side at FOH; L/R 24i-5 & 24 i-5B, Rear; 16 i-5 & 16i-5B at House L; and 16 i-5 & 16 i-5B atHouse R. Main stage front fills include 24FF2 and 24 BT218 subs, while a “B” stagearea includes 72 S4 subs.For additional coverage and intelligibilityin hard-to-reach areas, the main systemis supplemented with four hangs of eightof Clair’s new 2-way delay cabinet, theiDL, which was developed specifically tomeet the unique requirements of the tour.According to Jo Ravitch, senior systemsengineer and Clair crew chief, the systemis powered by the largest number ofamplifiers ever put together by Clair fora tour, with more than 150 Lab.gruppenmodel PLM 10000Q and 14000Q,continued on 4634 mobile production monthly

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When there ismore at stake thana decimal point.When you need advice.Finance • Music IndustryAuditing • Business ManagementTaxes • Consulting •Business EvaluationsCummins Station209 10th Ave. South Suite #216Nashville, TN 37203tel 615.322.9900 fax 615.322.9379www.collinsworthbright.com

Spirit of America Tours continued from 8due to the use of a sub-contractor.By utilizing its own equipment andpersonnel throughout the tour,it essentially become part of thefamily, and the client base feels morecomfortable overall in this type ofenvironment.➤ Team members sign a nondisclosurewith the company. Thisway, any business or personalconversations that are discussed intheir vehicles remain private and arenot leaked out to the public.➤ Team members operate at all timesin the most professional and ethicalmanner. The client’s privacy is alwaysthe number one concern.Previous experience has helped toput our company at the top of manyhigh-end clients when it comes toselecting a ground transportationservice for their tours,” explainsDuval. “I have spent 28 years in theevent management industry andhave designed and implementedclient retention programs at manycompanies as well.”“My belief is that relationships arebuilt on trust, morals, values andintegrity,” he continues. “With thesebasic building blocks in place, therelationships with our clients continueto move towards an end result thatis complete loyalty between the twoparties. Once this is achieved, eachparty becomes indispensable to theother, and the bond between the twois not easily torn apart.”Duval concludes, “One of themain reasons that we are enteringthe music industry is that we saw aneed for consistent limousine servicethroughout the tours. I am awarethat there are a few companies outthere that are providing a full servicetype of booking for the managers,but the consistency factor is at riskby using sub-contractors during thetour. Our team will actually run theentire tour just as the coaches do nowfor the artist community. We providea 24-hour, on-call service while ontour for the artist, and we deliveran experience not just an everydayservice.” )Upstaging continued from 36the opprotunity to meet and discusslogistics in London. DiCarlo pointsto this as yet another componentof the team mentality exhibitedthroughout the U2 road productionand Upstaging’s home staff.“The difference between the last legand the upcoming leg,” she says, “isthat now we’ve done it, so obviouslyand know what to expect when itgoes out again this year.”The tour resumes in June of 2010. 5Jan Paulsen continued from 32Today when he’s not touring with the band, Janworks locally both rigging and in various aspectsof television production, and he still does physicaltherapy three times a week. When the days getlong, he remembers that he fell more than 40 feetonto concrete and survived. Through his ownperseverance and the support those around him,he climbed back.In May 2010 when U2 hits the road again, JanPaulsen’s ticket to the States will be stamped alongwith everyone else on the tour. When asked forthe last word on the story, his answer was quitesimple… “It’s a good story. It’s kind of a sunshinestory.” 7Writer’s note: In the four years I’ve been writing for thispublication, I have only had the opportunity to stumbleacross a story like this a few times. When I have, it hasreminded me that in among the thousands of paragraphs ofdetailed descriptions about the technical and logistical aspectof what it takes to bring a design to life, there is flesh andblood. I am deeply grateful to Jan Paulsen for sharing hisexperience, and I would like to urge our readers to impartany similar accounts you may have. We’d love to hear them,and so would you mates on the throughout the industry.44 mobile production monthly

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TONIGHT, YOUR BAND WILLMOVE 34,982 SCREAMING FANS.TOMORROW,WE’LL MOVE YOU.We’re Powersource Transportation, Inc., one of the nation’s leading power-onlytrucking companies. Wherever you’re going and whatever you have, we’ve gotthe power to move you, your trailers, and your tour to the next venue—whetherit’s in the next county or in the next state.1-800-438-8789www.powersourcetrans.com2023 N. Lafeyette Court • Griffith, IN 463190B002100100_Powersource_Roadbook_Dec

ADVERTISER’S Indexthe silentrehearsal studioPlay Anywhere, AnytimeAAA Communications.........................41Access Pass & Design..........................7Accurate Staging.............................2, 42Alan Poulin Photography......................44Apollo Jets.............................................5Arie Crown Theater................................6Beaver Guitars.....................................42Brown United.........................................1Chapman Freeborn.............................32Clair................................................FC, 35Collinsworth, Bright & Co. ...................42Corporate Flight Management.............42Crowne Plaza Orlando Universal........21D&S Classic Coach..............................10EFM.................................................20Entertainment Cargo...........................IFCEngine Power Source (EPS).................18Illusion Sound & Lighting.....................48JamHub............................................48Lillies of the Alley..................................48MacSpecialist...................................7Mega-Stage........................................20Midway Car Rental..............................44Mojo Barriers.......................................22Motor Coach Industries (MCI)............IBCMusic City Coach................................44Nitetrain..........................................48Otto Printing........................................22Potenza Enterprizes..............................4Powersource Transportation...............47Precise Corporate Staging....................9Prevost..........................................BCProfessional Wireless Systems............9RIC Corporation..................................17Roadhouse Coach.................................4Sentient Flight.....................................19Shockwave Cargo...............................11ShoMoves Transportation...................18Skyline Entertainer Coaches................9SOS Transportation.............................42Sound Image.......................................47Sound Moves................................FC, 39Soundcheck Nashville.........................45Star Gift Alliance..................................42Taylor Tours............................................8Truck 'N Roll.........................................43Tyler Truss Systems...............................9Upstaging......................................FC, 37XL Video...............................................2348 mobile production monthly

ErgonomicallyDesigned CockpitBUILT FOR DRIVERCOMFORT AND SAFETYThe Most Comfortable RideFactory IntegratedSlide-OutSLEEK DESIGNEnvironmentallyFriendly Rooftop DiffuserREPLACES TRADITIONAL EXHAUSTUnique StylingDISTINCTIVE DESIGNFEATURES AND IMAGETire PressureMonitoringSystemIMPROVESSAFETYLongest WheelbaseUNMATCHED RIDE COMFORTIndependent SuspensionIMPRESSIVE MANEUVERABILITYPrevost ElectronicStability ProgramRELIABLE VEHICLE CONTROLTHE INDUSTRY´S CHOICEThe world-class Prevost XLII Entertainer is the choicefor best overall perfomance.Prevost has the most stringent manufacturing tolerances andhas been committed to the Entertainer industry for more than 30 years.Nobody goes the extra mile like we do!FOR MORE INFORMATIONJuan Lepe, Sales Manager, Entertainer Market800-897-7386 or visit WWW.PREVOSTCAR.COM® Prevost and "The Ultimate Class" are registered trademarks of Prevost, a division of Volvo Group Canada Inc. All rights reserved.

volume 2 issue 12 2009 - Mobile Production Pro

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