STAGECO eNEWS SUMMER 2009
As this issue of Stageco News leaves our office we have begun one of our busiest summers ever. With over 400 trucks of Stageco steel currently deployed to service all nature of events, festivals and tours all over the world this month we have highlighted just a few of the key ones in this newsletter.

In previous issues we have covered Oasis, Kenny Chesney and Bruce Springsteen, who are again on the road with ‘standard Stageco Roof’ systems, so while acknowledging there are many significant shows not covered here, we hope these examples give you an interesting look into the heart of Stageco this summer.

We have just dispatched our most radical piece of entertainment engineering to date: the U2 360° Tour stage. Thanks to this gargantuan structure, I made an unscheduled television news appearance this May, as the “giant metal spider” looming over our neighbouring town of Werchter in Belgium stimulated some local attention. While every effort was made to keep details of the forthcoming U2 spectacular quiet, its sheer size attracted both the media and its fair share of tourists, so I was the elected spokesperson to give some brief interviews, without giving away much more than could be seen from hundreds of metres away.

UNSUNG HEROES
Being the one representative of Stageco on the local media reminded me how much is left out of the news reports. As you read these case studies, where project managers are mentioned, I would also like to pay particular tribute to the people who are hardly ever name-checked but who play invaluable roles in helping Stageco deliver the high levels of engineering and logistical accomplishments our clients have come to expect.

From the first design CAD drawings to maintenance, stock management, transport, logistics, accounts and our crews on-site, there is professionalism and dedication from many people working very hard at the moment. This summer is proving a great achievement for everyone.

We’ve once more stepped into the unknown with the U2 360° stage and, as the first of those U2 shows prepares to go live in Barcelona, its thanks to the efforts of a large number of people within Stageco, key suppliers and production partners. Next issue we’ll let you know how we got on!

Many Thanks

Stageco President

Following their successful indoor tour, AC DC recently kicked off the outdoor European leg of its sold-out Black Ice tour, in Europe’s largest football stadia. Once again it is Stageco ensuring there is solid ground under the band’s feet.

The company has supplied four stage systems which are leap-frogging through Europe. Three are Stageco’s 30m wide Super Roof, with an additional 10 trailers’-worth of steelwork per stage. The fourth set is travelling with a 25m wide 4-Tower Roof, reinforced with a fifth tower and extra video wings in order to suit the specific requirements of the stadia in Helsinki and Hockenheim. The logistics of moving each system requires 12 trucks and a crew of 20 to achieve the three day build schedule.

In front of the huge stage, a 54m long catwalk connects the band to a 7m x 7m platform attached to the front-of-house, accompanied by two spot and delay towers. A bespoke hydraulic lifting system has been installed to raise the artists up to the 3m high platform.

Mark Fisher at Stufish created the design, expanding on the theme of the spring indoor shows. Joining the traditional Angus Young cap on stage are a huge, life-size train, inspired by the song title ‘Rock ’n’ Roll Train’, and an obese, inflatable ‘Rosie’ who emerges astride the loco during the classic track of the same name.

Following the European summer dates Stageco stays with the band, shipping a Super Roof to North America to augment the Stageco US inventory, allowing the band to continue its world tour, which moves on to Australia and New Zealand in 2010.

Celebrating his 66th birthday this year, French rock and roll legend Johnny Hallyday decided to create something special for his ‘Tour 66’. He commissioned a bespoke stage from Stageco, requesting an ambitious design with a dramatic visual impact.

Inspired by Harley Davidson, the American Eagle and the Route 66 “shield”, Mark Fisher of Stufish designed a stage dominated by an enormous mythical bird, wings outstretched and spanning the entire width of the performance area. Beneath it were two pairs of giant ‘caryatids’, half human, half avian. In transit, these figures were protected by a structure which doubled as a video wall support during the show.

In addition, four giant robots were built into the stage design to move video screens dramatically back and forth during the show. Weighing 2500kg per piece, the robots were moved into position on specific tracks integrated into the stage design and lifted as a whole by pulleys. Each robot carries a moveable video screen of 1,100kg per piece.

Building robots into a stage created additional technical challenges as these large moving elements bring extra forces to bear on the structure. Stageco used its in-house design, engineering and fabrication expertise to create made-to-measure and flexible touring components for the set which could easily be installed, demounted and transported, in spite of its technical complexity.

In all, two systems will be leapfrogging through France, Belgium and Switzerland until mid-July. Each stage measures 22m high, 58m wide, 30m deep and weighs 232 ton. Each set requires 54 trucks per set for the entire production of which 14 are for Stageco, and is built in four days and dismantled within two days.

The UK “boy” band Take That has enjoyed great success since they reformed in 2006, building on their reputation for giving fans a spectacular live experience. The Circus Tour was the band’s first stadium outing, taking in seven cities in 20 sell-out shows.

Production Manager Chris Vaughan knew the band wanted to do something different, so he introduced theatrical designer Es Devlin to Stageco’s project manager Dirk De Decker.

Chris said, “We created the concept of the Circus Tour stage and production together: the main stage is the essential skeleton of the production. Stageco are masters at interpreting ideas and turning them into workable engineering and logistically practical solutions.”

The key elements of the stage are six 25m and two 12m conical towers, which represent the poles of a big top – except they are located on the outside of the tent on the stage that houses the support bands. Take That begin their performance on a B-stage and, after five numbers, are transported to the Stageco stage on a mechanical elephant.

At this point the ‘inner marquee’ is stripped and moved through 90 degrees by some precise automated rigging, so that the circular truss becomes the frame of the round giant video screen at centre stage. This move places additional stresses at unusual angles on the stage structure. Stageco’s Tom Frederickx made careful calculations to ensure the system had the load-bearing capacity for the move.

The stage set goes through numerous hydraulic moves during the performance and the structure was carefully conceived to carry extensive production elements.

Guus Meeuwis, the renowned Dutch-language singer-songwriter who has scored several number ones in Belgium and the Netherlands, played his first “away game” in the Abe Lenstra Stadion in Heerenveen, following a series of successful concerts in the Philips Stadium, Eindhoven, his home town.

Stageco Netherlands has worked for Guus Meeuwis since 2006. The company faced a logistical challenge at the Abe Lenstra Stadion, where only one entrance was large enough to allow a crane to enter the stadium.

Specialized in creative solutions and delivering high quality products and services within a customer-friendly budget, Stageco Netherlands reused the elements of previous bespoke systems to design and build the Guus Meeuwis stage, which looked impressive and positioned Guus as an international artist, while successfully working within the stadium’s tight loading facilities.

Built into the stage design was a show lift of 3.66m x 2.44m allowing Meeuwis and guest artist Marco Borsato to perform in the middle of the stadium.

The entire set was 70m wide requiring nine trailers of Stageco material. Building the stage took five days, while derig was completed in three days. In all, Meeuwis played two ‘away games’ in Heerenveen and three home matches in Eindhoven. All of them were sold out, to a total of 130.000 spectators.

Pinkpop is without a doubt the Netherlands’ longest running and most-respected festival. Over the years it has become a true legend among festivals, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

Stageco Belgium is celebrating, too, as it has been closely associated with the festival and its founder Jan Smeets for over two decades. In 2008 they used the event to launch their new Boogdak XL stage which provides a performance area of 540m², with clearance of 17m, and reinforced with a fifth tower to support the back wall video screen.

The other stages also offer the festival the chance to showcase a huge diversity of performers. The second stage or “3FM Stage” is a Stageco 25 x 10m roof, while the indoor “GM Next Stage” has a width of almost 17m and is 13m deep. In addition to the three festival stages, Stageco provides front of house positions, spot and delay towers, plus a variety of complementary structures such as PA structures and video support.

The entire construction takes up to a week with a crew of 30 people, while dismantling is carried out in just two days. Stageco uses 16 trucks of material: the equivalent of approximately 360 tons of steel.

Since it began as a one day event in 1970, Pinkpop’s stages have hosted more than 540 different artists, giving it its status as the longest uninterrupted three-day outdoor music festival in the world. It attracts over 60,000 visitors per day on to the Megaland in Landgraaf and Stageco is proud of the ongoing association with another of the World’s most famous music festivals.

Established for over two decades, the Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals are Germany’s best-loved open air rock festivals. Held over the same weekend, the two festivals are among the largest in the world attracting a combined attendance of over 160,000 people and more than 90 bands per year.

Both festivals are regarded as one event with each having an almost identical line up; artists perform one day at Nürburgring and another day at the Frankenstadion, Nuremberg, during the three day event.

Stageco Germany has had a working relationship with the event’s promoter, Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur, for more than 10 years and has consistently supplied it with spectacular stages which have both the “wow” factor and the ability to meet the demanding production requirements of the festival.

Stageco provided systems for three stages, the Mainstage, the “Alternastage” and the Clubtent. In addition, the company provided ancillary structures for the headline sponsor MTV, as well as safety facilities such as an emergency escape staircase.

Stageco used its classic four tower roof system for the Mainstage and its three tower roof for the Alternastage, with a 20 x 10m Layher floor for the Clubtent. Built in four days and dismantled in two, Stageco used 25 trucks and employed 16 of its own team members plus more than 20 local crew.

The festival demonstrates Stageco Germany’s logistical expertise and its ability to provide seamless service to one of Germany’s biggest events at one of the busiest times of the year.

In France, the Caribbean music phenomenon Kassav have been rocking clubs, festivals and major venues for the last three decades. To celebrate their 30th birthday the group decided to turn Paris’s Stade de France into a real “dancefloor zouk” for its ‘Nuit Creole’ celebration, which attracted an estimated audience of over 60,000 people.

Stageco's Boogdak roof provided a dramatic arched canopy for the spectacle, with a performance area 70 metres wide. The company used 14 trucks to transport the materials which were erected by a team of 35 people over four days using four forklift trucks and one crane. The de-rig was successfully carried out in one and a half days. The production now goes on a national tour of France.

“It was the first major show of the outdoor season for Stageco France,” says Stageco France’s managing director Thierry Nataf. “It was a wonderful project to start the summer.”

For one month this summer the centre of Arnhem, The Netherlands, becomes the heart of international fashion, as The Arnhem Mode Biennale attracts designers, fashion houses and celebrities from all over the world.

This year visitors will be able to cross the city centre in a series of elevated pavilions erected on a 5m high, 200m long walkway. More than 80 fashion labels, including Lanvin, Raf Simons, Hussein Chalayan, Jil Sander, Rick Owens, Martin Margiela and Viktor & Rolf, are taking part, presenting their interpretation of the subject “Shape”.

The walkway was designed by a trio of architects who approached Stageco Netherlands to help plan the structure and successfully complete its construction at height. The project had to comply with the city’s building regulations, taking into account the temporary nature of the construction. Applying specific formulas and parameters, Stageco used 100 tons of its own material, 150 tons of counter weight, and 160m of Mojo Barriers® as safety measures.

The construction space in Arnhem’s city centre was limited as the area needed to remain partially accessible to the public. As a result the walkway build was logistically challenging: communication and cooperation between Stageco and all other suppliers was key in order to be able to erect the structure within four days, including one day for Mojo Barriers©. Dismantling is scheduled to take no more than two days.

The entire Stageco office has received the compliments of the production team for their flexibility, their dedicated effort, their professionalism and the wonderful result.

The luxury resort Mardan Palace was unveiled at a spectacular opening party in Antalya, Turkey, this May. No expense was spared as guests including Sharon Stone, Richard Gere, Paris Hilton, Seal and Monica Bellucci joined the VIP gathering.

The feast included exquisite food, while both evenings reached a dramatic finale with laser light shows and incredible fireworks which lit up the hotel.

Stageco Belgium designed and installed a 2,000m² platform for the exclusive audience of 600 international dignitaries and celebrities who dined on top of the Mediterranean's largest swimming pool while enjoying performances from Mariah Carey and Tom Jones. The Stageco structure was built partially in the water and utilized some ingenious cantilever engineering to give the appearance of a floating platform.

Working on the one-off event in this unique location presented Stageco with several challenges. Access to the site was awkward so, as well as the staging platform, Stageco constructed ramps and loading platforms to facilitate access for 35 trucks. Great care was taken to avoid damaging the delicate marble and bluestone foundations and the prestigious ornamental mosaics.

One of Stageco’s key challenges was to accommodate the client’s need to change and postpone decisions in the run up to the event, but the company shared its vast experience and logistical skills with the organizers to find solutions.

Stageco Belgium played a prominent role during the preparation phase, the design and the final implementation. The customer was very satisfied with the final result and Stageco has received compliments for its expertise as well as its capacity and the flexibility of both crew and material.

The German people and government celebrated the 60th anniversary of the founding of postwar German democracy this May with an enormous street festival, attended by 750,000 people in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

Production company Mediapool GMBh, working with organisers Bundespresse Amt, called on Stageco Germany to create a stage with a festive feel with the production capacity to host a busy line-up of popular German acts including Udo Jürgens, PURE, 17 Hippies, Otto & The Friesenjungs and The BossHoss.

Stageco provided three Micro Arches with transparent roofs, one of which served as roofing for the grandstand. Two video portals and two delay towers enabled optimal vision and sound. To connect the two Micro Arch stages, Stageco Germany reused their custom built “Meilenstein” bridge, some ingenious engineering derived from Stageco’s classic Tower System.

A Stageco crew of 52 people erected all constructions within two days, while the biggest challenge was the confined workspace in front of the Brandenburg Gate. Sixteen trailers of Stageco material had to be brought in, while eight forklifts, two 60 tonne cranes and other machinery were used to install the structures. The cooperation between Stageco’s crew and the many other contractors on the site was seamless thanks to the company’s experienced project management and continuous communication with different parties.

This is the first of several major German celebrations this year, including the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which takes place in autumn.

The Red Bull X-Fighters are probably the most prestigious and most challenging freestyle motocross (FMX) competitions in the world. Contested in bullrings, rodeo venues and other iconic settings on both sides of the Atlantic, this is where the best FMX riders come face to face.

Stageco US was contracted by C3 Presents to provide multiple structures at both the North American events, at Calgary’s Historic Stampede Park, Canada and Fort Worth’s Stockyard, Texas, USA. For the Fort Worth event they provided numerous structures including small scaffolding platforms, 25m tall lighting towers and large portals supporting 18m by 12m banners and signs.

Stageco sent 11 trucks of material and a crew of seven supervisors led by Eddie Shugart. They had five days to build the structures, ready for production teams to install their elements. Work on site at the Fort Worth Stockyard started on June 18th, was completed on June 22nd and dismantled on June 30th.

Though the structures themselves were relatively standard for Stageco, the challenge of this event was the site itself. Fort Worth’s Stockyard lies at the heart of Texas’s historic cattle industry and is surrounded by pens, fencing and iconic landmarks demanding great care from the Stageco team. They built some towers inside the cattle pens themselves, while working seamlessly with the large number of other contractors working alongside them, including bleacher (or grandstand) contractors and ground teams shaping the motocross course.

The Red Bull X-Fighters was an opportunity for Stageco US to build on its relationship with C3 Presents, for whom Stageco has completed three projects this year.