Gearhouse SA supplies World Cup kick-off concert

The mix of African and international artists was executive-produced by Los Angeles-based, Control Room. Control Room’s technical director, Jim Baggott, and Gearhouse's project manager Bill Lawford oversaw all technical disciplines offered by the Gearhouse Group, including rigging, lighting, sound, LED screens, power, stage and set.

Gearhouse Audio supplied all audio equipment along with Britannia Row. These elements included  racks-and-stacks for the Main stage and B stage, with Britannia Row supplying  front-of-house and monitor consoles, all the RF equipment - mics and IEMs - plus a crew of six led by Derrick Zieba who worked with Gearhouse Audio's team led by Dave Tudor. The L-Acoustics V-Dosc/Kudo sound system was designed by Mr Tudor and system tech'd by Jako de Wit. Mr Tudor and Britro crew chief Mr Zieba started work on the show several months previously.

The Main stage audio console was a DigiDesign Venue supplied by Britro, and the B stage was run off a DigiDesign Profile supplied by Gearhouse and looked after by Johan Griesel. Another Britro Profile was used by engineer Vance Powell to mix the nine-piece house band. Also at FOH was a Yamaha PM5D from Gearhouse, dealing with all the MCs, playback artists and VT play-in tracks, and a Midas for Shakira’s FOH engineer Mike Keating.

The Main stage monitors were 26 L-Acoustic HiQs with eight D&B M2s and four M4s for the house band, who needed their own dedicated wedges due to the extremely tight change over times. Side fills were four L-Acoustics Kudos per side with sub bass courtesy of six SB 118s per side as requested by the Black Eyed Peas. The Main stage monitor console was a Yamaha PM1D. The B stage monitors were 20 Clair Bros 12ams mixed through another Yamaha PM5D console.

All FOH consoles were run through a Yamaha DME 24 matrix router which fed two Dolby Lakes to take care of all PA zoning. Main stage acts included Shakira, Black Eyed Peas, Alicia Keys and Juanez.

Gearhouse’s StageCo system provided the 25m wide stage and roof. This was built in 2.5 days by the Gearhouse Structures crew when the initial access time to the stadium was reduced due to the finals of the Super 14 Rugby competition. The stage featured a standard Layher decking system and large PA wing areas which were scrimmed as part of the production/set design by Ray Winkler from Stufish, plus two side IMAG LED screens offstage from the scrim area, each comprising 64 panels of Lighthouse R16 LED, supplied by LEDVision.

SDS, Gearhouse’s set company, fabricated the 154 contemporary African shields, and devised the steel wire framework that was used to position and attach them to the sides of the extended mezzanine structure. SDS also manufactured the scrims and had them printed. A custom printed Marley floor of 1000 sq-m was used to cover the performance area. Gearhouse In2Structures built the 2.5m high mezzanine level that ran around the stage and also supplied the rolling risers for the changeovers.

Over 200 moving lights, more than 300 conventional lights, 15 Atomic strobes, 30 Molefays and over 100 i-Pix LED fixtures - a mix of BB4s and Satellites were used for the concert. The lighting rig extending all over the stadium as well as the stage posed some unique challenges, resulting in amongst other things dimmers being set up in a 3^rd floor toilet cubicle.

The lighting fixture count included 36 RedWash 3•192s, 28 ColorSpot 2500E ATs, 16 ColorWash 2500E ATs, 24 Robin 300 Washes and six ColorWash 700E ATs all from Robe. Twenty-four of the RedWashes were hung on four 9m truss towers positioned in between the front sides of the stage. The fixtures were used for front lighting the audience, for the wide shots and for back lighting the B Stage. The other 12 were rigged on two side trusses over the stage and used for cross stage blasts of colour.

Gearhouse’s newly purchased Robin 300 Washes were placed around a mezzanine level walkway. This space was used for dancers and the Soweto Gospel Choir, who made several appearances throughout the show. The Robins provided back lighting for performers on stage, and were a main feature in the back of the onstage cameras shots.

The ColorSpot 2500E ATs were used as part of the audience lighting package. They were rigged on the two FOH follow spot towers and onto trussing installed into sections of the stadium roof. The 16 ColorSpot 2500E ATs were also rigged on the stadium roof trussing. The six ColorWash 700E ATs were on the stage floor, used for backlighting and beam-work upstage of the main performance area.

A total of 60 i-Pix BB4 wash lights were incorporated into the show. Thirty-two were hung on the over-stage trusses and used to help illuminate the set, the other 28 units were placed along the front of the stage and used for up lighting two large side stage scrims between the edge of the stage and the outside LED IMAG screens.

Fourteen of the Satellites were rigged in the trussing and used for toning the metalwork, along with some secondary set washing. The remaining 36 were positioned along the front of the stage pointing outwards towards the audience for the wide and medium-wide shots and sweeps.

Gearhouse’s new StageCo delay/followspot towers were in action and also making their debut in South Africa. Each tower can extend up to 20m and take four follow spots vertically stacked below each other to the front of the mast, with a PA delay array to the rear. In addition to the six Gladiator follow spots on these towers, there were four 1.2kW HMI truss troupers rigged on one of the over-stage trusses.

The lighting was designed by Patrick Woodroffe. Tim Routledge programmed the stage lighting using a grandMA full size console, while Gearhouse’s Hugh Turner looked after the audience lighting using another grandMA full size. In total, they were controlling 17 universes of DMX.

‘It was a special, high tech show and a great celebration for the World Cup being in South Africa,’ said Mr Baggott. ‘Dealing with Gearhouse for the complete technical production package made things very easy – they are all very experienced and excellent people, and we speak the same language.’

www.gearhouse.co.za