Gearhouse's project manager Dave Tudor comments, "It was the first time we have worked on the show, so we wanted to bring a fresh look and approach, increase the production values, and let the client see just what can be achieved with imagination, appropriate use of equipment and a bit of lateral thinking".
One of the challenges was to create a performance environment that would work in daylight - the show started at 10am and ended after dark, catering for the sold out 18,000 audience as well as the cameras (the show was recorded for DVD for future release).
The line up featured 14 of South Africa's most popular bands including Loyiso, Jack Parow, The Parlotones, Primecircle, Freshly Ground, Danny K, Thembi Seete, Liquideep and HHP.
Gearhouse Structures installed the 18 x 12m TFL stage and roofing system, complete with PA wings constructed from Layher scaffolding.
Allen Evans from Gearhouse LEDVision's JHB branch came up with the inventive use of LED panelling onstage, giving the space a digital set and a dynamic, scenic architecture that would work as eye-candy during the day and evening. Evans called in Grant Orchard from their Cape Town branch to oversee and design certain elements of the video content and the running of the LED video system, Grant specified the use of the Barco encore to have the ability of creating multi camera layouts across all screens.
The stage faced west and was in bright sunlight for most of the day, so LED was the only option for an eye catching look in broad daylight. The result was spectacular, really livening up the space. More of the different LED elements were activated and added to the show as the day progressed, and with sunset at about 6.30pm the ambience and the feel of the venue completely transformed while the LED also took on a different role, becoming a prominent but not overpowering visual centrepiece.
They used LED Vision's Lighthouse R16 LED panels, with a central onstage screen measuring 8 x 5m made up of 40 panels, flanked by two horizontal strips top and bottom each of 24 panels, then three vertical columns either side, comprising five, seven and nine panels respectively, getting higher as they went offstage.
Content for the onstage screens was stored on a grandMA VPU media server and replayed via a grandMA full size console operated by Marcel Wijnberger from Gearhouse Media. He and Orchard originated bespoke video clips and effects for the show from Gearhouse Media's extensive content library.
A large L-Acoustics V-DOSC system was chosen for its high clarity and smoothness. The main left and right hangs were 14 V-DOSCs a side, complete with three dV-DOSC downs, and 16 SB28 subs a side on the ground in cardioid configuration, for plenty of low frequency atmospherics.
The FOH and monitor consoles were both Yamaha PM5Ds, with FOH mixed by Llewellyn Reinecke and monitors by Cyril Sewela.
Being primarily a daylight gig, it wasn't a lighting intensive show, but a careful amount of daylight fill was needed to lift faces and enhance all the performers for the cameras.
The rig was designed by Lucky Nkosi. Two straight trusses - front and back - were rigged from the roof, and onto these was hung 72 Chauvet LED PARs, 16 Robe ColorWash 2500E ATs, 12 Robe ColorSpot 2500E ATs, four 4-cell Molefeys and eight bars of ACLs. All these were run off an Avolites Pearl 2008 desk operated by Nkosi.
(Jim Evans)
