"We were already on site doing various projection jobs and we were the only company who had any quantity of R7-ER available," says Robin Wealleans of screen provider, The Picture Works. "Unfortunately we only had about half the required quantity of panels in the country and Jay-Z insisted on using R7-ER for the backdrop. It was obviously a key part of his performance so there was a stark choice for the Glastonbury organisers - to source more R7-ER panels or Jay-Z doesn't play."
The Picture Works pulled out all the stops to get additional R7-ER panels they already had on order to the Glastonbury site. The problem was that the panels were still in China.
"Just a week before the festival, the panels were still at Lighthouse's production facility in China," says Wealleans."They had been held up due to the typhoon which hit China in April and it was a major logistical challenge to get them air freighted over to Somerset in time at such short notice.
"We were supposed to be hanging the screen on the Thursday evening, but the panels didn't land in the UK until Friday morning. There was no chance to take them to our premises and test them, We managed to get them straight to site by 4pm on Friday and I was taking the protective plastic off the panels on stage.
"Everybody worked incredibly hard, there wasn't a moment to spare. My heart was in my mouth for several days. It was quite a miracle that we managed it. But the stress and work were well worth it, as the screen helped Jay-Z to deliver a headline performance that will be remembered for many years. "
(Jim Evans)
