They were keen to create "a unique live experience for their fans" and, for the first time, contracted Stageco to design, manufacture and install the Viva La Vida touring stage.
Development began at the end of 2008. Project director Hedwig de Meyer led in-depth consultation between Stageco's in-house design and CAD engineers and the band's management and production teams. An extensive creative process followed to finalise a design led staging solution, following the concept of a giant eyelid, which was practical and safe to tour.
The finished design required some components to be specifically manufactured in-house at Stageco's Belgian fabrication facility, with the system being fully tested by the end of July at Werchter, ready for its first show in Denmark. Three systems were produced, each with a crew chief and 15 trained Stageco staging professionals to ensure the 12 trucks of steel stages were installed and de-rigged safely.
Beneath the curved roof that formed the eyelid of the stage, the back wall of the stage was entirely taken up by a huge LED video screen, the stage roof configuration having been designed to protect the video and the décor from the rain. Rather than 'black box' walls as seen on many stages, a mixture of dark, transparent and red canvas were custom made for enhanced visual effect.
Standing at 20m high x 55m wide, the widest possible within a stadium, the outdoor set varied significantly from the design used for the indoor shows to increase the audience experience in the larger stadium environments. Due to the sheer size of the venues and the audiences, Stageco had to integrate LED video and increased PA equipment into the stage set. Additional delay towers were also supplied to hold PA across the venues.
(Jim Evans)
