The company supplied its Classic 4-Tower Roof system, offering a 25 x 20m performance area to bands such as Basement Jaxx, Kasabian and The Killers in the UK and The Police and The Smashing Pumpkins in the USA.
This tried and tested stage design was introduced by Stageco 17 years ago and is still highly popular with production teams for festivals and touring throughout Europe: it was used recently for Metallica tour 07, and the German festivals Rock am Ring and Rock im Park. The V Festival stages were installed over a three day build and took just two days to demount, creating a consistent focal point at all the shows.
The European Stageco teams under the management of Dirk de Decker installed the main stages at both legs of the UK V Festival, at Hylands Park, Chelmsford, and Weston Park, Staffordshire. They were faced with wet weather and poor ground conditions, with the event being among the last festivals at the end of one of England's wettest festival seasons on record.
Stageco's US team installing the main stage at the V Festival at Pimlico Racecourse, Baltimore faced a different range of unusual challenges. Promoters decided to install extra VIP areas both on the stage itself and on the enlarged front of house mix position, while the decision to host the event on a race track imposed its own limitations on the team.
"Schedules were tight as we weren't able to start until after 10am, after the thoroughbred horses had been exercised," said Stageco US director Mary Lou Figley. "Temperatures were also very hot - over 100° Fahrenheit (38° Celsius) - yet it was raining as well. It was all worthwhile as it was a good show we hope to be involved with it again next year."
(Jim Evans)
