The project is managed by Jon Bray at Summit, who has liaised closely with the tour's head rigger Richard Wythes and production manager Henry Crallan to ensure that that things are running smoothly now the show's on the road.
10 trusses have been supplied by Summit to Red Piano, which are being used to suspend a variety of dramatically camp scenic pieces, drapes, two side IMAG screens and a 24.5m wide by 8m high upstage MiTrix video screen weighing seven tonnes.
To meet the tight gig scheduling, specific rigging, automation and lighting elements are being advance rigged on certain shows, so Wythes is working with a team of two riggers on the main system, plus four on the advance crew (two riggers, automation and a lighting tech).
The Kinesys system is being operated by Gareth Williams, using their Vector control platform. He has 18 ½ tonne motors and two 100Kg Liftkets in the system, all controlled by Kinesys Elevation 1+ drive units. A complete extra set of Elevation 1+'s is being supplied for the advance system.
10 of the half tonnes are used to suspend five letters spelling 'E-L-T-O-N' which all fly in at the top of the show, kicked off with a flourish with Elton belting out his classic Benny & The Jets. The letters then make individual appearances at other points in the show. They are steel framed and were fabricated by Tait Towers in the US, constructed from a mix of wood and perspex. All are heavily embedded with non-neon and pigmy bulb lightsources to glam them up to the requisite glitz factor.
A total of four motors are used to fly in the two-piece Love Hotel sign, consisting of a big heart and the word 'Hotel', which come in downstage right for Tiny Diner and Your Song.
The two 100Kg Liftkets are being used to lower in a near life sized mannequin of Elton in his campest clobber, complete with bouffant hair in the encore, just before "Your Song".
The tour - a derivation of the massively successful Las Vegas show - is currently scheduled to run until Christmas, with a live broadcast from the London O2 Arena at New Year. Lighting is being supplied by PRG from the UK and sound from Swiss-based Audio Rent.
(Jim Evans)
