Wicreations enhances Alejandro Sanz in Madrid
- Details
The production team wanted some spectacular visual moments to make what was already going to be an outstanding show even more memorable, so the show’s production manager Borja Gonzales contacted stage automation and engineering specialists WIcreations.
WI’s Geert Stockmans headed their team after the introduction, which initially came six months ahead of the gig via Frank Janssens, a Belgian lighting specialist living and working in Spain. Geert and Frank have worked together many times, including on Malu’s 2016 tour.
Containing a diverse collection of ballads strongly influenced by flamenco, pop, and tropical rhythms, Más opened the door to international stardom for Alejandro Sanz who is from Madrid, and it was a pivotal work in his incredibly successful career.
Fifty thousand ecstatic Sanz fans attended the concert, made all the more special, historic – and emotional - for the fact that - as soon as the get-out was completed, demolition began on a truly iconic building, home to the legendary Atlético Madrid football club between 1966 and this summer.
Sanz’ lighting and set designer Luis Pastor already had an ambitious plan! It involved the tracking of LED screen columns around a curved upstage truss to reveal matrixes of moving lights rigged on a structure behind.
Geert had an initial meeting at WI’s HQ in Heist-op-den-Berg with Borja and Frank where they presented Luis’ lighting plot and visualisations.
An ever expanding brief was then extended again, this time to include the automation of two piano risers for one of the show’s frequent WOW moments.
So, ultimately, WI supplied a total of 52m of curved tracking system, including the truss to which it was rigged, plus the 16 automated trolley carts to which the columns of LED / moving lights were attached, each fitted with a WI rotating element. Each LED / moving light column weighed 1100kg.
To move the 5 tonne central lighting pod, four 2.5 tonne WI motion controlled hoists were deployed. One of WI’s standard hydraulic stage lifts was also supplied, complete with a 2m diameter circular stage platform for the B-stage, and for the two automated piano risers, WI supplied two of their exclusive LCW (laser controlled wagons) plus control.
The trolley carts, rotators, motion hoists and stage lift were run via a Kinesys console, operated by Erik Gielen, while the laser wagons were controlled by Sam Melotte.
They and Geert were joined on site by two other WI crew, Bart van Steen and Jair van Renssen.
PRG Spain was the principal technical contractor for lighting, sound, video and rigging, so having a close and fluid working relationship with them – notably Xavier Theys and Pablo De La Flor – was essential.
The epic two and a half hour performance saw Sanz engage in a number of unique collaborations with guests of great national and international level including Laura Pausini, Juan Luis Guerra Juanes , Pablo Alboran , Niña Pastori, Malu, Bisbal … and many more.
(Jim Evans)
