It took Stageco's 16-strong team just three days to build the 180 tonne stage, designed by the company's in-house R&D department to deliver an 'up close and personal experience' for every member of the audience.
The distinctive 26m x 26m Stageco 'Super roof' was the main stage, with a B-stage connected by a catwalk, enabling Dave Grohl to run the length of the stadium during the performance.The mixing tower was placed at the end of the catwalk, with a central delay tower, and two further delay / spot lighting towers flanking the B-stage.
Antonio Cruz, technical supervisor for Stageco explained, "The initial design for the stage was to have the Super Roof positioned in the centre of the stadium, but we encountered waterproofing issues when we were on site, which meant the stage had to be repositioned further towards the western tier of seats.The open design of the stage meant we were able to rework the sight lines to ensure unaffected 360ยบ views for the audience. The 'in the round' design really got the 80,000 strong crowd going coupled with the B-stage and the atmosphere in the stadium was great."
Rodney Johnson, production manager on the Foo Fights tour commented, "One of the main reasons for using Stageco was their company history, experience and their flexible on-site crew. It's very comforting to know, when you are hanging large amounts of weight on an outdoor roof, that everything on the main structure will be safe and secure whatever the weather conditions. Stageco helped make a very big show painless."
(Jim Evans)
