Summit serviced the last Robbie Williams tour in 2003 with rigging and automation, and has also worked with the artist before then. The Summit team in Berlin was led by Jon Bray and five riggers from the UK plus nine local riggers.
The show involved a 50 tonne total load - the maximum allowed in the venue - comprising various elements of production lighting, sound and set. The hoist count was 180, and three trucks were needed just to transport the rigging to site.
The show's lighting was designed by Al Gurdon. Much of Summit's work involved various aspects of this department. In addition to an extensive rig over the main stage area, there was a large circular rig over the central 'B' stage in the auditorium.
All the show's hoists and lifting gear was supplied by Summit plus most of the trussing, with main lighting contractors PRG supplying the bulk of their lighting truss-work. Sound was supplied by Britannia Row.
One of the most exacting elements was the rigging of the show's 'backdrop', which comprised an elegant upstage arc made up of 15 curved large metal panels known as 'tusks'. An imposing 11 metres high and 3 metres wide, the tusks alone weighed over 10 tonnes. The tusks were fitted with nearly 5000 6 Watt RGB LED units, supplied directly from the manufacturers in Canada. These acted as a low res video screen.
"The aim is to get it right first time by thorough advanced planning" explains Jon Bray. "With a show on this scale you need to get it right first time. Production Manager Wob Roberts has built an extremely professional team around him that really helped it go smoothly."
(Jim Evans)
