Kinesys was approached for this project by the tour's set constructors Brilliant Stages. The B Stage truck, a major element of the show, detaches itself from the main stage at the relevant point, and trundles 80 metres (260 feet) down a walkway out into the middle of the stadium with the band onboard. It then rises up in the middle of the arena, allowing the band to play a couple of numbers whilst surrounded by their audience. When this section of the show is completed, the truck returns to stage - with the band still onboard.
The B Stage - measuring 9.4 by 4.2 metres is driven along by a 30 Kw electric motor at approximately 4 mph - about walking speed. The hydraulic lift is driven by an 18 kW power pack which raises the stage approximately 2 metres.
"The brief was to keep the control for it simple- as is often the case," explains Kinesys' Andy Cave who designed the system, working closely with the truck's designer, Andy Edward's from Brilliant Stages.
"It was a pleasure to work on this project with Andy Edward's and the whole Brilliant Stages team," adds Cave. "The interaction between us all is great and means that all the different aspects of the design; mechanical, electrical and in this case hydraulic can all be accommodated at the earliest possible stage, allowing for a very smooth build when all the pieces arrive for real. We have also had great reports back from the people actually using the system on the tour which further supports our ethos of fitting the equipment to the job - and not the other way round."
(Jim Evans)
