For XL, it was the continuation of a long and fruitful relationship with Robbie Williams and his production team which stretches back over a decade. Video has always been an integral part of Robbie's live shows and his tours have blazed a trail for innovative, design-led applications of new video technology.
This was once again the case, making maximum impact at the O2 shows. The third show was broadcast live on Sky 1, and in other territories worldwide, and can now be seen on Sky's On-Demand service.
XL's project manager, Phil Mercer, worked closely with Robbie's long-term production manager Wob Roberts. The set and stage architecture was designed by production designer, Mark Fisher with creative director Willie Williams and overseen by executive producer, Lee Lodge.
More than 2000 of XL's new Pixled FX-200 LED spheres were utilised. This versatile product was made up into a series of oval shapes measuring between 2.5 to 4ft in diameter, then rigged onto a set of hand-rails built by Tait Technologies. The structure flew in from the celling to meet a scenic bridge across the stage creating a colourful element of the ever-changing set.
A large playback projection system featured six of XL's new Barco HDQ-2K40 40K projectors. These offer an impressive 40,000 Lumens output with a 2K resolution. These shows were their first outing for XL.
Four of these were positioned in each corner of the arena on special platforms; the fifth was rigged on an 18ft high platform at what would normally be the 'stage' end of the O2; and the sixth was at the opposite end, up above the sky-boxes in the 'gods' of the venue.
These projected onto four reflective gauze surfaces, all of which moved in and out on an automation system.
Playback material was produced by Sam Pattinson and Luke Halls from Treatment Studio to Willie Williams' creative brief.
XL's crew chief Stuart Heaney worked with seven other crew and co-ordinated everything on site, getting in on the Tuesday for a Thursday first show day. He comments that the scale of the shows was the major technical challenge, but with good pre-planning, an experienced crew and an excellent production team to work alongside.... the whole exercise ran very harmoniously.
Phil Mercer, group head of concert touring for XL Video, said, "As is typical of our long-standing relationship with Robbie Williams and his production team, we are always looking to keep the show state-of-the-art by using new video technology. As is so often the case, to achieve this we push new tech straight into action, and thankfully all of the new equipment performed flawlessly."
(Jim Evans)
