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LS-Live’s New Space Roof Storms Wembley

Capital FM’s A-list pop concert, the Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium, was the first major outing for LS-Live’s new modular Space Roof stage system.

Keith Wood of promoter AEG and production manager Sarah Hollis of Production North hailed the installation a huge success, with Hollis stating it was the fastest build she had witnessed of a stage of such size at Wembley.

The 23m wide stage hosted performances by many of today’s top names in pop, opening with JLS, who were followed by the likes of Jennifer Lopez, The Wanted, Nicole Scherzinger, Ne-Yo, Katy B, Cee Lo Green, Enrique Iglesias and Example, who plugged his new number one hit ‘Changed The Way You Kissed Me’.

The stage included side wings to accommodate the biggest video screen that Wembley have ever seen (provided by XL Video), PA supports for speaker hangs (supplied by Adlib Audio) and incorporated specific loading points as requested.

LS-Live introduced the new Space Roof to the UK earlier this year, following their merger with Acorn Event Solutions. Acorn’s Andy Nutter, who is now LS-Live’s operations director, explained: “Wembley was the first big test for the new Space Roof and we are satisfied to say that everyone seemed happy with the results.

“Keith Wood from promoter AEG said he was very pleased with it and J-Lo’s production manager said it was the best Layher based system he had ever seen.”

To specification LS-Live created a specially developed, heavy-duty 10m diameter revolve in the centre of the stage for backline changeovers. The complete package from LS-Live also included a number of bespoke structure made from Layher products; VIP viewing platforms, a catwalk, B Stage and the FOH mix position, which had a bespoke curved roof to maximise crowd sightlines. The stage measured 55m to the outer points of the wings.

Production North first saw the Space Roof when it was test built in February this year, but the order wasn’t placed until a couple of weeks before the event.

Said Nutter: “Time was tight and with it being a new product and one of the highest profile venues in the UK, there was a lot of pressure on us to deliver, but I’m pleased to say that it went well and Production North have requested the Space Roof for other events this summer.”

Production manager Sarah Hollis commented: “Using the LS-Live stage made such a difference. We had limited build time this year because of Wembley's football commitments, but the stage was up and ready for production to load in, in just over two days. Andy Nutter runs a tight ship and his experienced crew made light work of the stage build.

Said Nutter: “We provided all our own crew, transport and forklifts for the installation of the stage. The nature of the design means that we could build the stage at low level without the need for cranes.

“In total it took 20 of our crew two days to build and the stage only required six trucks; competitor stages of this size tend to need double that so we passed on cost and carbon footprint savings to the client.”

The production team required a very specific stage design that maximised seat sales and branding opportunities. “The Space Roof is ideal for branding due to the vertical front sheet which is interchangeable within minutes and has a walkway behind it,” commented Ben Brooks, LS-Live general manager.

The stage’s modular design is based around the combination of a Prolyte Space Roof with a Layher Event Deck stage integrated with a host of custom designed elements that mean every part of the structure can be built to any size or shape. The roof can be extended by adding more aluminium beams and node points, whilst the Event Deck can be laid over further lengths, standards and transoms, to create a stage of up to 37m wide.

“We don’t use big heavy steel truss, so the structure is very quick to assemble and therefore more cost effective for the client,” said Nutter.

Said Hollis: “The other advantage that worked really well was LS-Live supplying the 10m diameter revolve for the backline changeovers. This was built and working on day one, so when the roof went up we could get straight on the stage and start work.

“The whole structure looked polished and generated great feedback from other suppliers.”

Despite the lightweight, flat-pack nature of the aluminium roof, the 23m stage still retained a load capacity of up to 50 tonne UDL. It came with unlimited wind speed and had a trim height of up to 14m.

19th August 2011

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