P!NK: Beautiful Trauma World Tour

P!NK

which allows me to have individual sequences rather than working from one master session on a timeline,” he explained. “All of my songs start at bar one, so if there’s ever a situation where I need to rescue or jump around, it allows me to do that.”

If arrangements changed, Wolfe was on-hand to duplicate or adjust his sequence accordingly. “Although the setlist is set in stone, there are often certain shows, like festival shows, where we don’t do the full set – sometimes she’ll request a set from 2018 and I can access it easily.”

connector on one ear allowing the removal of the headset microphone. The meticulous design allows the headset to stay in place without the need for any additional fixings, whatever position P!nk finds herself in.

The ear also includes a split to allow P!nk to remove the second earpiece – a requirement specified by her – so that she can use the headmic / in-ear as a single-sided version. Lewis explained: “Quick changes are generally 90 seconds so the design of this works. The headset clips into the ear, so once it’s in it never moves, which is ideal when she’s upside down.”

The band’s Monitor Engineer, Horst Harmann utilised JH Audio Jerry Harvey Roxanne IEMs. “They’re the most universal IEM on the market right now, and they allow me to create the sound I want,” he commented, going on to explain the band mix as a general FOH sound, “boosting the instrument they’re individually playing.” A series of thumpers were also placed underneath the bass player to cut down on the low-end information.

The drumkit was miked with Sennheiser evolution e 901, e 902, e 904 and e 905 instrument microphones, while the Leslie speaker was picked up with three MK 4s. For backing and guest vocals, additional SKM 6000 handheld transmitters and evolution e 935 microphones were used, while the atmosphere is captured by MKH 8050 super-cardioids, MKH 8060 short gun and MKH 8070 long gun microphones.

Lewis shared a DiGiCo SD7 on an Optocore loop with FOH, sharing input modules on the same system as FOH. “Not a lot of people like doing it because you don’t have individual control,” he admitted. “It’s a matter of trust and working together, with us being on the same network, we can fire it down to me using the comms network.”

Harmann mixed on a Yamaha RIVAGE PM10. “I’ve used Yamaha consoles extensively so I understand the technology and workflow of this desk,” he said. “Everything I mix is on the fly – I’m 62 years old now, so this is a good console for an old engineer as everything is a little bigger.”

Wedges comprised a mixture of L-Acoustics X15s and Clair Global CM22s. Lewis explained: “The voicing across the whole L-Acoustics range is very similar, so they sit very nicely with her hearing the PA and the wedges.” The Clair Global CM22s were hidden under the stage under grills for a clean front-line. Flown sidefills of L-Acoustics Karas, six each side, provided overall coverage for the on-stage performers as timing references.

TIMECODE AFTER TIMECODE S

Synchronising lighting, video and audio was Joe Wolfe. Having been a fixture of the touring family for many years, the importance of the role was not lost on the Audio Programmer. “I assemble the masters in a run for the show. As the show gets closer, we start to tie in timecode elements.”

Wolfe reflected on the scale of the undertaking. “This is probably the biggest tour I’ve been on,” he said. “There are so many moving and visual elements – acrobatics, flying, automation so timecode is essential to the delivery of the show.”

For control, Wolfe harnessed the timecode creation capabilities of Digital Performer 10 software. “It has this fantastic feature called ‘chunks’,

BUILD ME (ONE LAST STAGE) TAIT helped with creating elements to execute the onstage vision, providing a custom mainstage, band and ego risers. The staging specialist also built custom LED fascia, pyro integration and light shelves - in addition to performer lifts in the mainstage and thrust. Additional custom TAIT treadmills were built along the thrust as well as custom acro grid. Two automated prop lifts were utilised during in various portions of the show. TAIT Project Manager, Phil Mitchell commented: “Every show has a health and safety protocol, but specifically when it applies to performer flying. There is a very well documented engineering book as well as a rescue plan for any possible scenario.”

TAIT built brand new performer flying 3D winches in order to make the 3D flight from arena as impactful in a stadium environment. “There was a need to increase the speed significantly to keep the same effect and move P!nk around massive stadiums within one song.” To which end, the thrust for arenas was heart-shaped, while the stadium thrust was fashioned into a T shape. Mitchell summed up: “It was a pleasure to work on these the last two years. The production team are excellent and we at TAIT look forward to working together again soon.” eps provided additional infrastructure to the stadiums by delivering 300m of black barriers and 170m of cable ramps, most of them fitted with additional AMS ADA wheelchair ramps for a more secure environment. “Our width reducers made it easy to guide the up to 10 cable channels through the barrier lines, without dropping safety standards,” commented eps CEO Event Europe Sebastian Tobie.

To decorate the stage, Backline Fabrications built a round spinning couch, two bellhop luggage carts and pink luggage. Eight lamp posts featured on stage throughout the high-flying circus-like extravaganza, controlled via RC4 Wireless RC4Magic S3 2.4SX DMX4dim-500s units. Eagle AVL and StageWorks collaborated to create the posts. “Eagle AVL developed the streetlamp post LED effect with StageWorks, and made the RC4 Wireless recommendations,” explained Eagle AVL Lighting Department Director, Felix Torres.

The production also used RC4Magic S3 2.4SX DMXio-HG Data Transceivers with an external antenna to deliver a universe of data to the central acrobatic chandelier for P!nk’s aerial performance throughout the show. It was also used to control several hundred LEDs imbedded into the piece.

Led by Dirk De Decker Stageco provided a multiple structures and layered decking system for the stage – the standard for the indoor portion of 10 shows required just three truckloads of equipment.

Aside from a festival appearance at Rock Werchter, the remainder of the leg was focused on stadium dates where Stageco provided a 25m roof that was reinforced to cope with heavy rigging. On either side of the roof, a PA wing construction was engineered to deal with a giant pair of heart-shaped IMAG screens that were taller than the roof itself.

The support mechanism for a flying act feature was engineered into these two side constructions while, at the far end, Stageco’s delay towers were also reinforced for the same purpose. Fourteen Stageco trucks were deployed for each of the two stadium systems, with Rene Lunenberg, Paul Van Belle and Stefaan Angillis leading the teams.

FUNHOUSE “The unique element of this tour is the 3D fly gag, where she flys around like a spider camera at speeds of 13 metres-a-second!” Head Rigger, Gabriel Wood exclaimed.

A team of three riggers worked primarily on the 3D fly gag, while one handled the aerial apparatus, and two further riggers overlooked conventional rigging like hanging chain motors and trusses. “I always try to bring in the same people,” Wood said. “I feel like in our industry we gain a better overall product if you look at things in the long term rather from the viewpoint of one tour. To create a really strong team, you have to know each other really well and understand their skillsets and workflow.”

Five Points Production Services provided ChainMaster LIFTKET rigging motors. “The competitive advantage is that you can fit more motors in a trailer, which when you get up to about 110 points makes a difference,” he assured.

32

P!NK

The inclusion of BroadWeigh wireless load cell equipment is becoming “fairly commonplace” according to Wood. “What it gains you is experience throughout the world by easily providing onsite personnel with 100% confidence that we’re loading equal to what the roof can handle.”

BroadWeigh’s dynamic wireless load monitoring equipment allowed the riggers to look at peak holes and shock loads. “You can monitor that on a minute-by-minute basis as we’re programming so we know how much load we’re putting on the ceiling and how much force we’re putting on the shivs.”

Despite the scale of the stadium run, hanging anywhere from 140 to 170 motors in the ceiling, the tour’s largest configuration was during the arena legs. “We’re trying to make the volume of space she flies in as big as possible to create a true ‘wow’ factor.”

Wood stressed the significance of paying attention to the morale of the crew during the two-year schedule. “The show and load-in are as organised as we need them to be. However, when people are working everyday it’s important to check-in with how they’re doing, whether that means giving them a few minutes to be a person or relax.”

GLITTER IN THE AIR Keeping pace with the P!nk’s fashion sense over the past decade was Wardrobe Assistant, Laura Spratt. “It’s a very collaborative process,” she began. “I typically have an input when it comes to quick change-friendly costumes because there are a lot of super-quick changes, the quickest taking place in 25 seconds.” During any one show, P!nk donned six full costumes, each with two packs sewn in – one for the in-ears and another for headset mic. Spratt reflected: “At the beginning, the main challenge was trying to decide where the mic packs were going to go and if they were comfortable enough for the artists,” she explained. “The mics are always located at the back of each costume because that’s where she does a lot of acrobatics on stage.”

RAISE YOUR GLASS Catering for the crew during the European legs of the tour was Eat Your Heart Out. In between the lunchtime and dinner rush, TPi tracked down the man behind the meals, Head Chef, Dan Lefevre. “We feed nearly 200 people at lunch and 270 at dinner,” he began. “It’s a bit of a brutal schedule but nothing we aren’t up too.”

A team of 12 caterers, 10 locals and two runners ensured the touring troops and performers were well fed. It is here where Eat Your Heart Out’s ability to cater for a range of dietary requirements came to fruition. “We provide a real home from home style of catering,” noted the Head Chef. “Thankfully, it’s becoming gradually easier to facilitate and provide food for a range of intolerances and diets.”

WHAT ABOUT TRUCKS McGuinness deployed a fleet of 50 trucks to load-in and out of the stadiums. With limited space to manoeuvre, lead drivers were tuned in to the venues better placed than others to accommodate large numbers of trucks. Cian McGuinness commented: “Thankfully, working with Malcolm Weldon means professionalism is a given and between the production team and our lead drivers, the tour was managed brilliantly.”

BEAUTIFUL TRAUMA Scaling 26 European cities from 16 June to 11 August 2019, Beautiful Trauma World Tour averaged 45,950 fans per show on the continent. A showcase of not only athleticism but vocal dexterity, P!nk packed the liveliness of an entire tour into every single show, presenting a medley of artistry, acrobatics and ground-breaking tour tech – albeit delivering an incredible $126.8 million of revenue and 1,194,697 tickets across the European dates, according to Billboard and you can’t ask for much more than that. TPi Photos courtesy of silentHOUSE www.beautifultraumatour.com www.stageco.com www.solotech.com www.britanniarow.com www.clairglobal.com www.taittowers.com www.fivepointsproductionservices.com www.legacypowerservices.com www.pyrotekfx.com www.eps.net www.beatthestreet.net www.mcguinness.eu www.soundmoves.com www.theatrewireless.com

34