EMINEM

FRESH FROM HIS TOUR OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND, THE AMERICAN RAPPER HEADS TO ABU DHABI’S DU ARENA TO DELIVER A HIP-HOP MASTERCLASS.

More than 20 years since he found mainstream success with the development of his iconic Slim Shady alter ego, Marshall Mathers – better known as Eminem – is now widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time. A winner of no fewer than 15 GRAMMY Awards with more than 230 million records sold globally, it was no surprise that when the star brought his inimitable brand of hip hop to Abu Dhabi’s du Arena, there wasn’t a spare seat in the house.

Produced by Flash Entertainment and presented by du Live, the concert was a rare chance for Eminem’s Middle East fans to catch their idol in the region, with the rapper’s last UAE performance coming in 2012 at the Yasalam After-Race Concerts at that year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. And the 30,000-capacity crowd was not disappointed, as the rapper delivered a stellar performance, combining classic tracks from the 1990s and 2000s including Like Toy Soldiers, The Real Slim Shady and Lose Yourself, with modern hits such as The Greatest, Lucky You, and Nice Guy. Fans were also treated to a guest appearance from American singer-songwriter Skylar Gray, who joined Eminem on stage to perform memorable renditions of Walk on Water and Love the Way You Lie.

Flash Entertainment has been shaping the future of live events in not only the UAE but also the Middle East and has grown over the past decade into a name that is synonymous with the UAE’s entertainment industry, having won more than 60 industry awards for events including national celebrations, concerts, global sporting events, community and cultural events. “Having the Academy Award-winning legend Eminem performing to a full house of spectators at du Arena further cements our legacy of providing unmissable moments to our fans,” John Lickrish, CEO of Flash Entertainment, commented on the event. “W e continue to drive industry standards across the region to meet global benchmarks of bringing international artists to the UAE.”

Haidar Shukry, Vice President of Operations at Flash Entertainment, added: “The UAE has gone through some remarkable changes over the decade. Over the years, the UAE has moved from being an unknown on the touring circuit to a key destination for pop stars and innovative acts.” He continued: “Since launching in 2008, we have staged more than 300 major concerts, across thousands of event days, including Beyoncé, Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, Prince and Rihanna to name just a few, and we are continually developing new ways to create an unmissable experience for our fans.”

Tasked with providing technical support for the event was PRG, who delivered a full audio, lighting, video, camera and rigging package. Continuing a longstanding relationship with Flash Entertainment that dates back over a decade, the company was the natural choice for Eminem. “We’ve been working with Flash Entertainment for more than a decade and we have a great relationship,” opened Senior Project Manager, Artur Kurowski. “Both Flash Entertainment and Eminem’s team were really happy, so that helps cultivate a healthy working environment.” Kurowski went on to explain how the name PRG brings a “level of comfort”, for large international productions such as Eminem’s. “Concert touring accounts for a huge portion of our work all over the world, so as soon as an international crew sees that we are involved, they know that quality equipment and a highly skilled team are assured.”

The PRG team knows the du Arena well, having worked on countless shows at the Abu Dhabi venue over the years and, as Kurowski explained, thanks to the team’s familiarity with the venue as well as the extensive amount of pre-production that was done, delivery of the show was incredibly smooth. “There was plenty of lead time and everything worked like a well-oiled machine,” he recalled. “We delivered a seamless install on schedule; no changes were needed when we arrived on site, so we could get straight to programming and rehearsal.”

SING FOR THE MOMENT

When it came to audio, PRGdeltasound used its familiarity with the venue to make the install simple and extremely effective. “We are very familiar with the configuration of the audio setups at the venue,” commented Audio Engineer, Ethan Curry. “This helped solidify the confidence from the crew and our team.” For the main PA, Curry went with a “classic mix” of L-Acoustics K1s, K2s, K1-SBs and SB28s. He noted: “56 SB28s on the ground and 16 K1-SBs in the air gave the system the low-end response, headroom and pattern control required for the genre.”

Audio was controlled by a DiGiCo SD7 with two Meyer Sound Galileo Galaxy processors at FOH running AES and analogue back-up, while monitor world was equipped with a DiGiCo SD5. Project Manager Kurowski was similarly pleased with the audio setup. “The L-Acoustics system we used was essential for this kind of artist,” he commented. “There are lots of great systems about but, in my opinion, L-Acoustics is the best among them. I’ve never heard a system that sounds better.”

The PM also noted that, due to du Arena’s location away from any residential buildings, they were able to really crank up the sound without falling foul of any regulations. “Some venues in the region are surrounded by residential buildings, so the flexibility with sound levels isn’t always there,” he commented. “Obviously, we always make certain that our audio is at safe levels, but at du Arena, with a total of 56 subs, the power really blew the crowd away. Every one of the 30,000 people in the venue loved it.”

The Eminem show was something of a landmark for PRG Middle East, as it represented the first large Flash Entertainment concert that the company has worked on since PRG acquired Delta Sound in April 2019. “We have always worked side-by-side as friends, but now we are one team, that relationship is even closer,” added Kurowski.

Head of Lighting, Marcell Wahl detailed the lighting package. “There were two main components,” he began. “First off, we had the overhead flown package, which consisted of six lighting trusses and two IMAG lighting trusses. We also had the floor package, which was well designed and simple to install.” The extensive lighting rig comprised 80 Claypaky Mythos’, 22 Robe BMFL Blades, 23 Robe BMFL Wash Beams, 24 Robe Spikies, 24 GLP impression X4 Bar 20s, 62 GLP JDC1s, 18 4cel blinders, as well as a range of Core Lighting StripPoint LED Battens. Followspots came in the form of four Robert Juliat Lancelots.

While he was impressed by the rig as a whole, Wahl paid particular tribute to the GLP JDC1s, which he described as “unbelievable”. He commented: “They were definitely the LD’s favourite – they had a massive impact on the show.” PM Kurowski added: “Everything was timecoded, prepared to perfection and every single beat was accented with punchy lighting.”

LOSE YOURSELF

The video team, led by Carlos Aguilar, installed 18m by 9m and 9m by 9m IMAGs, as well as onstage columns using ROE Visual CB5. Aguilar commented: “We installed everything in record time, giving more than enough time for the touring crew to settle into their rehearsals.” According to Aguilar, the combination of Barco E2 screen management, Brompton LED processing and disguise vx 4 servers meant that video workflow was “flawless”.

Kurowski noted that the setup speed and efficiency was increased yet further by the touring frames that were used, which meant that the ROE Visual screens could be “clicked in”, making setup “incredibly fast”. He commented: “They are transported on dollies; we joined the dollies together then picked up full rows of screens on the truss. It cut the install time in half. You can’t always use this system because you need to have a level surface where you can join the dollies, but the in du Arena there’s absolutely no problem with that.” Dennis Karsten was PRG’s man on the ground when it came to rigging. Working with Dubai-based staging company AES, Karsten’s team installed some 290m of trussing and 86 motor points in just 24 hours. “The rigging design came from the client, and all planning of the points and weight loads in the roof were planned by us to accommodate the client’s needs to make sure everything was in place and safe,” he said. “We didn’t experience any major challenges on site, and our great crew made for a smooth operation all round.”

Kurowski was delighted at the overall result. “It was a really good job to work on,” he summed up. “Our team worked extremely well together; we loved working with the touring crew, and they were very pleased with everything we provided. The show was unbelievable – 30,000 singing every word to every song!”

Photos: Flash Entertainment & TPMEA

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www.flashentertainment.com