MDL BEAST

THE THREE-DAY EDM EXTRAVAGANZA BRINGS TOGETHER A COLLECTION OF THE WORLD’S BIGGEST DJS AND TOP SAUDI TALENT, ALL PERFORMING TO THE SPECTACULAR BACKDROP OF THE WORLD’S TALLEST STAGE.

MDL Beast saw 130,000 daily visitors convene on the outskirts of Riyadh from 19-21 December, for the biggest EDM festival the country had ever seen. With global superstars including Tiësto, Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Steve Aoki, Salvatore Ganacci, Sebastian Ingrosso and Afrojack all on the bill, the festival was split across five stages, including the world’s tallest, Big Beast.

LemonX on behalf of its client, Midwam, and the end client, Lutma, called upon technical event production specialist LarMac LIVE to deliver the high-end technical feat. With just 10 weeks lead time before the show was due to open, and with time of the essence, LarMac LIVE assembled a team of its most trusted suppliers.

The vast audio, lighting, video and rigging needs were met by PRG; LemonX engaged Phixion, which designed the main stage; High Scream handled creative lighting and stage design for stages two to five; Eyespop worked on video content; and BPM SFX secured the extensive SFX and laser requirements.

“The fact that we were trusted to bring in all of our favoured partners meant that everything was fast-tracked, and we could get straight down to the detail,” LarMac LIVE’s co-founder, Ian Greenway, began. “It was absolutely critical to making this happen and for us to deliver our clients’ incredible vision at such short notice. Multi-artist shows aren’t all about just finding the right equipment. It’s our job to sew together a strategy and management process that allows us to satisfy hundreds of artist contracts while delivering a specific festival production design.”

Greenway explained that hard work and positivity were vital to make the ambitious event happen in such a short timeframe. “It’s really important that you instil a positive culture,” he noted. “If everyone is moaning about a tight deadline then you’ve lost the game before you’ve even started to play it. We try to instil a happy thread. It’s amazing what you can achieve with that approach.”

As well as the impressive line-up of international acts on the main stage, the event featured dedicated art exhibitions and smaller performance spaces for up-and-coming local artists to showcase their talents.

“The client put a lot of effort into ensuring that there was a purpose to the event. This was part of the Saudi Vision 2030 and there was a real effort to incubate a genuine scene in the country,” Greenway explained. “This is the stuff that really makes the heart and soul of a festival. We can put on big shows anywhere in the world, but you need a proper justification and cultural heartbeat to give it a true purpose and a legacy.”

While A-list DJs were vital to get the event on a global stage, Greenway explained that there was also a strong desire to promote Saudi talent. “These guys are world class, but they have never been given the opportunity to play on the global stage before, and that’s something the LemonX team were trying to throw light on in the show,” he said.

“We made sure that this Saudi thread of culture featured throughout everything we did, from the scenic design of the main stage, through to the video content gestures. We worked closely with the local booking team to develop the right themes to ensure that the Saudi talent was represented correctly.”

‘PURE THEATRE’

When it came to the technical supply, simplification was key. “We needed to remove as much of the inter-supplier communication as possible,” Greenway commented. “The fact that PRG supplied the majority of equipment was crucial. It made time and resources more efficient. PRG did a fantastic job.”

Having worked with LarMac LIVE on various major EDM shows including Creamfields, PRG’s Director of Music Lighting, Yvonne Donnelly Smith described the working relationship between the companies as “very comfortable”.

PRG had to call upon the might of its entire global network including the UAE, UK, Belgium, Germany and France in order to fulfil the brief.

“It was the first time that all of the PRG depots had worked together on one project,” Donnelly Smith revealed. “We treated it in the same was as we do every job. We created a matrix of heads of department across every discipline and from each depot.” Paul McCauley lead the video team; Luke Jackson took the lead on lighting; and Tim Humpe headed up the audio department.

The 45,000-capacity Big Beast stage was designed by Phixion of Tomorrowland-fame. “You can see our collective thinking process there,” Greenway said of Management Team’s decision to bring in the Belgian company. “We wanted size, scale and to bring that experience from Tomorrowland. It was pure theatre.”

The centrepiece for the 40m-high stage was a 27m-high LED screen. “It was the tallest screen that PRG UK had ever installed,” Greenway noted.

“It was always going to be huge. The brief was to create something worthy of one of the top EDM shows in the world, so we knew that we had to pull out all the stops. It needed scale and power.” The unprecedented size of the stage and screen brought with it a “range of structural challenges”.

Greenway commented: “You would normally fly a screen on motors, but due to the size, we decided to use a crane to get it into position so as not to compromise the structural integrity of the panels.” Across the five stages, PRG supplied a total of 3,810 LED panels, including a mixture of Galaxia WinVision and ROE Visual CB5, MC7, MC12 and MC18.

The record-breaking main screen on the Big Beast stage was comprised of 750 Galaxia WinVision 9mm LED panels, while the left and right waterfall screens were made up of 372 ROE Visual MC18 panels and the DJ riser was adorned with 24 panels of ROE Visual CB5. PRG supplied a total of 22 cameras to capture live footage throughout the event, while content was run through 10 Resolume Arena Media Servers.

Similarly impressive was the lighting supply, which saw an eye-watering 2,291 fixtures used. Notable workhorses included: Claypaky Sharpys; Robe Spiiders; Martin by Harman MAC Viper Performances; SGM P10s; GLP JDC1s, G-T1s and X4s; Elation Professional Proteus’ and Smarty Hybrids; Vari-Lite VL3500s; and Ayrton Magicpanel Rs. Control was handled by 11 MA Lighting grandMA2s, with 23 NPUs. “We tried to use as many IP-rated fixtures as possible in order to avoid the need for additional weatherproofing,” Jackson noted.

PRG supplied a full L-Acoustics K Series PA system for the Big Beast stage, made up of 80 K1s, 24 K2s, 16 K1-SBs and 48 KS28s. Due to the stage’s huge capacity, two delay towers were put in place – the first using 108 K2s and 18 KS28s, and the second comprising 84 K2s and 18 KS28s. Monitors for the main stage came courtesy of six L-Acoustics KARAs, four SB18s and six X15 HiQs, while two DiGiCo SD10s were used for control. The PA rigs and monitor packages for stages two to five as well as the premium hospitality suites comprised a mixture of L-Acoustics, Meyer Sound and d&b audiotechnik systems.

The sheer scale of the project made it a massive challenge. “We brought over four aeroplanes full of equipment and around 200 freelancers,” Donnelly Smith stated. “It wasn’t just a case of finding the freelancers either; we also had to get flights for everyone and make sure they were home before Christmas.” The load-out was also a major consideration. “Could we get all the gear out on time, on planes and back to where it came from?” Donnelly Smith mused.

“Everything had to be sorted so it went back to the depot that it came from. It was just as big a challenge as the load-in, although it went really quickly thanks to the hard work of the team on the ground.”

The aspect of the job that Donnelly Smith was most impressed with was how the international PRG branches came together to work towards a common goal. “We planned it so the expertise of each different department was well utilised. Once we got the right team in place, we knew that we would be able to achieve it,” she commented. “The brief was to make MDL Beast the biggest and best, a truly iconic festival – and that definitely happened.”

‘FINGER ON THE PULSE’

High Scream took on the bulk of the creative, working on lighting design throughout the event and stage design for stages two to five. Another trusted partner of LarMac LIVE, Greenway described the importance of getting the creative production company involved in the project. “We’ve done a lot of work with High Scream,” he commented. “They were an important part of the jigsaw to help move forward the conversation with massive international artists. They have a finger on the pulse of the EDM scene and artists know they are in safe hands when High Scream is involved.”

High Scream’s Founder and Creative Director, Romain Pissenem, explained how the team working on the project was a massive factor in High Scream getting involved. “It was a very short lead time and a massive amount of work, but as soon as we found out about the team involved, we were confident that it would be a success,” he recalled.

Pissenem also pinpointed “the ambition and enthusiasm of the organisers” as important. “It was a big opportunity,” he commented. “We didn’t think twice before committing to joining the adventure.”

High Scream’s sister company, Eyespop, worked on video content for the event. “That was incredibly important to us,” Pissenem said. “It’s cool to do stage design, but you need to be able to programme the light and control the video elements too in order to make sure that everything ties in and works well together.”

Despite the short lead time and massive fixture counts, Pissenem was delighted with the quality of the supply. “PRG always has the best equipment available on the market,” he remarked. “We got everything we expected and more. It all went very smoothly.”

Pissenem praised Lighting Designer, Ian Tomlinson, who did “a fantastic job”. While there was certainly no shortage of dazzling big beam looks, Pissenem was keen to draw attention to the more subtle aspects of the light show.

“Big bright looks work very well on basic stages that don’t have a lot of decoration, but when you have a beautiful scenic stage like we had on this event, you have to make sure that it’s lit properly. Ian used a few clever technical tricks to really make the most of the stage, following the shapes and lines of the scenic elements.”

Freedom of creation is always important to the way High Scream works, and MDL Beast was no different. “The brief that we were given was very clear, but within that, we were given the trust to run wild,” Pissenem explained. “It’s important to work collaboratively and share ideas with the artists and the entire team.”

The creatives decided to utilise shipping containers in their stage design. “We wanted to work with containers because they create volume; they are easy geometric shapes that you can play around with a lot,” Pissenem explained.

“We were able to use them in so many ways – stack them, horizontally, vertically, they could be covered, or left open. When you change the way you work with containers, the look changes completely. They provided a good mix in terms of colour and texture.”

Looking back on the festival, Pissenem was proud of what he and his team achieved. “It was a big challenge but that was the reason why we wanted to do it,” he recalled. “To put on a show like this, you have to have a passion, a love for the job and a desire to meet big challenges.”

‘A SPINGBOARD FOR SAUDI EDM’

Any EDM festival worth its salt comes with a hefty dose of special effects, and MDL Beast certainly didn’t disappoint in that regard. LarMac LIVE called upon BPM SFX to meet the extensive special effects rider and laser provision, and the Lancashire-based company provided a selection of the very best in its arsenal, from pyro to lasers, and C02 to confetti.

“The artists that we look after simply would not play without the very best special effects,” commented Greenway on the decision to bring in BPM SFX. The main stage was packed with all elements, with 30 Inferno Flames firing from 10 positions on top of the IMAG screens, as well as 20 Hurricane Flames in the wing positions, two Chameleon Flames in the centre pit, 18 Wave Flames and 16 power-upgraded G-Flames firing from 30 stage positions, making up over 90 flame units on stage alone. Other hardware included 10 Sparkular Cyclones, 12 PSYCO2 Jets, 16 DMX-controlled Confetti Stadium Blasters and 14 Xtreme Stadium Shots, providing huge CO 2 stage systems, confetti and streamer shots.

The pyro elements were equally impressive, with six backstage display positions and 20 stage pyro boards providing a multitude of pyro effects. Lasers came in the form of 24 30W RGB Phaenon Projectors. The company also provided a further 16 30W RGB Phaenon Laser Projectors, CO 2 stage systems, Stadium Shots and DMX Confetti Stadium Blasters for the satellite stages two to five.

BPM SFX’s Adam Murray reflected on the vast scale of the job. “Meeting multiple massive DJ riders daily, and then doing them back to back for three days in a row was a huge undertaking,” he began. “A huge amount of preparation went into it, but part of the reason why we were brought in was due to our experience of working on such massive festivals. We can navigate the landscape of having 15 top-level DJs with riders to match and come up with a spec that works for all of them.”

Unsurprisingly, the biggest challenge was transporting the huge amounts of consumables from the UK to the job site in Saudi Arabia. “Freight was a huge challenge,” Greenway said. “It all came down to time. We were in the midst of the busy season so commercial freight space was extremely tight. Lisa Ryan and the whole EFM team’s involvement really was missioncritical in helping us navigate toward solutions.”

The task was made all the more difficult due to the dangerous nature of the cargo. “Flying dangerous goods from A to B is a complicated process – especially at short notice – so we had to come up with a creative solution,” Greenway recalled. In the end, the Royal Saudi Air Force stepped in to provide military aircraft and ensure that the goods got the required clearance to be flown over all the countries on the flight path.

“The support of the Saudi Air Force was much needed and very much appreciated,” Murray said. “It showed how important this event was to Saudi Arabia and the region as a whole.”

In terms of logistics, timescale and size of event, Murray revealed that this was the biggest project BPM SFX had ever worked on. “It was a big ask, but it was tremendously exciting to be involved,” he commented. “The scale was absolutely enormous. The brief was to create something massive and impressive across the whole of the stage, and we used an incredible amount of all kinds of effects to achieve that.”

Liam Haswell, Technical Director, was BPM SFX’s man on the ground in Saudi Arabia. He added more detail on the company’s workflow for the event. “We had 45 people out there,” he began. “We had to crew all the stages, so the crew was working 24 hours per day, split into four shifts. We had to work overnight and early mornings to get everything ready and reloaded for the incoming show crews.” With around 10,000 pyro units being used per day – all of which needed to be reloaded in a 12-hour turnaround time before the next day’s artists came on – it was a round-the-clock operation.

“You get changeover breaks on normalformat festivals, but we didn’t have that luxury because this was a produced stage, so there was no time to change anything around,” Haswell commented. “Once the shows started in the afternoon, that was it.”

Reflecting on the festival, Greenway struggled to find the words to do justice to quite how pleased he was with the end result. “We all walked away saying that was one of the best shows we have ever done,” he beamed.

“When you think about the timescale that it was produced in, it’s absolutely phenomenal. In terms of production levels, MDL Beast is easily in the top three EDM events in the world. The collaborative attitude of our team of internationals alongside local Saudi partners like Sela, shows what incredible things can be achieved. That’s what’s exciting to be a part of. I genuinely believe we can deliver anything, but we really excel with clients that dream bravely, just like Midwam and LemonX did. With a supply chain that believes in our product, just as we do, this was proved possible.”

Greenway shared a desire to foster an authentic EDM scene in the country. “We hope that this will be a springboard for the Saudi EDM scene,” he said. “These things take more than one show. There needs to be a roadmap that goes beyond this year and the client is on the same page. Who knows what’s in store for the future, but after such an amazing first show, there’s an opportunity now to push forward and develop this into a must-do on the EDM annual calendar.

He continued: “There’s such a big audience of people who travel the world attending shows like this, and there’s nothing to stop this from becoming a regular fixture. We’re not in this for the short-term. We want to help nurture an industry that we can be a part of in the longterm future.”

Photos: Anthony Black

www.larmaclive.com

www.prg.com

www.high-scream.com

www.eyes-pop.com

www.phixion.be

www.bpm-sfx.com