U2 tour director offers glimpse into band, stage’s origins
5:44 AM, Jun. 26, 2011 |
— Anne Erickson
Attention, U2 fans: It’s almost time.
The massive stage design Bono dreamed up has overtaken Spartan Stadium, and tonight, the show will go on.
The numbers are astonishing: 16 miles of production cable; a video screen with more than 1 million pieces; about 130 touring crew members and 35 members of management; and 1,500 roadies hired in each city.
The steel structure – which Bono envisioned with a set of forks over dinner – is 90 feet tall with the center pylon reaching 150 feet. It can support up to 180 tons.
Planning for this level of event, MSU spokesman Kent Cassella said, is intense.
“As you can image, there is a lot of planning on our part for such a large show, especially getting people from all over campus involved to ensure a fantastic experience for our concertgoers,” he said. “We’ve got a great venue in Spartan Stadium, and it will be great to show it and the rest of the MSU campus off to our visitors here for the concert.”
Perhaps nobody understands the ins and outs of U2 better than tour director Craig Evans. After all, he’s led the band’s caravans for more than a decade.
Amidst setting up for a sold-out gig in Anaheim, Calif., Evans spoke with the LSJ about the mechanics of the 360° Tour and why the members of U2, above all, are family men.
• When the show was first visualized, what was the principal goal?
• We wanted U2 to be able to play anywhere. Wherever they played, we wanted them to connect and be in the middle of the crowd. When we went to Willie Williams for the design of the stage, we wanted the stage to be so big that it would feel bigger than the stadium and, in turn, create a sense of intimacy, where every seat in every stadium would have a terrific view. That’s what makes this a unique event – that sense of intimacy.
• How does U2 feel about coming to MSU?
• It’s really exciting. MSU is the fifth university community this tour has visited, and it’s different to bring a production this size to a smaller, university community. But it’s very important to the band because they feel a sense that people are fortunate to have this type of show to come into their city, and there’s a sense of value and thankfulness. The band is excited to be there and share the experience with different types of communities.
• What’s your role as the 360° Tour director?
•It’s all the directing side. We have put together an incredibly skilled group of touring professionals who take their positions to a new level of accomplishment. We have a production direction crew, head of sound, head of lights, head of wardrobe, designers, engineers. We have the business side of things, with financial accounting, transportation and management. The tour director deals with all these professionals, which is an easy job with these guys, because they’re good. I make sure all these things tie together.
• Explain the name of the tour.
• It’s U2 360° because instead of the stage being set to one end of stadium and playing to one side, the stage plays to all sides, all directions and people are sitting in a 360° configuration around the stage.
• Who came up with the stage’s nickname of “the Claw?”
• That’s a fan nickname because of the look of the stage. The fans came up with that and really stuck with it.
• Is it true Bono came up with the concept for the stage?
• He did! At first, it was, “Let’s play an entire stadium, not just part of a stadium.” And then, over dinner, Bono picked up four dinner forks, put them over a plate and said, “Could it be anything like this?” It’s funny, if you look at the stage today, you can picture those four forks.
• What are the guys of U2 like?
• They’re completely normal, but as these tours have evolved, I’m realizing they’re family men. Their families come on tour with us, and the band plans their movements so they can have family with them for extended periods. The band has gotten older, and they feel the need to maintain a good sense of family, and they’re sincere about it. They recognize the role of being a rock star, and they realize the voice they have. They take that with a sense of responsibility. This is not reckless rock ‘n’ roll. It’s inspiring to watch them.
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