Interview mit Jeremy Lloyd - Technical Design & Coordination von Rammstein

You are responsible for the technical design of the stage with Wonder Works. What exactly does that mean?
My role was technical design and coordination. I take the creative ideas and then work out how they can be delivered in reality, taking into account how it can be built, how it fits in all the venues and how it fits in trucks to be moved around the globe. I also have to consider how the crew can build it each day and that it can be done in the time available. I then look after the coordination between all suppliers and departments to make sure everything fits together when it turns up on site.

What was the biggest challenge during the realization of the stage and how did you solve it?
Taking such a gargantuan design and rationalizing it to make it “tourable”, without diluting the creative intent.

Was there a design wish from Florian Wieder that could not be implemented technically as intended?
Nothing specific, I think we managed to deliver all aspects of the design. There were creative conversations where we discussed various ideas, some of which we decided to abandon.

How many elements does the stage consist of, how much does the whole construct weigh and how many stagehands are involved in the construction?
The stage comprises thousands of elements, and weighs in excess of 300 tons, I’ve never added it all up to know the specific details! To build each show there are over 100 touring crew and almost 150 local crew members, so about 250 people per show.

Is it true that the stage was built in duplicate and that it is already being set up in the next city parallel to the show?
There are two steel support structures, we call this the ‘black steel’, this is what the scenic fascia panels, lights, sound, video and special effects are attached to. It is common for stadium shows to have two sets of ‘black steel’ that leapfrog between different cities. Due to the build schedule, this method enables the tour to do multiple shows each week, which makes the tour financially viable.

How long does it take to set up and dismantle the stage in total?
> 3 days to build the black steel, 1 day to install production (lights/sound/set/video/sfx/backline). After the show production loads out in 4 hours and black steel a further day. So, in total 4 days to build and 1.5 days to dismantle.

Is the set-up and dismantling trained in the run-up to a tour or how do you make sure that the crew gets it done flawlessly during the tour and within this time frame?
Not specifically, but during the rehearsal period the stage and set are built a few times so the systems can be tested. The crew finds new ways of doing things and refine the build as the tour progresses, it always gets much quicker after a few shows until they reach an optimum.

How many trucks are needed to transport the entire tour equipment?
There are 20 trucks for each set of ‘black steel’ and 46 trucks touring with the production gear.

Your homepage reads: „We have managed production budgets and schedules for the largest shows in the world and have been trusted to manage technical budgets of tens of millions.“ Can you give us a rough idea of the budget available for the RAMMSTEIN stage?
It was an appropriate budget to deliver a show of this scale!

How is the show actually powered? Is it true that there are two generator trucks for the show?
The show runs from generators, again this is typical of stadium touring shows, as the venues do not have sufficient power available for touring shows. The Rammstein show uses about 1,700 KVA.

Are you a RAMMSTEIN fan yourself, or aren’t you really interested in the band’s music?
I first worked with Rammstein in 2001 and have been a big fan of their shows since then, they produce some of the most entertaining, spectacular shows that have ever been staged, the music provides the energy that drives the show.

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Publiziert am 14. Juli 2019 von Moritz Grütz