half time show portable stage set up in 5 minutes?

[Brad Harris]

Re: half time show portable stage set up in 5 minutes?

We do it up here a few times a year, 1t truck of gear (mainly backline), 2 techs (1 mixing, 1 making sure everything else is working 120%)

Events are out on the football field, and hockey arenas, often on live TV. It's pretty simple with enough cooperation and planning with the venue/promotions/organizer, band, and broadcast.

IEM is key (keep things clean, quiet, and easy), a small console near the entrance way with line of site to the performers is ideal, stage power, snake is all that rides out with the stage (with band on during travel in some venues/situations) to make that deadline so there is no $10,000/minute penalties for being over the alloted time (especially NHL .. you have exactly 8 minutes from when the last official is off the ice before they flood it).

We usually do a test run of the stage, and soundcheck under the bleachers to make it easier in communication with the artists.

Do you mean really, actually, literally 5 minutes? Not 10, 15, a half hour? Come on, guys, my bet is it ain't gonna happen!

Sorry for appearing so negative, but I am trying to be realistic. There are just too many things that can go wrong and it's going to all happen in front of a large crowd. You have more courage than I!

I hope you prove me wrong, let us know how it goes.

 

[john sulek]

Re: half time show portable stage set up in 5 minutes?

O.K. I'm convinced! He's gonna pull it off and it will be a total success. Sorry I said anything.

No need to be sorry.
I'm speaking from experience as I know many others are.
Recently 6 minutes to strike an entire backline/ rolling riser/iem monitor rig off stage at a festival (thank you to the Clair techs who pitched in). Packed and in the truck at 35 minutes.
I have done this type of event at NHL,MLB and NASCAR venues.
It is all about having the bodies and having a plan.

 

[Chuck Simon]

Re: half time show portable stage set up in 5 minutes?

Interesting stories here. I know what can be accomplished by people with tons of expertise, experience and a budget to match it, but please keep in mind I was responding to the OP who has never done it before. I'm sorry for the discouraging, negative remarks, but I think it is important to set realistic goals the first time you try a challenging task!

Blake, as I said, I hope you prove me wrong! Please let us know how it turns out.

 

[Charlie Zureki]

Re: half time show portable stage set up in 5 minutes?

Interesting stories here. I know what can be accomplished by people with tons of expertise, experience and a budget to match it, but please keep in mind I was responding to the OP who has never done it before. I'm sorry for the discouraging, negative remarks, but I think it is important to set realistic goals the first time you try a challenging task!

Blake, as I said, I hope you prove me wrong! Please let us know how it turns out.

Hello,

Prior basic planning, every crew member doing exactly the same task(s) as in rehearsal ...every time, a few rehearsals and a gig like this should not be much of a challenge.

Hammer

 

[Justice C. Bigler]

Re: half time show portable stage set up in 5 minutes?

a few rehearsals and a gig like this should not be much of a challenge.

I think it goes without saying (but I'm going to say it anyway) that a couple of well planed rehearsals will only aid in getting this done right. If you can access the trailer the week before, set it up in your shop or the shop parking lot and do a couple of dry rehearsals with your whole crew when you don't have the audience staring at you. Then if you can get a couple of hours on the football field the day of the show, to preset it and rehearse the whole thing live with power and musicians earlier in the day, then everything should go as planned.

 

[Brian Jones]

Re: half time show portable stage set up in 5 minutes?

The talk about a figure 8 laid snake cable made me think about a reel snake... http://audiopile.net/products/Stagelink_snakes/RPPX-32-8/RPPX-32-8_cutsheet.shtml
Doesn't this make more sense for this if setting up FOH without a digital snake or mixing on stage?

 

[Mike Caldwell]

Re: half time show portable stage set up in 5 minutes?

Where is power going to come from and how much will there be. One circuit on the end of a 100 foot orange extension cord probably is not going to get it! Of local football fields I know of that's about what you have without some feeder cable tie in pre planning.

 

[mackerr]

Re: half time show portable stage set up in 5 minutes?

The talk about a figure 8 laid snake cable made me think about a reel snake... http://audiopile.net/products/Stagelink_snakes/RPPX-32-8/RPPX-32-8_cutsheet.shtml
Doesn't this make more sense for this if setting up FOH without a digital snake or mixing on stage?

No. You can't spool the snake off the reel while it is connected. The figure 8 lets you have everything prepatched and just run out behind the trailer as it moves onto the field. On all the Super Bowl halftime shows I was involved with all the power and mic multies were figure 8'd on the sideline and pulled out as the volunteer crew pushed the stage sections out. We made the power and multipin connections and had the stage ready to go in about 2 minutes. If you don't have multipins snakes you have to have everything patched and the the trailer/stage pulls the cable out behind it. Make one big bundle to keep cables from snarling.

Mac

 

[andy craig]

Re: half time show portable stage set up in 5 minutes?

T\
Then keep them all calm and focused and you'll be fine.

This could possibly be the best bit of advice in the entire thread.

Andy

 

[Blake Ross]

Re: half time show portable stage set up in 5 minutes?

The impressive amount of knowledge that has been shared here has been very helpful when discussing this show with the organizers.
The venue in question has had an unusual amount of rain, and they are rethinking having any wheels on the field at half time at all.
The trailer/stage is a soft sided 52' long highboy with a set of quasi-portable steel steps for people access and a forklift for elevating the heavier sound equipment.
Power is from a 25kvA generator with one 50 amp power distro (100'x6ga) for the half time show and a second 50 amp power line will be added after half time for the bands lights.
Currently the plan is to load up in the parking lot, strap down everything and do a sound check by 1pm (kick off at 6), power down and wait for the organizers to decide where we'll be situated (if they are still undecided).
They will either roll out in front of the stands, or pull the stage in behind the stands and 'encourage' the fans to move around back and get closer to the stage. The stage then get's pulled to the post-game beer garden position and the generator is moved as well (There are only stands on one side of the field).
(I really don't see them going on the field when you consider the weight of a highboy trailer and the tractor to pull it, but I've been wrong before...)
I plan to leave the mixer on the trailer for half time and I'll have my daughter provide FOH information via wireless mic.
We'll have lots of time to practice running out the power cable and going through the power up procedure with the band and field staff before game time.
There are still a lot of variables to deal with between now and show time, but 'talking it out' in the forum has helped illuminate a lot of details to plan for.
Thanks again for all of the valuable input from the sound community. Your willingness to share has helped me in the past few years to improve my skills and to take on new challenges such as this show.