volume 2 issue 5 2009 - Mobile Production Pro

In addition to the center riser, the stage also
had four Flaggevators. In case you didn’t
see our feature on Spice Girls last year, the
Flaggevator is a one person lift that allows 10
feet of lift out of a 6-foot envelope by using a
gimbal design. The platform is attached via a
gimbal arm to a carriage that is propelled by
a single motor and travels horizontally along
a track at its base as the arm lifts the platform
into position. As this happens the carriage
travels toward the platform to a position under
the lift. The result of this movement is the
arm becomes part of the vertical lift and gives
the platform four more feet of elevation. This
approach not only gives the lift incredible
once its construction commenced, anything
that had to be done inside its footprint was
trapped there until the screen was built.
Conversely, anything outside the circle had to
wait for it to get out of the way.
The system also housed two Austrian drapes.
The outer drape masked the entire center
portion of the show including the video
structure. The red colored drape wasn’t
quite opaque, therefore, it didn’t completely
block out the video wall. It presented a fairly
impressive opening segment with both the
drape and the screen flown into stage level.
There was also a drape that hung over the
During rehearsals we found that
Stealth is really fragile. We also found
that it’s really expensive. -Bob “Hydro” Mullin
power, it ensures a silky smooth ride.
Due to the highly cramped quarters under
the center stage on this show, the Flaggevators
were the perfect choice. While all four of them
were controlled from one station, each lift was
manned in order to ensure that there were no
mechanical or human mishaps. In all, there
were nine crew people working under the
three stages assisting performers and running
the various lifts, including a centrally located
elevator in each of the B stages.
Back to the main flown structure - there was
a lot going on in this thing. It was a circular
configuration that served a wide variety of
functions. One of the most prominent features
was the Stealth video screen that completely
enclosed the stage when it was deployed all
the way to the stage. This was one of the most
time consuming parts of the load-in, because
area of the riser of the center stage. This
drape was black and completely opaque
and was used to mask the initial reveal when
Britney first entered the show.
The reveal was achieved by way of a very
impressive fly gag. Ms. Spears flew directly
down from the rig inside a fly device made
up of two cross-connected glitter festooned
hoops. While it may not sound like much
in this description, the combination of the
shimmering fly gag and Spears’ blond hair
made for a dazzling intro when hit with every
follow spot in the house.
Five riggers worked above the stage during the
show to assist with the opening as well as four
aerialists that made rather dramatic entrances
and exits by means of the fly system.
The lighting of the show was nothing short
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