On July 5 and 6, 2007, the famous singer George Michael performed at the Moscow Olympic Sports Complex (known locally as Olimpiyskiy). The concerts were part of his jubilee tour, “25 LIVE,” dedicated to the twenty-fifth anniversary of the musical career of one of the world’s leading pop singers. This was the popular musician’s first visit to Russia, which was a great success in its capital. All work on the preparation and holding of the show, as well as the execution of the technical rider, was provided by JSA as a local Production Management company.
Preparatory work and holding of concerts of this level require high professional skills and practice from the event organizers. Extensive experience of working with foreign performers and high reputation of JSA in Russia and abroad ensured the trust of George Michael’s management. As a result, the company received approval from the tour producer Marshall Arts Agency and a contract with the organizers for the full volume of production management and local technical support for two Moscow concerts and coordination of the technical part for the concert in Kyiv.
The stage production of the concert at the Olympic SC was somewhat different from the “stadium” version of the show. JSA engineers found solutions that allowed more than 60 tons of equipment to be secured under the roof of the Olympic, without using the stage roof, which is usually used in open-air tours. The equipment was secured by JSA installers, who have extensive experience in carrying out such rigging work. The company’s team of installers was also involved in installing the complex structure of the three-level show stage, in the center of which a specially created curved durable ice screen with a total length of 35 m was located. Which was both the floor and the back background “wall” of the stage. To make the show panorama as accessible as possible to the audience, the JSA stage department brought and installed Prolyte truss structures on the sides of the stage, on which additional side screens were placed.
In addition to installing the stage structures, JSA set up an additional space behind the stage, which housed a large kitchen (JSA was responsible for catering for the performer, all accompanying and local staff), a restaurant and dressing rooms, provided stagehands, provided the necessary power supply at the venue, provided and installed crowd barriers, seats for spectators, temporary fencing and other specialized equipment.
After the Moscow concerts, the JSA production team flew to Ukraine to coordinate the production of George Michael’s Kyiv concert. The stadium version of the musician’s show “25 Live” took place on July 9 at the NSC “Olimpiyskiy”. For its implementation, a full set of equipment used in the tour, including the stage structure, arrived in Kyiv from Amsterdam. George Michael’s concert in Kyiv was held with excitement from fans, but not a full house. See photos from this event below:
The production manager of this George Michael tour said about the work of JSA: “We are very pleased with the Moscow concerts. Competent technical support, equipment of the best equipment and discipline of the JSA staff deserve high praise. The production structure of this company operates at the level of the best world standards. It is convenient and calm to work with these people.”
JSA President Alexander Strizhak said: “In addition to staging, JSA also specializes in technical support and production services for organizers of major concert events in Russia and abroad. Direct connections with the main players in this industry allow us to implement large-scale turnkey projects. Work for George Michael’s concerts once again demonstrated JSA’s capabilities to show industry specialists, and we gained additional valuable experience.”
JSA is very grateful to legendary producer Barry Marshall (Marshall Arts Agency) for his collaboration and support on this project. And a special thank you to Ken Woods, tour director and also local promoter of these concerts Anna Vashchilina, for inviting JSA as a local production team for these concerts.
As an addition, we present below a photo from George Michael’s concert in London, which took place on 06/09/2007. A delegation of representatives of the concert organizers in Russia and Ukraine and representatives of the JSA company specially flew to the capital of Great Britain for negotiations and communication with the musician’s production team.
An interesting moment was that this George Michael show marked the opening of the legendary concert and sports venue – Wembley Stadium, after restoration and equipped with the latest technology.
Эта статья на Русском языке: ДЖОРДЖ МАЙКЛ ВПЕРВЫЕ С КОНЦЕРТАМИ В МОСКВЕ И КИЕВЕ
© All photos are the copyright of JSA Stage Company.