U2 360° Famous Stage Design

Posted: Thursday, October 20, 2011 by Damian De Luca in Labels: , , , , , , , , ,
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There are legendary rock concerts that have inevitably conquered a piece of our memory. The perfect combination of powerful sounds, stunning visuals, and the fascinating interaction between crowds and artists can very effectively touch the soul of many music enthusiasts. Concerts such as the 1969 Woodstock Festival featuring Jimmy Hendrix has become a real icon in the history of music and a huge inspiration for many artists to come. Even though the most important element of a performance is undoubtedly the artist’s creative spirit, there are other things that help concerts turn into unforgettable legends. 
In the live entertainment world, stage design is one of the most acclaimed artistic disciplines. It is virtually impossible not to recall the magnificent and immense white polystyrene brick wall when we think about Pink Floyd’s The Wall series of world shows. There are incredible gifted minds behind the inception of such ideas. Mark Fisher, the man responsible for designing and building the white wall and other famous concert stage designs, is probably the most respected entertainment architect of this era. Fisher’s talent was showcased on numerous occasions during the past three decades. By creating some of the most distinguished stage sets for artists like The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, U2, AC/DC, and Robbie Williams, Mark Fisher proved to the world that architectural designs can also become part of the history of rock and roll. 
The Claw
For U2’s 360° tour, Mark Fisher worked closely with Stageco and production manager Jake Berry to build an engineering masterpiece known as ‘the claw’, which is also likely to become a rock and roll legend.
Since the 360° tour has already ended, the stage will return to Stageco to be maintained, refreshed and left up for sale. This iconic piece of engineering was not only the concert’s most prominent visual element, but was also responsible for holding the show’s 50m-high PA, video screen, and lighting systems. 
Even though the price is still unknown, potential buyers will have to consider that the superstructure is a major breakthrough in theater technology. According to Hedwig de Meyer, president of Stageco, ‘the claw’ is years ahead of its time and represents a groundbreaking step in the world of technological innovation. Furthermore, Hedwig argued that “whoever buys the system will be able to create a very distinctive venue and we’ll have a Stageco team ready to assemble it anywhere in the world”.
Although reusing the set means that we will have the opportunity to see other artists take full advantage of this technology, I must admit it is an unusual marketing decision, especially considering that people may forget that it was first used by U2’s record-breaking tour. Nonetheless, it would be great to see more of this amazing high-end architecture set foot in the entertainment world.
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