Led Zeppelin

There is much talk about the blurring of boundaries between production disciplines these days, but with the only set element of this landmark production being a 280m2 LED screen supplied by Creative Technology, what was achieved for the Led Zeppelin performance during the Tribute Concert to Ahmet Ertegun on 10th December at London’s O2 Arena was a big step closer to a fully integrated approach.

Headed up by Harvey Goldsmith Productions’ Jim Baggott, the original idea focused on using projection, it soon became apparent that LED was a much better solution. With a vast 280m2 (28 x 10m) of screen, and a limited load in time at the O2, a system that was quickly and easily rigged was a necessity so the decision was made to use an Element Labs Stealth screen.

As well as the Stealth screen, CT supplied two standard 6x6 panel Barco OLite612 LED screens, positioned stage left and right, these were used during the support bands’ sets and the video story of Ahmet Ertegun and his Foundation. At the beginning of Led Zeppelin’s set, the two side screens disappeared and a set of curtains opened to reveal the full impact of the Stealth screen.

Technical rehearsals for the event begun at Elstree Studios two weeks prior to the show date, moving to Shepperton Studios for the final week of rehearsals. “Moving to a different rehearsal location worked to our advantage, giving us another chance to run through a quick load in and out.” says CT Production Manager, Alex Leinster. “Timings at the O2 were very tight and, although it comes in a collapsed fan shape and cantilevers out of the flight cases, with only two hours allowed to get the screen floating off the deck, it was no bad thing to have a bit more practice.”

“We arrived at the O2 at 8am on the 9th December,” adds CT’s Business Development Manager, Adrian Offord. “Complete set up for all the screens we were using, including cabling and fault finding, had to be done by 4.30pm for a band walk through at 5pm. This was one of the main reasons the Stealth screen was used, as its set up time is considerably less than with other systems.”

Content was a combination of Thinkfarm’s animated footage, integrated with Dick Carruther’s live camera feeds. Using a Spyder Video Processor, the multi-layered Spyder system utilised 16 channels to address various areas of the screen individually, mixes taken from Carruthers’ desk and turned into two separate blocks of information the screen processors could understand. The end result was a combination of abstract images and soft edged video, creating a mood and pace appropriate for each song.

“This is the biggest screen that has been put into the O2,” concludes Offord. “It was great to be back there after we had been there with Elton John’s 200m2 screen just a month prior. This was a wonderful event and it was an honour to be involved in such a high profile project.”