Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1043753
off to the races. A massive platform would be built, over seventy thousand square feet, most of it at twelve feet in the air. At the front of this rostrum, the structure of the Live Aid stage would be exactly replicated at sixteen feet above the crowd. Amazingly, Serious Stages, the same company that had built the venue more than thirty years earlier, was still around and were engaged for the construction, and they even had two members of the team who had worked on the original rigging crew in 1985. They told us how the team had dragged a sofa up into the rigging so they could watch the show from the wings. There would definitely need to be a sofa in this rigging. Again, DETAILS. Next, the backstage portion of the build needed weatherproofing. A large tent the size of a soundstage was constructed at the back of the rostrum and the Wembley Stadium Concourse was built inside. And thank goodness for that tent. Winds up to 70 mph, cold driving rain, blazing heat, this was August in Southern England. With a few snags and some minor adjustments, the set was built. Now for the details. Lead Graphic Designer Julian Nix and his team had by this time created a large amount of artwork for the walls and for set dressing, the most obvious being the printed banners that flanked the stage and the iconic Africa/guitar logo that served as a backdrop for the performers. Posters, advertising, Wembley signage, as well as every set list and backstage itinerary was recreated, right down to the tape marks on the stage. Lead painter Adam Crosby and his team created a look that layered the impact of dozens of rock- and-roll bands and their entourages over years of stadium wear and tear. Details as small as the snacks the band preferred or the flowers Freddie liked to have in his dressing room were layered on top of set dressing to convey the almost improvised nature of the event. A. LIVE AID BACKSTAGE AREA OF WEMBLEY STADIUM SET UNDER CONSTRUCTION. SET PHOTO. A B C