Tim McGraw kicked off his Standing Room Only tour with a sold-out, unforgettable performance at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
His first arena tour in seven years, McGraw wanted a big-scale production that pushed the boundaries of an arena show and captivated his audience. Working closely with entertainment management company Em.co as well as creative director Mark Cunniffe and lighting designer Pat Brannon, Wonder Works was responsible for bringing McGraw’s creative vision to life, with a supersized panoramic LED Screen, immersive visuals and surround sound audio.
To achieve the scale that Tim wanted within the parameters of an arena venue, the team used an automation system to track the LED screens horizontally across the stage. This consists of a downstage screen which splits in two, and tracks up-stage and off-stage simultaneously, to meet with a central up-stage screen, transforming seamlessly into one huge 32m wide x 8m high panoramic screen that fills the arena. When the automated screen is down-stage, it hides the band for a clean, slick look and when open it doubles the size of the stage, adding another dimension to the end-on show. ROE’s Vanish V8T Transparent LED panels were also used to create a polished, integrated performance. For much of the show, only McGraw appears in front of it; his band remaining upstage and revealed at moments when the screen is backlit.
Featuring the biggest video element ever seen in a McGraw tour, this innovative show blurs the line between country and rock ‘n’ roll, both in its set list and visuals. Notably, immersive overlaid visuals are created using real time graphic software, Notch. This elegant video concept enables video director Mike Tinsley and media server programmer Matt Cromwell to track McGraw live on stage and then manipulate and overlay in real time onto the screens. The cut-out footage integrates seamlessly with the content on the screens, creating a cohesive one-off performance experience for each show, with McGraw very much at the center.
Jeremy Lloyd: “McGraw and his team wanted something of scale that still needed to fit into an arena venue. The tracking screens were a great solution for adding another dimension to the show - at its widest (32m/105’), this 256sqm panoramic LED screen literally only just fits into each venue and the result is pretty mesmerizing.”
With 148 moving lights, 53 LED Strobes, a giant panoramic screen, and interactive visuals, McGraw’s Standing Room Only tour is set to captivate audiences across North America until June 2024.