Since their first gig in 1982, Metallica has actively toured their entire music catalog, along with their epic stage setups across the globe. With over three decades of concert performances, these rock legends delivered once again with WorldWired Tour. Celebrating their 10th studio album, “Hardwired…to Self-Destruct,” the WorldWired Tour pushes technological boundaries by debuting the world’s first autonomous indoor drone swarm in a major touring act and revealing a new, in-the-round stage design, custom-built by TAIT.
The fresh set and stage design, designed by Show Director David Braun, gives concert-goers an immersive concert experience with a 44 ft. by 44 ft. square mainstage equipped with several prop lifts located in the center of the arena.
This in-the-round experience incorporates 52 LED video cubes which ascend and descend while displaying colorful, vivid and flashy video content. The LED video cubes hang from 52 BT290 winches housed in a 60 ft. by 60 ft. mother grid rigging system above stage. Each 4 ft. LED video cube moves 4 ft. per second and has 40 ft. of vertical travel space.
TAIT Navigator, an entertainment automation platform, serves as the primary show control system for the entire show.
For the world’s first autonomous indoor drone performance for a major touring act, TAIT partnered with Verity Studios to introduce the latest drone technology to the bands Production Manager, John “Lug” Zajonc and Show Director, Dan Braun.
Metallica performs their new single, “Moth into Flame,” as 100 drones emerge from the prop lifts built into the TAIT stage. As the music builds, the drones swarm into several formations and above the band.
The micro drones are 6 in. x 6 in. x 1.4 in, are equipped with on-board LED Lights and have three speed variations. Each drone has a lift speed of 1.5 m/s, horizontal speed of 2.5 m/s and a fall speed of .5 m/s.
With safety at the forefront, as explained by Verity, the combination of a reliable indoor positioning system with intelligent autonomous drones and a superior operator interface allows Metallica’s show operators to simultaneously control the coordinated movements of the drones.
With the amount of tech in this show, TAIT presents an interactive look book to explain and visualize the assets provided for Metallica’s WorldWired Tour. Additionally, TAIT met up with Dan Braun to discuss his role as Show Director and the design concepts that inspired the show. Dan’s feature on TAIT Talks is set to launch on October 10th, 2017.
About TAIT Towers
TAIT is the World Market Leader in designing, constructing and delivering the finest live event equipment in the world. Staffed by World Class Innovators creating World Class Experiences, TAIT is at the forefront of technology and live event. Whether it’s creating awe-inspiring spectaculars, complex touring sets, theatre automation, corporate events or brand experiences, TAIT works with the brightest minds in live event to bring their vision to life.
With its acquisition of Stage Technologies and Delstar Engineering, the depth of cutting edge technologies continues to advance TAIT’s global brand and capabilities. Among its claims to fame, TAIT supplies staging for the highest grossing concert world tours including The Rolling Stones, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Madonna and more. Additionally, TAIT created the largest kinetic light installation in concert touring history for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, was the production specialist that partnered with NASA to put the lyrics of U2’s ‘Beautiful Day’ into orbit, received a Guinness World Record title for its LED integration and customization at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the London Olympics, fabricated Las Vegas’ Omnia Nightclub Chandelier at Caesar’s Palace and created the first-ever commercial use of the Cable Coaster Virtual Reality simulator for National Geographic’s “Experience Mars.”
CONTACT:
Mia Tinari, Global Head of Marketing + Communications, TAIT Towers, [email protected]
Kierston Powell, Marketing Coordinator, TAIT Towers, [email protected]
Photo Credit: James ‘Winky’ Fairorth, TAIT, CEO.
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