Big lighting rig fails - Queen Wembley 86 ?

[jgexternal]

So back in 1986 I and a group of friends went to the Queen Wembley gig (yes I am that old). It was great but we were all actually very disappointed with the stage set - huge zig-zag extensions that didn't light up or do anything.

 

Anyway cut to last night - watched the video of the gig on TV and to my amazement noticed that in the build segment you can see them all lit up and looking spectacular !!!! And then during the show there are a few long shots where they are lit but in most shots they are off ! And in a couple of songs you can actually see them flicker on and off again !

 

I can only imagine that there was a power fault to that part of the rig ?? I would absolutely love to know the full story on this. I can't believe that such massive decor pieces would have been used so little in the show. There must have been a fault.

 

Anyone know more ?! Or have other examples of huge stage sets malfunctioning ?

 

(Oh, and the build sequence is worth watching just for the lack of H&S - I was having palpitations for the riggers/crew - thank god weve moved on).

 

Rgds

John

[GaryNattrass]

I did the some of the TV sound for that gig if it is the one currently on SKY arts.

 

Can't remember anything about power outage but there was a huge TV screen rigged above the stage and maybe they just ran out of power.

 

One other thought is that the lights just may have been too much for the cameras (Marconi mk 9 and Sony hand held Tube cameras) or continuity as we had 16 cameras out and recorded both the Friday and Sat nights.

 

Sadly the two main guys who would know more Director Gavin Taylor and Editor Andy Mathews are no longer with us but I recall Gavin saying that it ended up being a bit of a nightmare as it was all recorded on one inch Sony C format reel to reel video and with 32 camera sources from the two nights it took over a month just to view all the footage.

 

Oxford scientific films did the time lapse of the stage build and personally I didn't like the video as there were too many angles and camera cuts so you never got to concentrate on the music and they became a distraction.

 

I was sat in the TV truck for the Sat night but also got to walk on stage with them carrying a portable one inch Sony video recorder on the Friday night. I think the Stones mobile did the multi track sound recording and we did the post back at Tyne Tees in Newcastle.

 

I have the CD and DVD but as I now work for SKY it is amazing that a TV programme I did in 1986 is still on air.

 

It was all done by us at ITV Tyne Tees TV as our reputation with CH4 The Tube got us a few extra gigs to do such as U2 at Red Rocks, Eric Clapton, Dire Straits etc and later The Stones in Barcelona for SKY in 1990.

Edited December 26, 2020 by GaryNattrass

[alistermorton]

All thanks to your mum spotting that advert in the local paper ;-) Edited December 26, 2020 by alistermorton

[themadhippy]

These the things you mean? from the video it don't appear to be more than a dozen par cans so I doubt power as a major concern.

I can't believe that such massive decor pieces would have been used so little in the show. There must have been a fault.

why not ,maybe the lampy wasn't from the throw all my toys into the mix for every number school of lighting and only used them for specific looks

just for the lack of H&S - I was having palpitations for the riggers/crew - thank god weve moved on

Do we still need a fireman beside us when we load the flashpots?

Edited December 26, 2020 by themadhippy

[James Remo]

It looked more like rotoscoping than live lighting effects, there was a line in the credits that mentioned a vfx company.

[GaryNattrass]

All thanks to your mum spotting that advert in the local paper ;-)

 

Ha ha still in touch with my old boss John Overton who gave me the job and all those home disco's and self build lights and sound stuff we did in our garages helped me a lot!

 

Memories too of G4AAX and that huge horn speaker and your 3 watt radio amp was cutting edge at the age of 12.

Edited December 26, 2020 by GaryNattrass

[jgexternal]

Thanks for the replies - great to hear some of the background.

 

I think you're right and it was dodgy 80's vfx on the Sky Arts version ! The edit on youtube (HD remaster) is different and the cuts I saw are not on it - which likely means they edited the dodgy vfx out when they remastered it.

 

If you recorded the sky arts version, checkout the end of We are the Champions - Freddie comes out in Robe and Crown, and then there's a long distance shot showing all the decor on - that really does look like vfx - in the next shot - it's all off. But oddly earlier in the song underneath vocal ("no bed of roses") there's a long distance shot - all the decor lighting looks like it flicks on and off but again this could be artistic vfx license !

 

Thanks once again for the replies.

 

Regards,

John.

Edited December 26, 2020 by jgexternal