Indochine’s Central Tour features a record-breaking installation including 1,500 lighting fixtures and an over 26,000 sq. ft of LED screen. The semi-transparent 360° screen is the largest circular installation ever done for a live concert. The screen was specially designed by PRG Projects together with INFiLED to meet the demanding requirements of the Central Tour.
The story begins with a stage design for the final show, which was based on a sketch by the lead singer of the French pop rock band, Nicola Sirkis. It certainly was an inspiring challenge for the technical teams to realise this vision. According to Stéphane Desch, Director of Production, “Building a 360° tower in the midst of the stadium with the audio and lights inside will allow everyone to see better and be engaged in the pure musical performance and the aesthetic presence. “We started from the several sketches he provided me of his ideas from approximately two years ago. In fact, the outcome closely resembles his original idea. In order to bring this notion to reality, the Production worked closely with PRG, who provided lighting, video, and rigging for this project. In fact, the end result is extremely similar to his initial design.
Two divisions of PRG, namely PRG France and PRG Projects, were in charge of the lighting and video packages. INFiLEDs Titan-X LED, was designed especially for the video tower, and used in its construction. While some of the PRG team began producing the technical blueprints and tower schematics, PRG Projects began designing the Titan-X LED product with INFiLED that would enable this project.
The 360° tower was equipped with a customised LED screen that was created and produced especially for the tour in response to Nicola Sirkis’ vision. This provided a solution that integrated the sound system, lighting, and all of the cabling within the tower behind the LED screen, to be as seamless as possible.
“The height of the screen meant that we had to create a new, very light product that had all the features of the PRG Spaceframe, including wind bracing, built into it. At the same time, we needed a product with a transparency of over 70% to allow the sound to penetrate from the back of the screen into the stadium. This meant that we needed to develop a new product.” stated Frederic Opsomer, General Manager of PRG Projects.
INFiLED and PRG worked together closely to develop the TITAN-X. From the first drawing to a 1,850 m2 setup, the collaboration and the combination of PRG’s knowhow and INFiLED’s agile developing capability played a major role. R&D teams from Belgium, the UK and China worked tirelessly during more than nine months on this project and created a robust, mesh rental and touring solution with the foldable X-frame structure for a new level of stability.
“We’re delighted to have collaborated with such a long-term and strong partner like PRG on this impressive project,” stated INFiLED CEO, Michael Hao.
Opsomer added: “INFiLED is a very capable manufacturer that understands the quality needs of the concert touring market. By adding our market expertise, we were able to jointly bring a unique solution to the market.”