Janet Jackson’s Together Again arena tour headed across the pond to the UK and Europe with PRG UK and North America collaborating to bring a stunning 360° production package.
Crossfade Design, who have worked with PRG and Janet’s team for many years, evolved the design from the 2023 US run to make the show bigger and more dynamic for the UK and Europe arena tour. Designer, Eric Wade worked together with his team, Brandon Wade and Sam Brown who also toured the show, and Janet and Randy Jackson to bring together their ideas into an eclectic collection of epic moments that all seamlessly integrate as the show progresses. To bring the show together, Jason Winfree, also a Project Manager at PRG, was brought on as Production Manager, continuing his long term relationship with the Janet Jackson team.
Video and automation are a huge part of the show, with multiple moving elements, including nine screens and lighting halo on 23 MoveKet hoists. Sam Colclough operated the MoveKet system with Dan Fry as Automation tech. Colclough holds the title as the first Moveket operator in the US when it was brought over with PRG for Beyonce’s RENAISSANCE Tour, where he met Fry and the pair have since worked on Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Tour and the Janet Jackson’s US Tour. For this production, there was plenty to keep them busy, “We have around 28 cues and 10 different looks, it’s a very fluid show” Colclough said.
With so many moving parts and cues in the show, it was vital that adjustments could be made easily to fit everything into the different arena spaces whilst maintaining the integrity of the design. “The MoveKet system is great, the console and software are really intuitive and easy to make adjustments on the fly,” Fry explained, showing how to easily select groups and open cues to make quick amendments to positions.
The fluidity of the show was echoed by Sam Brown of Crossfade, who took care of the video media for the tour. “There’s lots of big movement in the show!” he said.
There are a total of nine screens on stage plus two iMags and the stunning video sphere. Running AV Stumpfl PIXERA media servers for control, the screens used included four ROE Visual CB5 “Chevron” screens, the fondly nicknamed “Eyebrow” curved screen (that reveals Janet as the show begins) also ROE Visual CB5 and three “Garage” screens of INFiLED Titan X Screen.
“There’s a lot of ROE but we love the Titan X, they’re some of the coolest screens we’ve had on the tour!” Brown continued. “The Garages at the back have the Blow Through [transparent back] so we can see the beautiful light wall shining through, it’s a really nice element”.
For content, the team opted to keep things cohesive. “We’re very big into our textures! Costumes are key throughout the show so we wanted to match the videos with the costumes. You’ll see a lot of matching textured content,” said Brown.
Another textured element was the silver Austrian curtain, another moving piece, that framed the slower, more intimate moments in an otherwise fast-paced, dynamic production.
The extensive lighting package supplemented the video elements and added more drama to the production. The rig included 138 Martin Professional MAC Ones for the back wall and PRG’s ICON EDGES, controlled by an MA Lighting grandMA3 and zactracks for the followspot tracking.
“The MAC Ones in the back wall are our key look, that’s what brings the show together” explained Lighting Director, Brandon Wade. “We also have what we call the ‘god light’ that creates a really cool look for some of the slower sections”.
With so many key elements to bring to life from their design, the Crossfade team needed the full support of the PRG crew. “Working with PRG is great, we love working with the team. They always bring professionalism to the show, and it’s a really nice feel when we’re out on the road,” Brown said.
A new addition to the team was PRG UK’s second year apprentice George Wilson. After prepping with the team in PRG’s Longbridge warehouse, Wilson stood out to Production team who asked him to come onboard as a lighting tech, giving him his first opportunity to head out on the road.
“I’m having a great time!” he enthused. “My job is taking care of downstage truss, prepping and rigging it and also taking care of the ground control backup system. It’s been a really great opportunity for me to take what I’ve learned in the warehouse and put it into use on-site. It’s also been great learning from everyone and collaborating with PRG America”.
PRG’s apprenticeship scheme is a two year course that gives school leavers and up and comers an opportunity to learn a wide a range of roles they can take forward into the production industry.
The focus on people and having a strong team onboard was what encouraged Eric Wade to continue his long-standing relationship with PRG. “It’s all about the people and the relationships we’ve built along with the gear, and it’s why we go way back with PRG.” Wade said. “The show is very technical and there’s a lot of movement to it. Automation was a big part and Jason got some great programmers for it! Overall, we put together an incredible crew on this one”.
“We’ve loved being back with the Janet Jackson team in the UK and Europe this year,” added Yvonne Donnelly Smith, Sales Director for Music at PRG. “It’s great to have a show going out that is 100% PRG and the team did a fantastic job delivering it.”
Janet Jackson’s Together Again tour heads across Europe before preparing for her Vegas Residency in 2025.
Crew List – 2024
Tour Director – Eric Wade
Tour Director Assistant – Toni Wade
Production Manager – Jason Winfree
Lead Production Coordinator – Dee Colmenero – Winfree
Production Coordinator – Bryan Barry
Stage Manager – Mike Hosp
Venue Security – Ryan Atkinson
Road Manager – Derek Wilson
Head Rigger – Michael Ryder
Second Rigger – Vlad Kim
Lighting Director – Brandon Wade
Lighting Crew Chief – Patrick Sieg
Lighting Dimmer Tech – Doug Eder
Moving Light Tech – Jonathan Keese
Moving Light Tech – Richard Hoxley
Lighting Tech – Michael Tautfest
Lighting Tech – Jeffrey O’Hehir
Lighting/Utility – George Wilson
Automation Operator – Sam Colclough
Automation Tech – Dan Fry
Video Director – Garry Odom
Graphic Screen Director – Sam Brown
Video Engineer – Randall Ice
Video Crew Chief – Karl Hansen
LED Lead – David Keipert
LED Tech – Jake Gardner
LED Tech/ Camera Op – Zack Manzella
Video Camera Assist / Utility – Mark Mc Auley
LED Tech/ Cam Op – Pio Fortunato
Media Server Tech – Yoshiki Shinohara
Video Camera Assist/Utility – Daryl Pearson
Lasers – Brian van Trigt
Monitor Engineer – Jim Roach
FOH Engineer – Caram Costanzo
Crew Chief / FOH Tech – Will Foley
Monitor Tech – Justin Curtiss
PA/Stage Tech – Dustin Schluter
Sound Tech – Logan Bell
Backline Tech – Joseph Libretti
Backline Tech – Christian Hicks
Backline Tech – Terry Staley
Head Carp – Archie Chan
Assistant Carp – Daniel Jadair
Janet’s Wardrobe – Laurel Thomson
Band/Dancer Wardrobe – Jennifer Shaw
Band/Dancer Wardrobe – Sue Flesland
DR Coordinator – Inez Dawson
