AC/DC’s PWR UP Europe 2024 marked a monumental return to the circuit for the rock ’n’ roll titans, who performed in 17 cities and 10 countries across Europe. As the band’s 15th tour, this campaign required a production design befitting their storied history, delivering an electrifying experience, stripped of gimmicks, that put the energy of the band and the cross-generational crowd first.
The long-serving creative team included Creative Director, Patrick Woodroffe and Lighting Designer, Terry Cook of Woodroffe Basset Design (WBD); STUFISH Entertainment Architects (stage design), Wonder Works (technical design) and Lighting Director, Charlie ‘Cosmo’ Wilson with the touring campaign orchestrated by Production Director, Dale ‘Opie’ Skjerseth and Production Manager, Will Keating. The technical suppliers included NEP Screenworks (video), Neg Earth Lights (lighting and rigging), STAGECO (stage structure), TAIT (scenic construction), and Clair Global (audio).
The briefing process started back in December 2023, over six months before the tour hit the road. However, this tour was several years in the making. The priority was fan interaction, the music and the interaction between the artists and the fans. Central to the design were iconic stage elements like the band’s famed bell and cannons, revamped in line with modern technology and practices, as well as three separate video screens – stage left, right, and up-stage centre – all of which tracked open to reveal columns of lighting fixtures, uniting to form one expansive display.
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Words: Jacob Waite
Photos: STUFISH Entertainment Architects and Neg Earth Lights
