Saturday, 11 January saw the first major international-grade concert in 2014 with UK rock band Bastille gracing the stage along with SA support acts Matthew Mole, Beatenburg and Bed on Bricks.
Held at Emmerentia Dam at the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens, 15 000 people flooded the tranquil surroundings for a day out in the sun, which eventually turned into a typical Johannesburg downpour into a sea of tank tops and very short shorts.
The 36m x 16m x 15m Eurotruss stage was supplied by SS Stage Structures and was one of the largest aluminium staging structures constructed in SA while Eurotruss distributor Prosound was on the ground for support as the structure was rigged.
The d&b J-series line array, Q-series delay towers and Soundcraft Vi6 console were supplied by Pretoria-based Blue Array Productions while the Digidesign Venue console requested by Bastille was hired by Blue Array from AVL.
Lighting for the show was handled by Stage Effects and included a mix of Robe and Martin fixtures, totalling over fifty and controlled via an Avolites Sapphire Touch DMX console. PLED supplied the portrait-configured LED screens flanking each side of the stage.
Each virtual 10mm screen measured 5.12m x 6.72m comprising 28 panels. 3D and 2D video recording was performed by Mushroom Broadcast.
