I joined the hordes of loyal Beliebers flocking to Stockholm’s Globe Arena to experience the Justin Bieber phenomenon live – sating the appetite of 45 000 happy hormonally-charged followers over three nights – and enjoyed a fabulously warm welcome from Production Director Tom E Marzullo and his large and friendly crew.
Marzullo is a seasoned road warrior who’s been there, seen it, done it, worked with some of the brightest stars on the planet and received multiple T-shirts… and he’s still smiling!
His unflappable calm, charm and great sense of humour permeates from the top down right through the Bieber 100 plus production crew who were approaching the end of the European leg of the “Believe’ tour.
The show is nothing short of stunning!
A high-energy molten mix of theatre, dance, rap, rock and pop, starting with Bieber’s unapologetically rock “n’ roll and God-like entrance on a giant set of angel’s wings flying through the upstage video screen to the final explosive chords of “Believe’. Full of visual trickery, highly entertaining, dynamically paced to match the attention spans of the Twitter generation … and I loved it!
Whatever people say and think about Bieber – I discovered to my surprise that an awful lot do have an opinion about him – when onstage he’s 200% there for his Beliebers.
The “Believe’ tour started in September 2012, three months after the release of the album – his fourth studio work and the fourth to hit number one internationally.
The epically – and appropriately – proportioned production and set design for the tour was the result of some intense collaborative imagineering between movie director Jon M Chu, the show’s Creative Director (he also directed concert biopic Justin Bieber : Never say Never) and Marzullo, complete with the scenic pieces and various props which were all conceived by visual designer Christobel Valecillos.
The set and stage is big, bold and stark with three layers, lots of deck space and LED screens, most of which move in some way, reflecting both the more urban and mature direction of Bieber’s music and Chu’s penchant for dance action – with plenty of space to showcase the visually striking choreography.
It’s around 110ft wide and 58ft deep including a sizable thrust so Bieber can get right among his audience. Reaching out and touching is one of the essentials underpinning the show. There are several hydraulic lifts dotted around the space that drops down below or elevates above the stage, plus a crane arm that rises up and does a 270 degree rotation with him standing at the end of it.
The stage was built by All Access in Torrence, California, the thrust by SGPS Inc. Las Vegas and the LED screens are all WinVision – a combination of 9mm and 18mm from Chaos Visual Productions.
Overhead are three long tracking trusses extending right out over the audience. The centre one is used for the “Whirligig’, a large metal set piece that looks like something from Area 51 with two contra-rotating rings built – together with most of the rest of the “in air’ set – by SGPS.
Moved by six winch lines, this carries various lighting fixtures and the wings for Bieber’s entrance are also attached to it.
The two outer tracks are used to accommodate four large custom lighting pods per side – also made by SGPS – that glide up and down, driven by a copper track “brush’ system similar to that utilised to power underground metro networks. This avoids the need for complex and unwieldy cable management and also supplies mains power to the lights on the pods.
There were about 110 rigging points for the full show co-ordinated by Lead Production Rigger Billy Daves, who worked for the European leg with UK-based Steve Armstrong. Together with Lead Carpenter Jesus Arroyo, they figured out how best to fit the infrastructure and 22 trucks of kit into each venue.
The tour’s Navigator automation and screen tracking control system was developed by Fisher Technologies (recently acquired by Tait Technologies) and is run by Kyle Wolfson. This deals with everything except the hydraulic lift elements, which are all operated from local positions under the stage.
Lighting
Lighting Designer Chris Kuroda is based in Fort Lauderdale Florida, and “Believe’ is his first “adventure’ with Marzullo!
The basic stage and set pieces and the onstage LED screens were in place by the time he joined the team, so this was his starting point for the lighting design which needed to fit in around these structural elements and the presence of the Whirligig.
Other than that, his task was to bring some elegance and carefully crafted lighting magic to the bigger picture. Known for his subtle and perceptive style, while there are many big rock-tastic moments in the set, the objective was that lighting should give it edge, mood and some distinct urbanisation, all the time following the music with theatrical precision.
No traditional cross stage trussing positions were feasible due to the Whirligig tracking down the centre of the room, so he came up with a six angled mid-stage truss immediately above that area onstage and – together with Marzullo – the two outer tracking trusses containing the four sleds that move up and down.
Between the “dance tower’ side video screens in the wings are another six vertical trusses which are filled with MAC 101 LED washes.
The total number of lighting fixtures is around 450 of which Martin MAC 101s are the most prominent with a total of 148, used to produce several special effects and visual tricks as well as for washing large areas of the stage and thrust.
The mid stage trusses contain 22 x MAC 2K Washes, some with the Beam conversion kit and 22 x Mac 3 Performances.
On the tracking sleds at the sides are a total of eight Syncrolite 7Ks plus more MAC 101s and Clay Paky Sharpies, and there are further 101s and Sharpies on the Whirligig.
Having the tracking pods and the lights on the Whirligig is really flexible for hitting all areas of the stage and the ego ramp as well as lighting the audience and ensuring they remain part of the show.
He uses a grandMA2 full size for control, with another running in fill tracking backup which has been his console of choice for some time. “It’s incredibly user friendly, you can set up and lay it out exactly as you want and there are multiple ways to do everything – it’s just so flexible,’ he comments.
The 85-minute show contains nearly 2 800 cues. He and programmer Andrew Giffin pre-visualised it in MA3D ahead of six weeks’ technical rehearsals in Long Beach. “We needed every minute of it,’ he confirms.
All the kit is supplied by Christie Lights of Toronto.
Sound
FOH sound engineer Gordon Mack and Clair Global’s Systems Engineer Arnie Hernandez had their work cut out to deal with the maelstrom of pubescent screams and get Bieber’s voice out above this challenging frequency … but that’s the nature of the performance – and one of the skills involved in mixing this type of artist.
Having been with Bieber for four years, it’s also something that Mack has honed into as much of a fine art as is possible!
The European touring PA was specified by Hernandez and based on the Clair i-5 system plus his extensive knowledge of the European arena circuit, all supplied through Aesch, Switzerland-based Audio Rent.
The main hangs are 14 deep i-5s with a row of i-5bs on the outside, with side hangs of 10 deep i-3s and then eight BT-218 subs per side on the ground, which are massively efficient and deliver the nice, bold bassy groove that Mack likes for the mix.
All are powered by Labgruppen PLM 200 000Q amps, utilising the on-board Lake processing for EQ ad time alignment, with the whole system run via AES3 to keep the signal as digital as possible.
Hernandez works with this system all the time. “It’s versatile and great for large arenas,’ he comments. They added extra delays for the three largest venues on the itinerary.
Mack mixes the show on an Avid Profile console. He likes its small footprint, speed and lots of “bells and whistles’.
In terms of style of sound reproduction, he tries to get it as close to a stupendously loud replication of the CD as possible “That’s what the kids want to hear – like they are in a huge car,’ Mack comments.
Bieber’s voice is good to work with. “He’s a strong vocalist with a good tone,’ he confirms. His trademark headset mic is a Crown 311 – also one of Mack’s favourites – and the hand-helds all have Heil RC22 capsules. He also uses a vintage style Heil Fin during Die in Your Arms set which sounds “incredible’. Mack likes the Heils for their good value and in-the-face high gain-to-feedback ratio.
As for the big, screaming, hyper-charged crowds, having been dealing with them for some time, both with Bieber and other artists that he engineers like Chris Brown, Mack is fabulously unfazed … he simply listens “past’ it!
There’s an optimum level at which he will run the PA for a good, solid sound and it does not get pushed beyond that. Dispelling the myth that hysteria is beyond control, he says confidently: “They soon calm down if they can’t hear the music!’
Over onstage monitor engineer Alex MacLeod joined the Bieber rollercoaster in May 2012 and keeps everyone in order.
The five core band are all on Shure PSM 1000 IEMs for their main feeds and some also have wedges – standard Clair SRMs – ensconced below grills on the downstage edge of the second stage level which is where the band is positioned.
The Clair R4 side fills are primarily for the dancers and there’s also a drum fill comprising an SRM with a BT-218 on top
He’s touring with a DiGiCo SD10 console, utilising all the on-board effects and features, which is full with around 90 input channels and 40 outs.
The main challenge is keeping it consistent each night and ensuring Bieber’s vocal stays right up in the mix with a loud crowd. Like all the rest of the crew I spoke to, for him, Believe is: “A lot of fun working with some great people!’
Video
Ken Delvo from Chaos Visual Productions showed off the vast collection of cuddly toys given refuge in video world during the course of the tour – in fact, there was a bit of a competition between the stage based departments on this front!
He also explained the basics of the LED screens which comprise a large 9mm WinVision surface upstage, which split apart for the entrance, then below these on the deck are more 9mm rigged on eight carts which move into different positions during the show.
The two front-facing “side’ walls slightly offstage each side are WinVision 18, and further reverse screens of 9mm face the rear side seats for those sitting behind the stage in 270 degree scenarios.
Outside of these in the full rig set up are left and right IMAG projection screens.
Playback content was storied on two Hippotizer HD 3.1 media servers, with two more running as hot backup, and output to screen via a Lightware MX 16×16 DVI-Plus matrix switcher into a Christie Spyder X20 operated by Delvo using a Montage II M2C-50 console. In total for the show he had 169 Spyder cues and nine manual ones.
The Hippotizer content was monitored and previewed using an Avitech multi-viewer, and the servers were timecode triggered from a feed supplied by Pro Tools engineer, James “Scrappy’ Stassen.
Custom footage was produced by a number of sources, including Imag8nineteen mainly commissioned by Jon Chu, who also directed some of the sequences himself, along with film maker Mat Hale.
Live cameras were directed and cut by Mark Stutsman using a Panasonic AV HS450 switcher. It wasn’t the multi camera extravaganza you might have expected, tastefully and intelligently used, it was great to see that less really can be more!
At FOH there were two Sony HXC-100s with long lenses, one concentrated on Bieber and the other was used for all the cut-aways.
A third hand-held camera was used by Bieber during Out of Town Girl to film the audience and himself.
The video system was all sourced and set up by Chaos in LA and shipped to Europe, together with six crew.
The visual equation is completed with lasers, pyro and special FX from Strictly FX, Illinois.
With over 100 in the crew party, Marzullo has done an amazing job of amassing a seriously talented team of individuals with flair, imagination and plenty of synergies to take this show around the world.
It’s evident that people are confident and relaxed, the huge operation has flowed relatively seamlessly and he’s the first to admit that impressive though the engineering and technicals are: “It’s the human element of this show that is really inspirational,’ a fact obvious to anyone entering their world.
Believe is a tour of many paradoxes. While Bieber takes some hard knocks in the press for basically nothing more profound or sinister than “typical…whatever’ teenage behaviour, he regularly uses his strategic mastery of tactical Tweeting to his staggering 37 million followers to defend himself.
It gives him an accessibility that’s endearing and believable to his core fan base – he’s there, only a Tweet away – illustrating concisely how the power and global reach of cyber-sonic communications has helped mould his career so far.
Tech Box
Lighting gear list:
• 48 x Clay Paky Sharpy
• 8 x Clay Paky Alpha Profile 1500
• 12 x Robin 1200 LED Wash
• 6 x Robin 600 LED Wash
• 12 x Robe Colorbeam 700
• 16 x Robe 2500 Colorwash
• 16 x Robe 700 Colorspot
• 6 x Robe 700 Colorwash
• 8 x Philips Vari-Lite VLX Wash
• 22 x Martin 101s
• 6 x Atomic Strobes
• 36 x Led4ce 18s RGBW
• 4 x Robe Cityscape Extremes
• 24 x Longman LED par
• 48 x Longman Colorme 011A Battten
• 60 x Philips Selecon SPX 36deg Profiles
• 12 x ADB 2k Fresnels
• 72 x Par64 Parcans
• 1 x GrandMA 2 Full Size
• 1 x GrandMA 2 Lite
• 1 x GrandMA 2 OnPC
• 1 x GrandMA 2 NPU
• 2 x GrandMA NSPs
• 2 x Coolux Pandora’s Box Media Servers
• 2 x SuperTrouper II Followspot
• 2 x Robert Juliat Aramis 2500w Followspot
Sound
• d&b audiotechnik system
• Studer Vista 5SR
• Soundcraft Vi6
• Shure PSM900 and PSM1000 in ear monitors
• myMix monitoring system
• Shure UR4
• ULX-D radio systems
Video
• 2 Coolux – Pandora’s Quad Output servers
• 1 Coolux – Pandora’s BoxMedia Manager
• 6 Barco FLM HD 14s.
