Audiences in both Cape Town and Pretoria turned out in droves to welcome Irish rock band The Script back to South Africa in early May, after a seven-year-long absence. Following the enormous success of the band’s 2011 South African tour, Big Concerts brought the Freedom Child Tour to the Grand Arena in Cape Town and Pretoria’s Sun Arena, much to the delight of local fans.
In 2007, lead vocalist and keyboardist Danny O’ Donoghue, lead guitarist Mark Sheehan, and drummer Glen Power from Dublin, Ireland, rose to international stardom with the successful release of their signature singles The Man Who Can’t Be Moved and Breakeven, followed by the release of their eponymous debut album in 2008. The band has released a further four chart-topping albums, with the latest being Freedom Child, released in September 2017.
Early this year The Script embarked upon a world tour titled Freedom Child to promote their new album, which has received positive reviews from audiences across the European Union, Asia and Australia among others. It is little wonder that the band’s new show has been met with such enthusiasm. In addition to the unquestionable musical talent that The Script brings to the stage, the band’s world-class creative team have developed a truly memorable production for fans across the globe.
Prominent UK-based art director and show designer, Jamie Thompson worked closely with media server expert Annalisa Terranova and video director Ben Farrey to develop a multi-faceted and visually engaging production. The show incorporates a montage of live footage and video content displayed on an impressive multiscreen LED wall, supplied by LEDVision for both the Cape Town and Pretoria shows. in addition, Thompson’s breath-taking lighting design added an impressive mix of atmosphere and mood to the band’s iconic ballads, while lifting the higher-energy moments with the help of perfectly timed MagicFX confetti cannons.
Mushroom Productions once again teamed up with The Gearhouse Group for The Script, who provided full technical for both shows, lead by Gearhouse project manager Jaco Saaiman. The Gearhouse crew once again achieved the seemingly impossible, with only one day between the Cape Town and Pretoria shows, allowing very little breathing space for the crew, According to The Script’s front of house engineer, Stephen Pattison, the Gearhouse crew did a fantastic job and compared favourably with many of the international technical teams that the band has worked with throughout the tour.
