As the last fireworks fade out over the 63,000-capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Afrobeat Legend Wizkid has set the bar for Afrobeat shows globally.
Leading live production company Entec made sure the Afrobeats legend scored big on his winning goal at his latest UK tour date after his headline performance at Glastonbury
The “Made in Lagos” Album is now the bestselling African album in the US, reaching a fantastic milestone of selling 680,000 copies. The Nigerian’s music has also reached dizzying heights, getting over a billion streams online. Wizkid shows that Nigerian Rap is undoubtedly becoming more influential. Collaborating with the likes of Beyonce, Skepta, and Justin Bieber, to name a few, as well as becoming the first Nigerian to sell out the O2 Arena in London for three consecutive nights, you can see why Wizkid chose the iconic Tottenham Stadium for his first London Stadium show.
Entec was approached by Joe Sanchez and Justin Sinclair from US production-based company Eighteen Twenty-Six, with whom Entec has a long relationship, having previously worked together on IL Divo, Anderson Paak, Tones & I, and Calvin Harris, to name a few. Entec’s Project Manager Patch Cleaver and experienced Crew Chief Simon Chandler-Honnor oversaw Show Designer Shepherd Lowrey and Assistant Designer Avi Rana’s comprehensive rider.
Using a wide range of Entec’s lighting inventory, the rig consisted of Ayrton Eurus as the primary flown lighting profiles with Ayrton Perseo on the floor of the A & B stages. Entec’s stock of GLP X4 Bar 20s, JDC1s, and the latest acquisition of GLP JDC Line 1000 bordered both stages, catwalk, and set. The GLP X5 IP Bars were also in high demand and deployed out on the catwalk and B stage, which meant if the British Weather didn’t hold out, the fixtures would keep performing. “The GLP JDCLine1000s, X4, and X5 Bars are the spice and sizzle of excitement that can deliver a retina assault but still have the ability to tilt and zoom,” Lowrey said on reviewing the linear battens. “Shepherd sums it up, the vibrant block colours across the board from the GLP fixtures, you can certainly see why the GLP products are still a firm favourite with Entec Clients.” Added Patch Cleaver.
Six stations of Robe Robospot and Astera Titan Tubes completed the fixtures for the colossal set piece. As well as a good covering across the stage with atmospherics from Entec’s stock of Haze Base, Jem ZR45, and Diffusion DF50
The 400-fixture light show was controlled from 2x Grand MA3 Full Size with 6x MA3 PU-M to control the vast fixture count in use. Entec deployed a fully mobile WYSIWYG Pre-Viz suite to enable Shepherd and Avi to access the most time possible to program while the show was being built. “Avi, my assistant designer, GCB, our stage manager, Patch and Noreen from Entec, who were precious to me. Without such a great team, shows like these would not be possible,” Lowry said when asked for comment on the production.
With time being crucial for setup and show rehearsal, Entec’s TFL LAD Moving Light Truss was instrumental in being used for a quick load in to get the flown fixtures up in the air to guarantee enough time to concentrate on the vast quantities of floor fixtures and time for Set build, Audio, Video, and special effects departments all requiring as much space and time as possible. A staggering 74 points of EXE Rise motors and rigging were in use across the site.
With the final whistle blown, Entec would like to thank the squad for their hard work. With onsite team:
Simon Honnor,
Fraser Elisha, Nick Steer,
Chris Biddulph, Rowan Denny, Vitalijus Kybartas,
Ben Rogerson, Tristan Tereszczuk Danny Heywood.
Avi Rana Shepherd Lowrey ( c )
