AC/DC

Brilliant Stages has designed and manufactured the infrastructure for the spectacular focal point of AC~DC’s Black Ice Tour 2008, the ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Train.’ Conceived by Fisher Studio’s Jeremy Lloyd and Mark Fisher, the centrepiece is inspired by the first track of AC~DC’s new album and requires a ‘life size’ steam locomotive which appears to have crashed onto stage. The locomotive needs to be hidden upstage at the top of the show before, self-supported and powered by crew alone, moving 4.5m downstage to slew round into its final position between two video walls and over the walkway. Various effects needed to be incorporated into the design, including lighting, pyrotechnics, smoke, C02, headlights, a brass bell and deployable, light-up devil horns, not to mention concealing - and then supporting - a huge inflatable known as “Rosie”! The complete centrepiece, as always, has been designed for touring needs with all parts fitting into 10’ long, 8’ high, 44” carts for trucking and upper deck air-freight.

Stufish enhanced the dimensional effect by adding an exaggerated perspective to the design, a maquette of which was made before being handed over to Brilliant Stages to work on the full-size fabrication.

Rob Edkins team at 2D3D, created the strong, lightweight panels of the locomotive’s skin from thin-sectioned GRP, which the ever-strong CAD team at Brilliant Stages had to marry, along with the other effects, to a suitable rolling and slewing sub-structure.

The sub-structure is based around a 1500kg, 2.9m x 1.5m x 1.8m high steel base turret with two cantilever arms, supported by a reinforced section of the main performer stage. The stage section has been designed as a rolling support to be integrated with the main stage, enabling the locomotive to be built remotely from the main stage and then rolled into place, thus aiding construction time and space in tight venue halls.

To assemble, the panel support structure consists of a four-tiered truss arrangement to facilitate building the locomotive from the venue floor. These are raised by hoists as each layer of panels is added, finishing off with an aluminium ‘cow-catcher’ and distressed, ‘broken’ aluminium rails and fibreglass sleepers cantilevered under the train assembly.

The 3500kg locomotive, still on hoists, is then tilted to its 23° show position, and attached to the central turret, after which the hoists are detached, leaving the 10m wide, 8.35m tall (6.7m of which is visible above stage) behemoth freestanding.

Surprisingly, at a total of 6000kg, the locomotive can be pushed up and downstage by only two stagehands and takes just three people to rotate it to its show position.

Tony Bowern of Brilliant Stages comments, “We enjoy the challenges which this kind of project brings. Richard Hartman as Project Co-ordinator and Mo Hale as Head Carpenter have been great to work with. We have worked successfully with Stufish on a number of projects over the years and always look forward to the next creation they will bring!”

Spectacularly lit by Patrick Woodroffe and Dave Hill with Dale “Opie” Skjerseth as Production Manager, the Black Ice Tour marks the first appearance of AC~DC in 8 years. The North American leg kicked off in Pennsilvania in October and, due to high demand, has been extended by 16 dates into January 09. The European tour starts in February 09, culminating in the UK in April, with dates for Asia and South America expected to be announced shortly.

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