Fans in attendence were initially shocked to find the Bankers Life Fieldhouse arena lacking a stage before the show was scheduled to start.
Monday, August 29, 2016
Kanye West's new tour features an incredible flying stage
Fans in attendence were initially shocked to find the Bankers Life Fieldhouse arena lacking a stage before the show was scheduled to start.
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15 comments:
I like this modernist approach to a theater in the round. The audience can pass beneath and around the stage freely which may allow for some really innovative theatrical spectacles. i can see this being used in performances from the avant-guard to the classics.
Kanye never disappoints. I think this is a really cool, new way to experience performances. However, it begs the question, "why?" I feel like this would be very cool and exciting to see at first, but my neck would eventually get tired from looking up at him for such a long time. Also, that really sucks for the people that got there early and thought they had great spots close to the front, only to realize that they were under the stage and had to move somewhere where they could actually see. Unless the floor was see through, in which case I guess they get to watch Kanye's feet for a couple of hours, which could be a whole other experience in and of itself. I can definitely understand when artists have like moving platforms for certain songs for dramatic and theatrical effects, but an entire concert is kind of excessive and just seems like it would be annoying after a while. I guess it is good because it makes it so that the entire audience can see him, especially in the back it makes a very cool visual effect, as is shown in the video. But then it almost feels like the front row is at an extreme disadvantage since they have to crane their necks to see him. Also they would be staring up at those lights the whole time. Overall, it is a really cool idea, but I just do not understand why it is being done.
I agree with Claire, it seems a little gimmicky to do the whole show from there. I think the traditional concert approach works well because.... you can really easily see the performer. I think the BEST concert set up (as we currently know concerts as they are) is in the round, so the most people can be up front as possible, because that's the fun spot. I think if this flying stage landed at some point, it'd be fine. Maybe he does a HUGE opening number that's fifteen minutes long and he's flying around and everyone's freaking out (I don't know how he enters the area but I like to think the stage descends from the ceiling, there's no other way that would be cool. Was it just already there??) but then slowly the stage drops down to regular stage height. Also, the giant monkey tail coming from Kanye's rear end (which I know is just a safety measure) kind of ruins the fun a little for me when I watched the second video.
Another huge consideration in this is safety. Did all the people in the pit have to sign a waiver? There must have been a LOT of time spent planning on how to hang that giant hunk of metal over hundreds of drunk white college students. What if, if it descends, someone tries to jump on? Who do they sue? The venue? The production company? Kanye??
All in all, cool idea. Possibly cool execution? Definitely cool to be playing with traditional concert seating and such. Nice one, Kanye.
Honestly, I'm unsure as to whether this new flying stage is simply a continuation of Kanye's continued "saint" imagery, or simply a platform (hah hah, get it?) for his own overgrown ego. The stage, which looks like a levitating, minimalistic wet dream, is certainly a bold choice, but runs into some practical issues. As Claire brought up above, the floating stage creates some potential neck-cramping issues, as well as a whole host of sight-line issues. For example, when West walks from one end of the platform to the other, he completely disappears from the view of the audience members closest to the other 3 sides of the floating stage. In addition to purely practical concerns, the story that this stage is able to present is less compelling, in my opinion, than a stage that is more able to take advantage of lighting and scenery. With the audience looking up so often, designers must ensure that any scenery doesn't obscure any view up to the platform, ruling out overhanging scenic elements, in addition to any interesting deck treatment, which is out of the question for obvious reasons. Lighting designers must also keep in mind the very real possibility that every audience member will at some point be blinded by any light tracking West from above, limiting placement of lighting positions.
In summary, I'm very interested in this concept, but think that it could use a little bit of R and D.
I’m always interested in what artists come up with to push the envelope in terms of stages for concerts, though to be honest, this isn’t my favorite concert set I’ve seen given that though it seems like it would have a very cool effect when he first flies in, as far as I can tell it doesn’t do anything else interesting for the rest of the show. However, I still really appreciate the fact that he decided to do something new and different. I feel like because concert stage tech is mostly about the spectacle, though obviously it does have to compliment, enhance, and go with the music it accompanies, it allows for stages that do things that would never make sense in a play, or even a musical. For a story-based show to decide to have a flying stage lower in, it would have to make artistic sense with the plot of the play. For Kanye to do it, he just has to decide it is cool. That, coupled with the larger budget of large touring concerts, gives the opportunity for stages that move and change in unexpected ways. I hope one day I will be able to work on one of these never-been-done-before scenic challenges.
Kanye has simultaneously outdone and undone himself with this latest display of grandeur. I will freely admit that I'm firmly in the pro-Kanye camp, but his music doesn't necessarily lend itself to this sort of technology. As someone who hopes to one day aspire to design for concerts, I try to take in as much media as I can to get ideas for what sorts of things will be practical while still staying true to the music whilst immersing the audience. This sort of stage also doesn't do much justice to certain members of the audience, who will be directly under him looking up. I can only imagine the neck strain that can arise from a concert such as this one. The article also discusses his Yeezus tour, in which he had a mountain onstage in addition to multiple theatrical flourishes, which many of my friends saw and said that it felt like overkill. I understand the drive to innovate, but at this point, Kanye has dropped all pretense and is just blatantly trying to make himself a Jesus analogue, to the point where it's so phony that it just comes off as trite and overplayed. All Kanye bashing aside, I agree with Julian that had this been used somewhere more appropriate, it would have knocked my socks right off.
I've seen similar "floating stages" used in concerts in Japan, but they are used with the purpose of letting the audience on the second or third floor of the stadium to be able to see the performer, and the stage was never directly above a group of audience. I think that kind of flying stage is created in order to actually truly better the audience's experience and is a lot more practical, whereas Kanye's flying stage feels less thoughtful and (as many have mentioned above) more gimmicky. However, I think it's always nice to tryout new experimental ideas because they can be improved upon and will hopefully turn into something innovative and successful. Overall, I just feel like more thought could've been put into the design of the entire concert. Although I didn't find the stage to be super impressive, from the videos in the article it seems like everyone (even including the people directly beneath the stage) enjoyed it a lot so maybe it was successful.
Kanye West is innovative, no doubt. I think the "flying stage" will be one of his many successes: yeezys, the life of pablo, tidal. I agree with Ruth that this scenery plays into the Saint concept that Kanye is going for. I am curious to see how other artists take note and how it will impact the type of scenery we see in concerts to come. Many artists use some type of flying mechanisms (Justin Bieber's Believe & My World tours) in their performances- but I have never witnessed something of this type and I find it really interesting. Although this new scenery is cool there are a lot of factors to take into place- safety, budget, time.I am interested in finding out how much allowed time there is for load in and what the procedures are. I think Kanye has done an incredible job, once again, and I look forward to see what he does next.
I have to agree with Sophie that this feels like a really gimmicky idea. The first thing that I thought when I saw the pictures of him performing on his floating stage was "wow, it must be kind of disappointing to pay for tickets and then end up directly underneath that giant hunk of metal". Although it's a cool concept, I feel like this really ignores the practical aspects. Other than just be disappointed with being directly under Kanye, it also seems like there should be some major safety concerns with having him over their heads. I'm sure they tested it time and time again, but to me the risk doesn't seem worth the reward. The way that Sophie described the Japanese floating stages actually does seem cool, as it helps to the audience to have a better view. It really seems like this was more to play into Kanye's ego than to enhance the overall audience experience, and that doesn't sit very well with me.
Oh my goodness, how was this approved!? I know Kayne is a very inventive man and expects everything around him to be larger than life but this is definitely breaking some rules here. This stage is literally swinging over the audience! I would not want to be an audience member under there not only because of the more than obvious fear of the stage falling.. but also because you cannot see anything above the floating platform. The stage is too high; you have to be significantly far enough away to physically see Kayne. I think that this is one of the cases where it actually pays off to sit in the “nosebleeds”. It’s the only way you can see him! I know he’s going for big things and wants to be the new ‘William Shakespeare of the fashion industry’ but he’s putting himself and his fans in danger with this over-the-top mechanism.
Wow that is really cool! We can always count on Kanye West for showing us something new and different. I would have been very confused if I walked into a concert and I did not see a stage set up anywhere on the ground. People who are standing underneath the stage are getting a totally unique perspective of the concert. It might not be the best view but they can say they stood under Kayne West while he performed. It might also be a little scary to stand under a giant swinging stage. I trust the people that rigged it are professionals and it will not fall, but accidents happen all the time. It is a very minimal set but that definitely does not make it boring. It is probably a lot of fun for him to get to perform on a giant swing hung from the ceiling.
I think that this was incredibly well-executed, all the way from the actual effect of the stage itself, but also the set-up. I think that the audiences initial reaction to no stage in a space creates an environment for an effect like a floating stage to be much more successful that if it was just sitting above their heads the entire time. I think that it is also awesome that technology like this is being used in concerts, but could eventually be brought in for theatrical applications. One of the most important parts of theatre, to me, is that we know how to borrow ideas and concepts from just about every other discipline in the world and use them to make ourselves better. I think things like this are definitely one of those times, and I could definitely see this being used for any number of shows. I also just think that it is amazing that technology has advance this far and that people are still not content with simply using the technology we have, but continuing to strive to create better things.
This is an absolutely incredible idea and execution. The idea that the audience walks into the arena and sees no stage or setup is the coolest thing--it creates an idea of complete confusion that in my opinion goes right along with the style Kanye West strives for. I also particularly like the minimalist lighting rig of incandescent fixtures--it goes along with the God-like persona Kanye has created for himself as an artist. Overall, I think his rig for the tour is incredibly well done and really imaginative, and I hope that other major tours start to think outside the box in this way, as I think it works really well.
Kayne West has become known for his outlandish and crazy actions, media presence, and of course, his music. Photos and videos of this floating stage are pretty cool. The spectacle in photographs is awesome but in reality, I can't imagine it being so fun as a concert goer. People pay hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for "floor seats" to be close to the performer, but, having to look up at the performer for 2 hours doesn't sound so fun.
The technical elements apart of all of Yeezy's concerts are always incredible, but they are always focused on him and never about making it easier for the concert goer.
The projections and media walls definitely enhance his giant floating swing.
If you look at Kanye’s tour history, he turns it on its head every time. He put a mountain on stage for the Yeezus Tour, he put two large freestanding cubes in the middle of the audience for Watch the Throne, and changed how concerts used light to define “scene” for the Glow in the Dark Tour. Now, Kanye is often listed as Creative Director, Producer, or something along those lines for his tours. However, a woman named Es Devlin is often behind most of his most provocative set designs. Devlin is not a well-known name to public but she is taking the set design world by the horns. She most recently designed the set for Beyoncé’s Formation World Tour. She is known for her huge minimalist design. Her concert design is noteworthy and relevant to us as theatre practioners because she is also an incredible opera and play set designer. To see that a designer like that pushes the line similar to that of Derek McLane is amazing because these designers are able to bring theatrical design to concert. They are able to help tell the story of the concert.
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