Making the festival stage go round & round
Men in Black. A suited Will Smith was rapping to the movie’s eponymous title track, against a set propped with sci-fi elements, including a flying UFO and a gigantic alien face. This was Smith’s surprise performance as part of reggaeton star J.
Balvin’s headlining act, on 14 April, during the first weekend of Coachella 2024. As lights flashed and dancers in alien suits danced, Balvin’s act gave audiences a larger-than-life experience that was more than just the music. Dial back to March and Indian fans got to experience a similar stadium style setup, during Ed Sheeran’s + - = ÷ x Tour.
What was new about this concert, for Indian concert-goers, was that it had the English musician perform live on a one-of-a-kind 360-degree circular, revolving stage. As the outer ring of the stage, studded with the mathematical symbols, revolved at a slow pace, audiences got to see Sheeran wherever they stood. “The stage ensured that Ed was visible from all angles and every spot in the venue, ensuring that no view was a bad view," says Owen Roncon, chief of business, live entertainment, at BookMyShow, the company which brought Sheeran’s tour to India this year.
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