Because of the chilling -24 degrees, we had to keep our equipment indoors to prevent the materials from getting too cold. For instance, electrical cables can get brittle and shatter at such low temperatures. Due to a lack of indoor space at US Bank Stadium, we had to store our equipment at an off-site compound. This involved lengthy daily transport across the city across the metro train tracks during the two weeks leading up to game day.
However, we were show-ready in an astounding 4 minutes and 30 seconds––a record time for the team.
As always, we were thrilled to work with Bruce Rodgers and Tribe Designs on the staging for the show. For the Super Bowl LII Halftime Show the All Access team provided the main stage, the club scene stage and the catwalk with entry ramp. We also provided the Señorita stage, the diamond stage, and the piano stage.
Scene #1 “Filthy”
Club scene stage
The show kicks off with solo headliner Justin Timberlake performing below the grandstands on the club scene stage, featuring a laser show.
Scene #2 “Rock Your Body”
Catwalk with entry ramp
The 60’ long catwalk with entry ramp, which featured LED accent lighting, had to cross over the Eagles bench. We had to make sure it was stable enough for the performance. Therefore, we added de-bounce legs under the catwalk to prevent any movement.
Scene #3 “Rock Your Body” & “Señorita”
Señorita stage
The Señorita stage needed to have the character of a local dive bar. The solution: in order to achieve the rustic aesthetic while maintaining the technological fundamentals of a performance stage, we used reclaimed wood. We prepped it with steam boxes to moisten the brittle wood in order to achieve the curvature and covered the LED with scenic grates to maintain the authenticity of the dive bar look.
Scene #4 “Señorita,” “Sexy Back,” “My Love,” & “Cry Me A River”
Main stage
The main stage, which provided two scenes, rolled in on 10 carts. The first featured a flat floor with ribbon lifts, video panels, and multi-level risers with rear access stairs for 360-degree use of the stage. Interestingly, we repurposed the pregame LED carts to flank the main stage to increase the span of the stage to 100’.
Scene #5 “Suit And Tie”
Diamond stage
This was one of the most involved projects of the show this year. We had to create a diamond-shaped stage with no shadows. The solution was to use new technology to support the Plexiglas in order to create no shadows. This project took two attempts to get it just right, and the final version was a huge success.
Scene #6 “Until The End Of Time”
Piano stage
This clean, elegant stage was a straightforward build that consisted of three pieces: two curved sides and a center section.
Scene #7 “I Would Die 4 You”
Soft goods and kabuki system
We provided the 85’ by 48’ silk curtain that became the projection surface for the Prince duet, with a kabuki drop at the end.
Scene #8 “Mirrors” & “Can’t Stop The Feeling”
Main stage
For the final scene, we converted the second main stage scene to its mirrors look. This included additional staging features in front of a central lift to create a cascading mirror effect, and exits via invisible stairs.
Many thanks to Bruce Rodgers and Tribe Designs for involving us again with one of our favorite projects of the year!
Check out the GIG for show photos!
