What is a music superstar’s concert stage like?

The music industry looks very glamorous from the outside. All we see are the super stars shining on stage, all we hear are their exceptional musical performances, recorded or live. That is the main reason so many people are dying for a career in music.

However, the “little men” of the industry are often forgotten. Not even the credited lyricists, music producers, music video directors. Rather, the sound engineer in the studio, the costume designer, the stage hand, and even more so - the people who construct the stages.

If you ever watched a Super Bowl half time show - last year, in 2019, it was Maroon 5, this year Jennifer Lopez and Shakira are performing - you may have taken notice of them, actually. Within the time of one commercial break, they built an entire stage for the headliners, just to take it down in the same amount of time. And those stages they build for the half time show in minutes are usually elaborate structures for a special visual experience for the audience - both live in the stadium and home in front of their TV’s.

The stage is indeed a crucial element of a live concert. But what kind of stages do the biggest music stars of our days perform on?

In a 2013 video on their YouTube channel (Building Mind-Boggling High-Tech Concert Stages), the online news outlet Bloomberg described the current state of the music industry as an “arms race” when it comes to modern stage building. According to their piece, the stage design is becoming more and more important for the top level artists, as they make more money with live performances than by selling recorded music. The flashy set and stage designs are crucial elements of their performances.

Bloomberg singles out TAIT Towers as the leading company in modern stage design. They worked with such artists as Madonna, Metallica, Justin Timberlake or Michael Bublé.

In September 2016, festivalsherpa.com put together a list of the craziest, best looking visuals during live performances.

For example, American DJ and record producer Skrillex entered the stage in a custom made mock rocketship during his 2014 motorship tour. Kanye West performed on a stage suspended above the crowd from the ceiling in New York City in 2016. Meanwhile, the band Krewella had a crystal volcano shooting laser beams during their 2013 Get Wet tour.

The writers for the site picked a Rolling Stones stage design as their all time number 1. Mick Jagger and his legendary English rock band performed on an elaborate set during their 1989 Steele Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour that is very hard to describe.

The Festival Sherpa writers had this to say about it:
“This 1989 set designed by Mark Fisher with help from Mick Jagger reflects the Stones’ rock n roll lifestyle. The set was a huge contribution to the tour which was an enormous success for the band. If this ain’t a stage you wanna jam out on, you need help A.S.A.P!”

Mark Fisher was a British architect who became one of the most prominent figures of all time in concert stage design.

So, if you read this article through, you’ll hopefully appreciate a little more the work of the people who helped create set and stage of the concert you’re watching.