LONDON – The second leg of Bon Jovi’s current tour opened in Bulgaria earlier this month, revealing an Americana-themed set, designed by PEDG’s Spike Brant. Serving as production / lighting designer / show director for the tour, Brant turned to Tait to create the 30 meter inflatable 1959 Buick Electra, which spans the length of the mainstage.
More details from Tait (www.taittowers.com):
Tait supplied all the staging for the tour, including a 34 meter wide main stage, a band riser and a 30 meter rounded B-stage catwalk. The Buick Electra’s hood sits above the band and is made of three, cold-air inflatable pieces. The three separate pieces measure 30 meters in total length, and are capable of full inflation in 30 minutes. The inflatable surface has been scenically airbrushed and UV treated for the outdoor shows. It is externally lit from various lighting positions during the show, creating many different looks.
To complete the Buick’s grill which sits beneath the inflatable, Tait manufactured a grill section which houses 60 custom V9 frames and custom light poles.
Four scenic car headlight surrounds were also manufactured to be situated beneath the Buick. The 2.5 meter diameter surrounds were scenically carved, hard coated and covered in chrome vinyl auto-body wrapping to provide the chrome featured on the Electra.
A 4×2 meter Bon Jovi ‘Garden State’ license plate with integrated LED sits across the middle of the inflatable car, adding to the scenic intricacy of the set. Atop the edge of the inflatable Buick is a metal rain gutter structure, created by Tait to move any water away from the stage when performing in inclement weather. The gutter interfaces with the inflatable roof and is scenically painted to match the silver blue of the car.
The project build took Tait just 10 weeks from start to completion, reinforcing Tait’s ability to create artistically impressive, yet tourable scenic structures in a short time period.
