U2 are preparing for the first show of their 360 Australian tour at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne tomorrow, Wednesday 1st December, and Tone Deaf’s Jim Murray and Isabel McCrann were lucky enough to be invited to have a sneak peek at their infamous claw stage as the final touches were added this afternoon. It’s truly an impressive sight, and an army of workers appeared like ants in the upper levels of the stage were the top of the claw sailed way above the roof off the stadium. According to Tour Director Jake Berry, the roof will remain open, so if the weather is inclement in Melbourne tomorrow evening, fans should dress appropriately – it will happen rain, hail or shine.
The claw having the finishing touches put to it today is one of three traversing the country in a fleet of six 747 jumbo cargo planes. Each stage set takes five days to set up, so one for the Brisbane shows is also being assembled. It weighs almost 400 tonnes alone, and there will be almost 200 tonnes of gear hanging off it by show time. The U2 360° tour features almost 250 tour personnel from 15 different countries, as well as local crew. The claw shape is reminiscent of Louise Bourgeois’ giant spider creations, which U2’s long time set and lighting director Willie Williams confirmed in our chat with him was indeed one of the inspirations for the design.
While we were there, Williams and Berry also confirmed that the band’s previous Australian tour mate Kanye West is in town visiting on the quiet, and although they wouldn’t be drawn on whether he could join U2 or special guest Jay-Z on stage, the smiles suggest that fans could be in for a treat! Wednesday’s show is sold out, but there are a few tickets remaining for Friday night’s show. Visit www.u2.com for further tour information and tickets.
Exclusive footage on Tone Deaf TV
Interview with U2’s set designer
Talking about recycling the set
Talking about Bono’s health and back problems
Photos on Tone Deaf
Official U2 360 Media Launch
