STAR LIVE of a mobile stage that would fold down into the back of a truck.“ That was very radical at the time,” he says.“ We got a patent on that, which stood us in good stead for the next 20 years.”
By 1990, Barrett’ s abundant engineering ingenuity saw him create the VerTech staging system, first used at the Stone Roses’ famous Spike Island show in May of that year. He says the system set the template for modular touring stages, offering increased efficiency, reliability and safety. With it allowing for multiple configurations, performance widths, canopy depths and trims, VerTech continues to be widely used. Other innovations soon followed, including the Active Roof Technology( ART of Rigging) system for real-time load monitoring; and the 20-20 Grandstand Roof system that was first used at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2011.
Another pivotal moment in Barrett’ s career came when his team was asked to create a world-first staging system to accommodate an in-the-round concept for Adele’ s world tour in 2017. The result was a heavily engineered staging system, with all the structural complexity hidden, that simultaneously met structural, safety, and Es Devlin’ s aesthetic, demands – leading to the creation of the Ultra Stage system.
Barrett says Adele was fresh from a long running US arena tour and wanted to play the southern hemisphere, where suitable arenas were not available. The solution was to move into stadiums. With a true 360 ° in-the-round stage setup required, and Adele being unwilling to perform behind the cross-bracing steel wires usually needed for stability, it meant Barrett and his team were tasked with creating an innovative structural engineering solution.
“ They wanted a 360 ° set up, with the audience so close some were under the roof of the stage, with no backstage area,” he says.“ The audio design required eight huge PAs hung roughly 25 metres apart and 30m up in the air. The existing truss solutions wouldn’ t cope so we invented a new truss, called Ultra, that was the same size as four
Grahame Muir
Roger Barrett
VerTech vertical masts grouped together. That was the cornerstone of the plan. The tower system was completely new, while the horizontal grid at the top was all VerTech technology.”
The innovative Ultra Stage system conceptualised for Adele’ s tour was later adapted for a wide range of events, from the League of Legends World Championships in Shanghai to the Queen’ s Platinum Jubilee and Parklife.
Further adapted for the Oasis Live’ 25 tour to meet the requirements of the promoters and show designer Paul Normandale, it was tailored for each individual venue to enhance sightlines and sound quality while also enabling the promoter to sell more tickets. The setup included an 11m reinforced cantilever roof supporting more than 27 tonnes of rigging, while in-stage tech bunkers had 62m ² of clear space and a retractable roof system.
“ The ability to cantilever opens sightlines at the sides massively, because there ' s no towers in the way. For Oasis, we really pushed the cantilevers so the capacities in the stadiums were significantly higher,” says Barrett.
Now in its 50th year, Star Live continues to go from strength to strength with no shortage of major projects in the pipeline, servicing clients both old and new. The company, which secured a significant investment from LDC in 2023 to support its growth, is continuing to expand its reach and service portfolio.
“ The Middle East is the fastest growing part of our business, particularly in Saudi,” says Muir.“ Three years ago, we worked on a project there with Live Nation and soon realised we needed to have a business presence in the region. We now have an office and warehousing with a multi-million-pound inventory.”
Another major step forward for Star Live in the region is a new strategic collaboration with Electra.“ By combining Star Live’ s expertise in staging, structures, seating and modular solutions with Electra’ s leadership in premium fit-out and experiential delivery, we are creating a truly joinedup, turnkey offer for clients delivering ambitious projects across the Kingdom and the wider GCC. This partnership will supercharge our business in the Middle East.”
“ Star ' s reputation has travelled around the world on staging but there ' s a wider sphere of opportunity out there for us. It ' s about reigniting and amplifying the brand across various other live event opportunities, including moving into the design and build of permanent projects.”
With premium proprietary systems, a delivery-first culture and teams trusted as a safe pair of hands on the world’ s biggest shows, Star Live’ s next chapter looks set to be shaped by the same hallmarks that built its reputation: innovation, reliability and a relentless focus on doing things the right way. The next 50 years is indeed looking bright for Star.
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