LED stage sets

[Splodge]

Watching live streams of Coachella, one of the big things that stuck out (aside from all the Brad’s and Chad’s raving to Baby Shark) is their massive LED screens, that wrap around back and side stage, which are becoming more commonplace at festivals.

I quite like the bare bones feel of a lot of the Glastonbury stages, where the music takes centre stage - but admittedly some of the effects were really cool and added extra dimensions to some of the performances.

Do you think Glastonbury will move further in this direction? Wonder if it’s a concious decision or if it all just comes down to cost. Imagine it aint cheap! Would really kick the other stage up a notch.

[HotChipWillBreakYourLegs]

Yeah would be pretty cool.  However I prefer to be able to watch the band rather than a screen. 

[brettredmayne]

I think the cost would never allow for it at Glastonbury,  rather the festival invested in acts rather then production 

[Pinhead]

Looks great, but I hope not. The stage set is already becoming more that the artist upon it these days, especially in the US but witness Boomtown for example. Great looking stages but when does this begin to detract from the performance? Screens like this presumably also consume a lot more power and add to the cost of the technical logistics too.

[fatyeti24]

I think that'd be ace on the Other stage.  It's such a huge stage that acts can appear lost during daylight hours - I think the detraction from performance argument is somewhat negated under these specific circumstances.  Then they often have electronic acts headlining, where the visuals are very much part of the show.

I wouldn't really think it'd suit any other stage at Glastonbury, but then I did like what Coldplay did with the Pyramid in 2011.  Even though I wasn't at that gig, they left that effect on the outside of the stage going all night and it looked cool whenever you caught a glimpse of it from far flung corners of the site.

[Supernintendo Chalmers]

I agree that predominantly it's about the artist and the music but get both together with incredible visuals for the right act and it's mindblowing. Can you imagine the Chemical Brothers with that setup? Wow. 

[TKOCF]

Reading and Leeds had something similar to it last year on the main. I quite liked it, thought it worked quite well. 

Edited April 15, 2019 by TKOCF

[Lubic]

Looks pretty cool, but I'm sure Glastonbury would rather spend the budget elsewhere. If any stage were to eventually incorporate it, it would no doubt be the Other stage, especially given the sort of headliners they tend to go for these days.

Not on the same scale, but JP had a new larger screen last year, that all the acts were able to make use of for visuals etc. That worked quite well, I thought.

[jyoung]

Whether we like it or not, times change. We are in a digital age and the way we consume stuff has changed. If you live in the past the world will move on without you. To rule it out completely is naive. We should be looking not to reject new technology simply for the sake of it but to embrace it in the instances where it can add something. That means also acknowledging the instances where it is not necessary. It does not have to be a black or white, yes or no. 

For instance, sometimes at the Pyramid the performance can get lost in the crowd and not make it past the sound desk. It's a big field. At Radiohead I felt so detached from what was going on onstage despite the fact that I love their music and had spent months looking forward to the gig. That's not to say I didn't enjoy listening to them play, I did but I didn't feel drawn in by their performance. I was far away and there was nothing to drag me into the show. The screens were an absolute shit show and that gig, in my on opinion, is a prime example show of a performance where an exciting display of visuals could have elevated the entire gig to the next level.

When Coldplay use their wristbands, everyone is a part of the show no matter where you are in the field. Fatboy Slim used fantastic visuals on the screen during his 2016 John Peel set and it really got the place buzzing. I understand why people would think that the music alone should be enough to justify being there and having a great time but we're not just consuming the experience with our ears, are we... There are lighting designers, sound technicians and stage managers all doing their best to contribute towards a great live show so why wouldn't we want to improve it where we can? It's all about creating an atmosphere and as I said, I can think of plenty of examples where those Coachella screens would go down a treat at Glastonbury.

[shuttlep]

I know all the purists will hate the thought of these screens, and with bands I agree, leave the stage free for them.

 

but with DJ's I love to see them , you can never see a wee man miles away in a box bobbing his head anyway. the screens off a little extra 

 

I Like a little extra

[chazwwe]

I get the argument for both sides. It all depends on how its used and who for. Bands who rely on visual heavy music (see Tame Impala) go mad over these kinds of things but bands who are way more about stage presence/sing along anthems carry them selves more. 

I think there's a place for it at Glastonbury, as others have said Other Stage especially with how wide it is now would work great. Would Glastonbury up the cost to have it though? I doubt it. 

[Crazyfool01]

who knows what we will get ... a few triangles on the outside of the pyramid looked great for coldplay a few years back .... and they have had a fallow year to work on some stuff .... didn't ~Edd Sheran also get some extra screens on top of the pyramid ?