After Friday night’s tough loss against the Oakland Raiders, the field at University of Phoenix Stadium was rolled out and 36 semi-trucks were brought in.
Each truck carried with it the stage, lighting, speakers and video screens needed to turn the home of the Arizona Cardinals into “Paradise City.”
On Monday night, Axl Rose and Slash of Guns N Roses bring their “Not In This Lifetime” tour to Glendale, Arizona – err, we really mean Paradise City. (Seriously, Glendale’s mayor changed the city’s name for one day only)
Over the weekend, ABC15 was invited to a behind-the-scenes tour of the concert set up.
Below are a few of the craziest facts we learned about Guns N Roses’ tour from Production Manager Dale “Opie” Skjerseth.
“OPIE” IS FROM PHOENIX
How cool is that? Dale Skjerseth, the production manager of the tour, is from Phoenix. His nickname is Opie and that’s the one question we forgot to ask – what’s the story behind his nickname? Alas, we learned he’s been working in the industry for over three decades. After GnR’s tour, he’ll be back on the road again with AC/DC. Tough gig, huh? (Actually, it really is)
36 SEMI-TRUCKS OF EQUIPMENT
That’s right. On Friday night, 16 semi-trucks arrived at University of Phoenix Stadium carrying the steel needed to build the stage structure. On Saturday, an additional 20 semi-trucks arrived with the production equipment – the sound mixers, lights and three video screens.
72 HOURS TO BE “SHOW READY”
Three days. That is how long it takes to unload and set up the stage, sound and lights to be “show ready.”
125 + 125 = 250
That is the number of people it takes to unload the trucks and build the stage. There are 125 crew members who travel with the show. The other 125 people were hired locally.
Watch the video in the player above to see the crew in action.
“This should be our most efficient and fastest move in and move out of the entire tour we’ve done.”
Because the trucks can literally be driven into the red zone, it makes loading and unloading equipment a breeze. Even with one or two trucks inside, plus the stage, and the forklifts moving around, there was a ton of room to move around.
TICKETS
Tickets are still available. They can be purchased at LiveNation.com.
LEAVE (MOST) BAGS AT HOME
If you’re going, you should know that the stadium will be following the NFL’s bag policy. Only clear bags (12"x6"x12") or a small clutch (4.5" x 6x5") will be allowed in. Camera bags, seat cushions and purses will not be allowed in and you cannot store them at security or the stadium.
