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Some top performers wrapped up tours this year while others are kicking off new road trips as spring warms up in North America. Rock-It’s music touring team finished the behind-the-scenes logistics for headliner Beyoncé who wrapped up her grueling schedule earlier this year. Bon Jovi, Lady Gaga and Guns ‘N Roses are just a few of the mega-groups that Rock-It is supporting in 2010. Some unplanned schedule changes and last minute shipments have already started off the year with a bang.
Beyoncé’s nine-month schedule included dates in North America, Japan, Singapore, the Middle East, China, Russia, Europe and South America. Rock-It Cargo’s Kevin Roach coordinated air charters in and out of twelve major international cities. The 55 tons of gear that included sound equipment, lighting, backline, and wardrobe moved smoothly with one notable exception: when the show dates in Russia changed, Roach had some scrambling to do. Because a previously contracted aircraft was unavailable for the new dates and its potential replacement had crashed two days earlier, he was forced to hire three lower capacity planes to replace them. Despite the complications, all the equipment arrived on time.
Bon Jovi on tour in 2010 Rock-It’s Todd Murphy handled the last two Bon Jovi tours. Although he is still in the planning phase for the group’s 2010 international schedule, the shipment will consist of four or five truckloads of airfreight and between 15 and 20 40’ sea freight containers. The band finishes their North American tour on May 29th at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. From there, the ocean containers will be sent to Madrid (via London) where they will meet up with the airfreight shipment in time for the first European concert date on June 4th. One month (and an additional air charter from Madrid to Amsterdam) later, everything will head back to the U.S. for several more shows to finish out the schedule.
Most of the time, freight logistics are straight forward—the result of careful planning and preparation. That wasn’t the case however, when Rock-It Cargo staffer Abigail Williams jumped on a plane with a 50 lb. hydraulic pump starter assembly, pickle control cables, control pickles, and a bag of miscellaneous parts needed for a Lady Gaga show the next day in London. Shipping the parts as cargo wouldn’t have gotten them to the concert on time so Rock-it’s team did the next best thing to guarantee delivery. “I got a call on Tuesday at 11:30 am and at 9:15 p.m. that night, I was on a plane from Philadelphia to London to make a show in Cardiff the next day,” Williams said.
Collapsed stage in Rio wreaks havoc with post-concert transport plans
Rock-It Cargo’s Barry Becker won the Guns ‘N Roses (GNR) account mid-tour, after the group had already arrived in Brazil. The balance of the tour included 42,000 kilos of lights, staging, sound and backline to be shipped throughout South and Central America. However, the engagement started off with a major challenge. After the stage collapsed due to heavy rains in Rio de Janeiro, the GNR performance was canceled, and crews were unable to break down what was left of the mangled set in time to make trucks traveling to the next date in Porto Alegre. Becker received a call at 3:15 a.m. to arrange an air charter out of Rio and was able to find a DC10 in the area to fly the same day. The shipment arrived in Porto Alegre in time to complete the set-up. The tour continues through the rest of the summer.
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