Designer Times
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For the next two weeks, the band rehearsed the show while all the technical stuff was fine tuned. AES had been asked to build additional show items such as the curved chrome band riser, piano risers, even a spinning piano gizmo I designed for young Randy Jackson. Our main rig consisted of a very long lateral overhead truss containing a trackway and two traveling carriages. Attached to each carriage was a rotating hub to which was mounted two folding arms which terminated in an 8-legged double articulated arm array. This whole array was raised and lowered with a cable winch. The center of the arm array carried a powerful zenon searchlight from a police helicopter. It was shaped like a giant eyeball and had big eyelids designed by AES designer Tom Reidenbach.

The two big animated rigs could move in four directions over Michael, then descend while twisting and rocking. The arms, covered with lots of lights, could entrap and kill him onstage in a bright puff of smoke. Michael would dissappear into a star drop, change costume, an re-appear way up in a corner of the stage about (20) seconds later. No industry guys had ever seen such a deal. We had never seen a rock and roll extravaganza up close. Pretty good marriage everyone thought.

Watching the Jackson Victory Tour rehearsals up close was quite revealing as to how massive projects are operated. Michael always wore a long sleeve shirt and a tie.....told me that way you are always in charge. He posted a list of tardy fines at the stage door.....buck a minute for the crew, $5 per minute for Jackson family members. This meant nobody's time was ever wasted when work was to resume after breaks. The kid could sing and dance while directing the band with his arm behind his back. Any goofing off was stopped instantly.

We AES folks met some very interesting folks including famed stage design guru John McGraw. During the course of the project John would ask me hypothetical questions regarding a flying saucer design, while I admired his detail design brilliance on massive portable stages. (Whole other story coming).

With rehearsals complete at Zoetrope Studios, the next step was to load 750,000 pounds of stuff into (27) trailer and do a "load-in" at the Birmingham Alabama Civic Center Coliseum. Rick Taylor and Craig Barr of AES and myself were ordered to Alabama. Oh my gosh the buzz in Birmingham that it might be Michael Jackson. I had a front row seat at watching the entire show get assembled in a full height venue for the first time. Surrounded by screaming girls at the outside fence, we sure had to run a gauntlet back and forth to our nearby hotel. Michael came out on a balcony one night and the kids went nuts.

We finished all the fine tuning of our rig, now known as The Spiders.....Craig Barr crowned "Spiderman" by Michael. Craig and Rick wound up traveling America with the show, setting the Spiders up at (34) venues. All our stuff worked to 100% satisfaction by the Jackson Entertainment Corporation, and full payment was received. I had airline tickets to England, not wanting to be in Los Angeles during the upcoming Summer Olympics. But John McGraw called. He had the Olympic Closing Ceremonies Flying Saucer contract......but said there's not enough time or money for him to do it. He talked to AES and then asked me to take on the job. Aha, a project I can't refuse.

oOo

Next month: 1984 Los Angeles Olympics - Closing Ceremonies Spacecraft