Festo pneumatics help make 'A Bigger Bang'

The latest Rolling Stones world tour, A Bigger Bang, has broken many records for duration and audience size: it features spectacular stage effects - based on an innovative use of pneumatics technology

Festo pneumatics help make A BIGGER BANG * Innovative air cannons deliver spectacular finale to Rolling Stones' concerts Northampton, January 2, 2007 - The latest Rolling Stones world tour, A Bigger Bang, has broken all sorts of records for duration and audience numbers, and features spectacular stage effects based on innovative use of pneumatics technology.

This latest tour started in Toronto in August 2005.

Since then, the group has performed in front of sell-out audiences on 116 occasions at 103 different venues around the world, spanning North and South America, the Asia-Pacific region and Europe.

The tour culminated in Vancouver on November 25, 2006.

Hailed by many as the world's greatest rock and roll band, the Stones are renowned for the quality and sheer dynamism of their performances - making each successive tour series a harder act to follow.

For the 'Bigger Bang' tour, the Stones' stage set and production designer, Mark Fisher, was presented with something of a conundrum.

In addition to an 'explosion' of sound, which would normally be created by pyrotechnics, it was decided that each concert should end with a spectacular display of movement.

Fisher and the constructors of the stage set - Brilliant Stages - chose to investigate whether pneumatics could provide the necessary performance, and sought the help of automation specialist Parker Hydraulics and Pneumatics to develop the system.

The results 'speak' for themselves! The pneumatic system comprises 36 air cannons, which fire 30 metre ribbons of Trivera fabric from the top of the stage set, accompanied by explosive sounds.

Each cannon consists of a small high pressure air reservoir that is pre-charged by a compressor; upon command, the reservoir quickly discharges its entire contents to the barrel of the system, which is essentially a 15 cm diameter, metre-long tube, packed with a Trivera ribbon.

The system works very much like the Cheetah bead seaters used by tyre fitters, which discharge a high volume of air very quickly, to help seat tyres on vehicle wheel rims prior to inflation to the correct pressure.

Parker Hydraulics and Pneumatics chose to use Festo components for all the pneumatic control functions.

They are an approved Festo Premier Stockist, and knew that the Festo mechanically-actuated ball valves offered an ideal means of controlling the output from the air reservoirs on the cannons.

The ball valves have a high volume throughput capability, accommodate high air pressures, and feature an inherently safe, blow-out proof shaft that is assembled from the inside of the component.

Each ball valve is driven by a Festo quarter-turn pneumatic actuator, which provides very fast response times, controlled by a Namur series solenoid valve.

The solenoids are wired back to the stage set main sound and effects management desk and triggered manually when required.

According to Tony Bowern, General Manager of Brilliant Stages, "The performance of our new air cannons has far exceeded expectations.

The sound that they make is quite incredible, and the visual effect is superb! The system provides a dramatic audio-visual finale for each concert and has proved remarkably robust, having performed flawlessly on every occasion".

There is an unsubstantiated rumour that Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards is especially pleased with the performance of the pneumatic system.

Following the infamous 'coconut tree incident' in Fiji back in May last year, it is believed that he is very keen to avoid stuff falling on his head! Brilliant Stages is a world leader in specialist stage set fabrication.

Founded in 1980, the company is now part of the Tomcat Global Corporation.

In the entertainment sector, its clients include the Rolling Stones, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, U2, Elton John, Sting, Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Pink Floyd, Tina Turner and Dire Straits.

Brilliant Stages also created the Millennium Dome Central Stage Show, a satellite test enclosure for Matra Marconi (Space), and a corporate stand for the Orange Arrows F1 Team.

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