It was in the late 1970s that Kate Bush pioneered the concept of live shows using a headset with a wireless microphone. It all seems rather quaint compared to the multimedia experience that Coldplay recently showcased to a vast audience at Wembley: reactive LED wristbands, massive screens, giant beach balls, puppets, mind-boggling audio-visuals and, of course, wireless connectivity so that lead singer Chris Martin could run around at high speed and still be heard.
And speaking of connectivity, it’s not too hard to find videos of the band playing in numerous parts of the world, recorded live on smartphones and, quite possibly, uploaded to YouTube minutes later.
At Wembley there were 90,000 people in attendance, most of whom had smartphones and expected to be able to use them. By contrast Kate Bush fans had to go outside afterwards and find a payphone from which to tell their mates about the show.
The communications demands of major live shows aren’t going to get any simpler. Big rock shows will become more theatrical than ever, and wireless will be used to enable more complex and elaborate presentations. Fans, meanwhile, will want real-time connectivity – something that bands and venues can also use for marketing, promotions and information.
Meanwhile the operations team will use both public cellular and dedicated radio spectrum to manage ticketing, crowd control, emergencies, the band’s own wireless needs and more.
This isn’t just about rock shows, however. Big sports events can’t just involve squinting at a pitch. Video screens, live feeds of referees making decisions, streamed information, interactive marketing of food, tickets and special offers, as well as fan uploads of goals, runs or arguments are becoming the norm.
Even theatre is enabling wireless communications – at least on the stage. During Sydney Theatre Company’s recent production of The Picture of Dorian Gray a live video was sent from an iPhone held by the lead actress who used its camera and live face manipulation to play multiple characters in real time. There are whole sections of the play reliant on a consumer electronic device using Wi-Fi. In fact how long could it be before audiences are told to keep their smartphones on in a theatre as part of the performance rather than switch them off?
A connected audience and connected performances are clearly the future – and neither are going to get any less demanding. If a stadium’s communications roadmap doesn’t actually take into account these needs it’s going to have problems.
The good news is that wireless is evolving to meet these demands. The less good news is that managing this evolution and making it work requires a high level of engineering and radio planning skill. That, however, is the type of skill Real Wireless can offer – and has offered, to shopping centres, office blocks, stadiums (including Wembley) and much more.
All these big venues need the support of experts that understand what’s required now and the kind of solutions you’re going to need in the future – onstage and offstage.
And we can do that. We can make your venue ‘Coldplay-ready’.
