If you’re the type of football fan who ignores the halftime show or changes the channel when the first half ends, maybe knowing just how frantic things can be behind the scenes will change your viewing habits, at least for the resurgent Detroit Lions’ annual Thanksgiving Day home game against the undefeated Green Bay Packers at Ford Field.

For the sixth consecutive year, the AVI-SPL Creative Show Services team will serve as the production, staging and technology company for the halftime show, providing all the video and lighting during Nickelback’s performance.

And after three days of setup and “about 1,000” rehearsals, AVI-SPL will have exactly four minutes to set up the stage and enhancements after the Lions and Packers head to the locker rooms for their mid-game huddles. That’s why they’ve installed fast-moving rigging motors in the ceiling and put the lights on moving risers, says Jim Engelman, director of sales for the Creative Show Services group.

“The biggest thing we’ve learned is flexibility,” he says, noting the company’s ties to the show started with The Goo Goo Dolls in 2006. “You always have to be prepared that someone is going to change their minds. The first time was probably the most difficult, since we were the first group to rig it and try to do something more dynamic, but it doesn’t necessarily get any easier.”

The design includes a low-resolution 40mm Martin LED screen for the set and high-resolution EverBright 15mm LED for the main screen. AVI-SPL created video to play back through the two Hippotizer media servers, and running all of the technology. For lighting, the 30-foot high and 75-foot wide stage will have tons of LED Color Kinetics ColorBlaze strips and 80 Impressions moving lights.

AVI-SPL will synchronize several words to show up on the screens to coincide with the song lyrics, Engelman says. That requires immense precision, because if it’s too late or too early, the effect is largely lost.

So, while things will surely be hectic for those four minutes of setup time, at least the NFL gives the crew a bit longer to clear the field after Nickelback’s performance - five minutes. Talk about the hurry-up offense!

About the author

D. Craig MacCormack

Craig MacCormack is a veteran journalist with more than 15 years experience covering local and national news and sports as well as architecture and engineering. He joined Commercial Integrator in January 2011. Follow him on Twitter: @CraigMacCormack.

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