Originally constructed for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, France’s national stadium has played host to countless iconic sporting moments in recent history. The latest chapter in the Stade de France’s rich legacy was a cultural triumph, as the stadium set the stage for Burna Boy’s latest performance – a landmark event that saw the Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer become the first African artist to sell out the 80,000-seat venue, supported by a collective of creatives and production specialists driving the carnival-inspired, high-energy spectacle.
On site, Production Lead, Temidayo Oladehin was supported by Lolade Akinsiku, Temilade Kadri, Kemi Odeyemi, and Senior Product and Tour Manager, Shannon Wright. “We must have had 200 meetings in the lead up to this show,” Oladehin said, citing the global footprint of team with creatives.
Creative Director, Ronami Ogulu was instrumental in the development of the production design, which included five scene changes – from bedroom to jungle – automated lighting pods, a long thrust with a B-stage, mirrored IMAGs, a lift and a litany of special effects and pyrotechnics, among more.
“We wanted a simple-looking stage but with a lot of dynamic elements. In collaboration with Ronami, I developed the video screen design, and the scenic – a white-walled room, which doubled as a versatile canvas, allowing the creative team to paint what they want on top of it, with various scene changes throughout the show,” Oladehin explained.
To make the vision a reality, On a Spaceship enlisted the support of Patchwork London (audio control), Southby Productions (PA), Siyan (lighting and automation), Upset (staging), Creative Technology (video), Hephzibah Productions (backline), CrowdLED (wristbands), Fly By Nite (trucking), Tamtam (catering), Grand Final Fireworks (special effects and pyrotechnics), Team Audio (communications), Nylon (merchandising), H2H Rigging, among other local vendors. “We’ve worked with most of the suppliers before and they all provide excellent service and support,” Oladehin remarked.
In addition to wrangling the production elements, Oladehin has mixed Burna Boy’s FOH signature sound since 2016. With a tenor saxophone, lead saxophone, trombone, trumpet, talking drums, two keyboardists, a bass guitar, an electric guitar, drums, percussion, multiple dancers, in addition to Burna Boy, backing vocalists and seven guest artists, the show had a lot of moving parts.
“You see two different sides of me when I’m production lead and mixing; I see the former as a job – I am under immense pressure to ensure things come to pass and are done perfectly, but when I get behind a desk, I just have fun. I see myself as a musical director, conducting a choir of 40,000 people, including the audience. They are the people I am satisfying, while the monitor engineers handle those on stage, and if I don’t do my job right, they are not going to enjoy the show. As soon as I start mixing, nothing else exists.”
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Words: Jacob Waite
Photos: Maja Moan and TPi
