RANCHO DOMINGUEZ, CA — Stage drapery manufacturer, Sew What? Inc. has produced another unique opening show drape for this year’s Kenny Chesney’s “Spread the Love” Tour, which kicked off April 23 in Auburn, AL. The tour will support the artist’s Noise album, which is due out early this summer.
More details from Sew What? (www.sewwhatinc.com):
Chesney’s tour design features unique drapery and surrounds that are fully designed and branded with each tour. No two designs have been alike, and each theme is expertly executed across all mediums – album art, merchandise, festival set, and stage designs. The stage designs are expertly matched to each theme using digitally produced printed drapery.
Digital printing is the process of transferring high resolution graphics onto soft drapeable textiles. Wide format digital printing gives the opportunity to present “picture perfect” images to nearly any audience and venue. Seamless images up to 16′ wide can be produced and a variety of fabrics, both indoor and outdoor, are available.
Sew What?’s Flickr gallery shows some of the prior main stage lift drape designs that were printed and sewn for prior Chesney tours: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rentwhatinc/galleries/72157632588826030/
This year’s Backdrop Artwork Concept and Design was created by Kenny Chesney and the creative team at Richards and Southern, Inc. Production Designer was Mike Swinford and Production Manager was Ed Wannebo.
The custom digital printed stage drape’s overall dimensions are impressive — at 43 feet high by almost 75 feet wide. The printed show drapery’s creation utilizes the latest in direct print technology, and is printed onto a polyester poplin substrate for great color reactivity and durability. It is a hamper friendly and tour ready product.
Megan Duckett, owner of Sew What? Inc. and sister company, Rent What? Inc. says, “We built all the elements with longevity in mind, as it’s a drapery product that will keep performing, no matter how grueling the show schedule is.”
The unique digitally printed drapery also employs the use of a flexible lift system. The large stage drape has invisible lift lines sewn onto the back of the drape. Each of the 20 lift lines on the arena drape run the full height of the drape. Stainless steel rings in turn encapsulate the lifting lines that are a part of the motorized motion control system by Show Group Production Services. The lift system raises and lowers the graphic drape across the full width of the stage to reveal the band’s performance area.
A Sew What? video showcasing the many and varied processes involved in the creation of Chesney’s massive custom lift drape can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZiNb5UpZ0U
Note: The photo accompanying this posting was updated on May 13, 2016. -ed.
