UK: Coldplay recently headlined the first concert at Kensington Palace – a 3,000 capacity benefit for Sentebale, Prince Harry’s HIV / AIDS charity. Fresh from Glastonbury Festival, the band performed on a Star Events 15m x 12m SAM platform, the largest single truck mobile stage in Europe.
Since 2006, Sentebale has been helping children in the south African kingdom of Lesotho affected by HIV / AIDS, and Coldplay’s 11 song set culminated in current single Up & Up accompanied by the Basotho Youth Choir and the charity’s founder.
Working to the tightest deadline – in on Sunday night, show on Tuesday, out first thing Wednesday – Star Events fitted the SAM stage with extended wings to accommodate Coldplay’s production. The company also provided a multi-level VIP viewing area with seats for 500.
Roger Barrett, Special Projects Director at Star Events, commented: “Historic Royal Palaces are open to the public year-round, which puts an extra pressure on events like this one. Time was the biggest hurdle at Kensington Palace, so the SAM stage was the obvious fit. It goes up in about five hours, has the best roof trim and wind resistance of any mobile stage, and comes with 18 tons rigging capacity across the roof and the wings. Perfect for the bells and whistles of a big act like Coldplay. And it meant we were gone before breakfast on Wednesday.”
