Reach out for Africa - From the start, this project was always going to be a challenge. In addition to a familiar roster of performers was a group called ‘participants’ – a massed choir of 2,500.

The concert was a fundraiser and a ‘one-off’ gig, which meant that the venue was only booked for one day. The show was produced by Unusual Services and the event was the brainchild of Patti Boulaye, who in her inimitable way, managed to persuade The Dhol Foundation Drummers, Sundance, Uri Geller, Boney M, Rik Waller, Gabrielle, Sir Cliff Richard and a few thousand more to take part. The sheer number of participants and performers necessitated an early start to rehearsals, which in turn put pressure on the technical team to deliver as quickly as possible.
The load in started at midnight on Saturday. Nick Brown of Unusual Rigging moved in first to hang the screen, lights and sound. Fourth Phase augmented the Royal Albert Hall lighting rig and Dobson Sound supplied the sound system. Screenco provided a large 15mm LED screen, centrally located in front of the organ and Martin Jangaard with CT put in the infrastructure for the live feed to the screen. The last and most important arrival at midnight was Eat to the Beat, who were going to keep the team going for a 24-hour shift.

The stage management team from Pandemonium Visions arrived at 7.30 under the supervision of Simon Garrett and Penny Bird. By this time, the sound, lighting and screens were flown and functioning and over the course of the morning, the technical team worked around the artists, who started stage rehearsals at 9.00. A full technical run in the afternoon went smoothly under the expert guidance of Dougie Squires as did an unforgettably loud, lively and uplifting performance by all. With so many performers, the show overran a little, hence putting the pressure back on to the technical team to load out in time. As usual, they all rose to the challenge and added a new dimension to the saying ‘It’s all in a days work’.