Galas · IXL Events Centre, Warwickshire
Ten years on, the original backing singers who shared the stage with George Michael stepped into the spotlight at IXL Events Centre, for a night that had 240 guests on their feet.
The story
The Original George Michael Backing Singers Live brought together 240 guests for a gala dinner and full live concert at IXL Events Centre. What made it different from any tribute night was the performers themselves: Shirley Lewis, Jay Henry and Jo Garland are not impersonators, they are the real musicians who toured and recorded with George Michael throughout his career.
As the permanent in-house production partner at IXL, Kudos AV designed and delivered every technical element of the evening from first design meeting through to post-event de-rig. Sound, lighting, screens, scenic, the printed dancefloor, the circular bar surround and a full technical crew were all provided by a single team with one point of contact.
From Careless Whisper to Fast Love to Freedom, the entire room was singing and dancing. Delivering that moment technically, with no failures and no surprises, is the job.
Production scope
The production disciplines brought together for this project.
A d&b Audiotechnik line array flown from the overhead rig for even coverage across all 240 covers without floor stacks, tuned before doors and handling three close-harmony vocalists and an eight-piece band, with a separate DJ system for arrival and dinner.
The permanent IXL overhead rig programmed for the night: warm gala wash for dinner transitioning to a full moving-head beam show in purple, gold and white, operated live throughout.
The permanent Unilumin 2.6mm centre screen joined by two large portrait LED screens flanking the stage, with custom GMS-branded George Michael content and live switching during the performance.
A 42 x 16ft extended band stage for the eight-piece configuration, with a 12 x 12ft walkway extending from the stage front through the dancefloor so the vocalists could move into the room.
A bespoke curved 34 x 24ft printed dancefloor as the room centrepiece and a printed walkway connecting the stage thrust to the circular bar, all custom printed to the GMS branding.
Full pre-production before a cable was run: 3D room renders and a scaled CAD plan by James Ashford, with all technical staff on the night provided by Kudos AV, no subcontractors.
Project gallery
Real project photography from the finished event.
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