Eric Squires (above left) and his boss, Michael Tait,
look at the measurements at a new CNC router
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Michael Tait (center) measures a rotating stage that will be used in Radio City Music Hall's Christmas
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If you're going to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Hersheypark Stadium on Aug. 19, you'll be witness to something revolutionary.
No, you won't actually see it or hear it. You won't even feel it.
But Springsteen's stage, designed and built by Tait Towers of Lititz, uses a new click-and-lock, modular decking system that drastically cuts the time it takes to load and unload a set.
And in the world of rock 'n' roll tours, which is where the money is made these days, that's revolutionary.
"Springsteen is the first to use it, but everyone will be," says Michael Tait, founder and head of the company that bears his name. "It's really revolutionized how sets are built."
But that's something Michael Tait and Tait Towers have been doing since the 1970s.
The company creates stages and sets for the biggest names in the business. Besides Springsteen, who it has worked with since 1985, it currently is building sets for Madonna and Tina Turner.
Other clients include Bon Jovi, U2, Bette Midler, Cher, the Rolling Stones, Neil Diamond, the Jonas Brothers, Ozzy Osbourne and Paul McCartney among plenty of others.
Some sets can cost millions to make, but Tait says when compared to the overall cost of keeping a tour on the road, the sets aren't usually a big part of the budget.
But creating sets that are easy to put together means a band can hire fewer roadies. Making pieces that pack tightly means they can take out fewer trucks.
Springsteen's set is simple compared to other ones Tait has designed and built.
The Spice Girls required five elevators that would magically lift Scary, Posh and the rest up to the stage.
The Rolling Stones set featured pyrotechnics, scaffolding that held audience members and a stage that sailed out into the audience.
Cher needed a bridge for her Caesar's Palace show that could hold 20 dancers.
"We've built some pretty exotic machinery," says Tait, who's in his early 60s. "Back when we started, the complexity was much less. Taking four or five trucks out was big. Now a lot of tours have 20 trucks."
People have higher expectations too.
"Now, you expect to be able to see what's going on and be able to hear it," Tait says. "Expectations are much grander now.
Concerts are where the money is.
"Bands don't make money from records anymore," Tait says. "Concerts became much more important and that was a good setup for me."
Tait never had a plan to become the world's premiere manufacturer of stage sets for rock shows. It just kind of happened.
The Australia native — he became an American citizen in 1996 — got his start working as a roadie and driver with the band Yes back in 1968.
He became interested in lighting and began designing light shows for Yes and then other bands.
In the mid-1970s, Tait came up with the idea of a rotating stage, which he built here in Lancaster County.
The concept proved to be a big hit for Yes and it changed Tait's life.
"The rotating stage would give a band a financial advantage because it increased the seating capacity, which generated more cash," Tait says. "And then other artists began calling."
That included some of the the '80s biggest acts, including Barry Manilow, Kenny Rogers and Diana Ross.
(Tait's building skills did not come from nowhere. He studied civil and mechanical engineering at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.)
Tait came to Lititz because he was working a lot with Roy Clair, of Clair Brothers Audio, which was doing the sound for Yes.
Like Tait Towers, Clair Brothers became a powerhouse in the world of rock concerts, working with a wide array of stars. They are not working on the Springsteen tour, though.
The two bought an old Lititz shoe factory, which became a rehearsal studio and a manufacturing plant for the sets.
"It was a fairly convenient location," Tait says. "And the work ethic here is fantastic. You've got workers who are consistent and reliable."
Back then, Tait recalls, they only had a few employees. Rock stars would come into the area to rehearse and both Tait and Clair Brothers kept a low profile.
Tait does not get star struck, though he admits seeing Buddy Holly back in the 1950s was a thrill for him and got him interested in a career in the world of rock 'n' roll.
"Seeing him was the root of all this," he says.
And he says he would have loved to work with Elvis.
"It almost happened. He was talking to the Clair Brothers about doing a show," Tait recalls. "But then he died."
Tait is highly impressed by some of the people he has worked with, mentioning Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow, Bette Midler, Cher, The Rolling Stones and U2 in particular.
"They care desperately about their careers and they work 26 hours a day," he says, adding with a laugh, "I wouldn't want to mention those who weren't so great. There are many."
While Tait Towers doesn't actually design sets, it works closely with the people who do. Tait says a lot of psychology goes into building a good set.
"It's about how an artist relates to the audience," he explains. "Part of the whole thing is making that audience member not feel like an outsider. Make them feel like they are sharing something and the musician is feeding off the audience's energy."
That means making sure the gap between the performer and the audience isn't too wide, that he or she can talk to the audience.
"And the band has to be able to see each other, hear each other, feel comfortable on the stage," Tait says.
While most of their clients are rock acts, Tait Towers also builds sets for national tours of Broadway shows, including "Jersey Boys," "Miss Saigon," and "Phantom of the Opera."
"When things get complicated, they call us," Tait says.
Cirque de Soleil, which always made a point of using Canadian firms, switched to Tait Towers after hearing about its technology.
And the popular Radio City Music Hall Christmas show is going on a national tour this fall. Tait Towers is building the elaborate set, which will include several revolving stages that must hold dancing Rockettes.
"We are growing at a furious rate," Tait says. "We've got about 90 employees but we could use 20 more tomorrow."
That's right. Tait Towers is looking to fill jobs. They need machinists, electricians, welders and IT people.
The three warehouses that make up Tait Towers are like beehives on steroids. The company operates two shifts a day, and at any given time, workers are building three or four sets while the IT guys are helping to design the next three or four sets with 3-D computer programs.
So, after all these years, is there any act he would like to work with that he hasn't?
Tait smiles.
"Well, five years ago, I would have said Madonna and McCartney, but now we've worked with them."
Staff writer Jane Holahan can be reached at jholahan@LNPnews.com or 481-6016.
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