10/15/2024
Madonna The Celebration Tour - A Cutting Edge Piano
We were fortunate enough to be asked to fabricate a number of set pieces for Madonna's concert tour. Among the pieces were a DJ Booth, 6' mirror ball with an internal rotating mechanism, and a piano. The piano being the most interesting to work on and a number of challenges.
We decided the quickest way to achieve things would be to purchase a baby grand and alter it. The piano needed to be sawn in half as there was not big enough space below the deck to store it, as a whole. Also, it was too tall, so we cut off the legs sand re-fit them with hinges for a quick assembly.
Weight was another factor as the pieces would be assembled by two stagehands and put on a lift. We gutted the inside removing the harp which weighed about 250 lbs. and replaced it with a foam duplicate.
Lastly, we added a gas spring to keep the lid from slamming when closed and installed and electronic keyboard to complete the piece.
