Love Field Rocks
Dallas music program takes flight on the strangest concert stage of all
Live music fans have a new venue to see Texas artists, in what has to be one of the unlikeliest locations: Dallas Love Field.
The Dallas airport has installed a performance stage in the lobby of the airport's main terminal where it now hosts live music for weekday lunch.
The music began on April 4, with a set by Dallas singer-songwriter Jon Christopher Davis. The stage is positioned inside the secure area, near the food court. Performances will run from 11 am-2 pm on weekdays.
Love Field is teaming up with the Texas Music Project and with North Texas businesses such as GoVision, an Argyle-based provider of large-scale LED video displays.
GoVision was contracted to install a 9-by-16-foot LED wall to serve as the stage’s backdrop. When the screen is not providing larger-than-life views of the performers, it will be used to display artist videos, advertising, and welcome messages.
GoVision VP Kevin Faciane predicts that the stage will capture the attention of travelers and airport operators all across the country, if not the world. "This is one of those incredible ideas that makes you say, 'Why didn't I think of that?'" he says in a release.
Michael Clay, whose Michael Clay Productions company developed the concept of the Love Field Stage, says his goal was to provide performance opportunities for rising stars and established Texas artists alike.
"With millions of people passing by this stage in the years to come, we have created a new platform for live performances by talented artists, fully equipped with state-of-the-art sound, lights, and video," Clay says.
Clay says that the LED wall was the game-changer.
"It transformed a cool stage design into an amazing tool that can be used for advertising, music videos, interactive communications, and a variety of other purposes, including real-time audience analytic studies," he says.
Dallas-based Mecca Design built the stage, which is 22 feet across, 13 feet deep, and 2 feet high. All audio-visual inputs were built into the stage. Monitors were hung from the canopy facing down onto the stage. This setup prevents the general public from touching the equipment and keeps the stage clear.
The audio signal from the stage can be relayed through the entire airport, allowing everyone from the baggage claim to the food courts to enjoy the performances.
