More than 6,000 fans surrounded three outdoor stages in the MuchMusic parking lot—and a fourth performance space on John Street—for the 20th annual live broadcast of the MuchMusic Video Awards on Sunday. "It's probably the biggest stage we've ever built," Neil Staite, director of operations for MuchMusic, said of the structure, which included three rows of stand-up bleachers built into the back wall of the set. "It's like something from the 'Thunderstruck' video. It really is a show in 360."
Michael Parks, who goes by Spike, designed the the set for this year's show, which covered more than 4,000 square feet. "He's been responsible for some of our greatest looks over the past few years," said Staite, who reported that the in-house production team tries to make the stage a bit different each year. “It's definitely a challenge to make it bigger and better in the space that you have,” he said. Staite planned the event with a key group that included Brad Schwartz, senior vice president and general manager of the Much MTV Group; lighting director Dave Fairfield; production manager Mike Elder; and programming director Sheila Sullivan.
"A signature of the show is that it's accessible," Staite said. "We've built the set so the audience can reach out and touch their favourite artists. Runways made of clear panels that lit up during the artists’ performances connected each of the stage areas. “We have the Medusa stage, which is made up of Versa tubes, a stage on top of what used to be the City store, and the main stage," he said. "There is no huge blowout party this year...we're taking what we would have spent on that party and we're pushing it into the show. It's a conscious effort on our part to decide where we want to focus."
Several artists and presenters told reporters gathered in the second-floor press room that they liked the show's vibe. “It’s like a block party. It’s cool. I wish they did something like this in the States,” said Kim Kardashian, who had to explain to her boyfriend, Reggie Bush, that they didn’t have seats for the awards. Instead, performers and presenters watched the event from a reception inside the network's building. “I think it’s great that there isn’t organized seating. It’s a pit. The energy is raw, and that makes a difference for the performers,” Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie told the media.
Meanwhile, Staite said the production team began planning the show in December. "We start early and we have really great communication with all of our partners, including the City of Toronto,” he said. "We do a lot of special events throughout the year and we give everyone enough notice that it's going to happen." Each year, the network hires paid duty officers from the Toronto Police Services, ensures the streets will be cleaned when the crowds dissipate, and makes sure there is adequate security on site, he said. (The number of security staff on hand Sunday totaled 170.)
"When you invite 6,000 to 7,000 fans to come and stand on Queen Street, there's a lot of challenges in that. We put a lot of time and effort into the show,” said Staite, who reported that more than 600 people are involved in the show, including everyone from the contractors to the wranglers on the day of the event.
This year, crews began setting up two weeks prior to the event. "We made a couple of adjustments this year. We've given everyone a bit more time,” Staite said. Crews built the main stage first and began construction on the John Street stage last Monday. "That's always a challenge for us because it's not within our parking lot. We have to work with our neighbours to make sure their businesses can operate properly,” he said, noting that the network hires an on-site safety consultant to oversee the build.
MuchMusic closed Queen Street to traffic from 5 p.m. Saturday until midnight Sunday for a sound check. The street was closed again at 11 a.m. Sunday to allow crews to build the red carpet area, which covered a total of 2,000 square feet. Artists began arriving for the 9 p.m. show shortly after 7 p.m. Although the majority of performers arrived in black Chevy Suburbans, the group Marianas Trench made an entrance on the back of a flatbed truck, and Shiloh pulled up in a gold Volkswagen Beetle.
Jonas Brothers kicked off the two-hour broadcast with a performance of their hit song "Burnin' Up." Additional acts included the band Billy Talent, which performed on a platform stage atop the old CityTV store, and Lady Gaga, who sang a remix of "LoveGame" and "Poker Face" during a performance that began inside a set that resembled a subway car and ended with her shooting sparklers out of her metal bustier. “It was important for me to give my Canadian fans something that I felt they really earned,” she told reporters backstage. “I felt like they really earned an incredible performance."
