Organizers of a U2 concert in Moncton this summer are on the hunt for hundreds of temporary workers needed to erect a massive stage, grandstands and lighting and sound systems at Magnetic Hill.
Pascal Dube of Stage Crew Inc. of Moncton is looking for riggers, forklift drivers, truck loaders, stage hands and general labourers.
It will be a huge job that will begin about a week before the concert.
The U2 stage, a huge metal claw with four legs and giant video screens that stands about 50 metres tall, will likely be the biggest yet erected at the outdoor venue.
As a contractor to the touring company, Dube will be responsible for working with U2’s road crew to make sure everything is set up and ready to go when the band arrives.
He can’t say exactly how many people he will need but said the AC/DC show in Moncton in 2009 required more than 200 people — and the U2 show is expected to be bigger with up to 100,000 spectators.
“We have people coming from all over New Brunswick, P.E.I. and Nova Scotia to work at the show. And they don’t come just for the work because they have other jobs — they gotta love doing it,” Dube said.
“In this job you get to meet people from all over the world and get to be part of putting this big show together. It’s all about the music.”
The July 30 show will be the final North American date of the U2 360 Tour. The opening act is Montreal’s Arcade Fire, which received a best album Grammy last weekend for The Suburbs.
Besides all the riggers and stagehands, the U2 concert is expected to provide many other short-term jobs in security, food service, beverage service, traffic control and the box office.
Shane Porter, the City of Moncton’s supervisor of special events, said extra security will also be recruited while traffic control in and out of the site will be handled by the RCMP.