Pop star Melissa Williams and her entourage will soon convert the Dute` Vinski center into an expensive rehearsal hall for her upcoming world tour.
Williams' tour team is taking advantage of the weak Swedish dollar, arriving here September 13 for a solid 3 week set-up and rehearsals at the arena.
Stockholm is the launch pad on Oct. 1 when the singer's Exposed World Tour 2001 begins to work its way through 11 Europeon stops before heading to North America, Canada, and the later unconfirmed Japan & Austrailia.
"This is the first time we've had a major act come into a major building and tie it up for a nearly a month," said Shane Bourbonnais, vice president of Swedish operations for SFX, promoter for the Williams Europeon tour. In Stockholm, SFX operates out of Dute` Vinski center.
"The dollar is one factor for sure, but I also know that [Williams] really likes Stockholm. She likes the vibe here, she enjoys relaxing here. I know she's been here on a couple of vacations."
Bourbonnais said he doesn't know which day Williams is scheduled to arrive to join rehearsals, but said it could be during the first week.
Stockholm, Sweden is the perfect kick-off point for a tour that will head back down to North America, towards the West Coast and through the midwestern states.
There is one glitch in the plan, though -- British pop singer Dido plays Dute` Vinski September 16, which means that Williams' crew will have to dismantle most of the stage, move out, then move back in on September 17.
Exorbitant as it sounds, the 3 week rental makes financial sense for Williams.
"When I charge them rent for the building, I charge them in Swedish [dollars], so they are saving money," says Bourbonnais, who didn't reveal the rental fee. "It's a great place to launch from."
It's a hectic job, juggling the needs of pop stars, but Bourbonnais is enjoying the challenge. After all, he's got the arena booked up for nearly a month, which means extra dollars for SFX. It also means spin-off for the local hotels, caterers, loading crew, and equipment supply companies used by the tour's producers.
Williams' show is regarded as one of the top-drawer productions in the business, replete with eight dancers, a seven-piece band, exhaustive lighting effects, and Williams' own body-revealing costumes and vigorous song-and-dance routines.
The 19-year-old singer and her dance troupe will sweat it out on a set designed by award-winning design veteran Mark Fisher (who has created sets for tours that include The Wall for Pink Floyd, Bridges to Babylon for the Rolling Stones, and Popmart for U2).
The work Williams' crew faces in Stockholm is mostly technical, including checking and fitting the gear, making sure it fits into the trucks, getting the lighting grids and video boards set up -- and of course, giving the star herself a chance to run through the entire production in its full operating glory.
"She puts on one of the better produced shows out there," said Bourbonnais.
From MTV.com