Showtime for Villa Park

Steve Wollaston goes behind the scenes at Aston Villa as it prepares to stage the biggest music event Birmingham has ever seen — Black Sabbath’s final concert

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WHEN Black Sabbath take to the stage at Villa Park on Saturday, it will be a triumph not only for the pioneers of heavy metal, but also a showcase for just how far Aston Villa have come in their quest to be much more than just a football club.

When the final scream from Ozzy drifts into the night sky, behind the scenes at the famous old stadium, there will be a few hearty pats on the back.

That's because the summer series of concerts at Villa Park are a big deal for the club, more than most people will probably realise.

I was invited to go and relive my youth and watch Guns N’ Roses open the summer of entertainment at the ground last week, and was able to witness just how much work is going into this project.

It’s a project that will take on anew lease of life when the club opens the highly-anticipated — entertainment venue, The Warehouse.

After Guns N’ Roses had left the Villa Park stage to a huge ovation, I sat down with Chief Operations Officer Ben Hatton to find out more about events like this and why they are so important.

‘The first thing that becomes apparent is that these concerts take an unenviable amount of planning.

Hatton said: “It involves close collaboration between our events team, operations team, production partners, and artist management.

“We have got pitch protection flooring laid down to safeguard the turf, and then we see the staging and rigging installed, along with temporary backstage facilities. That's where the band and crews typically use the backstage facilities that are set up as part of the stage installation.”

No sooner had the band left the stage, people were up on harnesses unbolting the huge rigging, and containers were being wheeled on stage and filled up with the band’s gear.