Concerts and IndyCars collide in epic fashion
How does one top a 2022 event that was described as the “biggest two days” in the 35-year history of CSM Production? You go even bigger in 2023.
The team returned to Newton, Iowa, for the second annual Hy-vee IndyCar weekend in Mid-July, which brought two IndyCar races to the track. We managed the pre- and post-race ceremonies including driver introductions, fighter jet flyovers and trophy presentations on a custom-built stage, along with four A-list concerts on the track that bookended each race. Yes, that means that the stages had to be set and struck four separate times.
Carrie Underwood led off the festivities on Saturday, with Kenny Chesney closing out the first evening in Iowa. On day two, the Zac Brown Band performed the matinee, while Ed Sheeran took a detour off his North American stadium tour to perform at an IndyCar track – his first time ever experiencing the sport. In each instance, the concert stages were prepped inside the track’s infield, and were convoyed onto and off the track in a matter of minutes with military levels of precision, further cementing Production’s ability and reputation of creating “magic” in non-traditional stage locations.
With nearly 75 staff on-site, it took a dozen trucks and trailers, 200 PA speaker boxes, a quarter mile of truss, and countless hours of preparation to make sure the Hy-Vee Indycar Weekend was a success for all involved.
