Setting the stage for Soundstorm: Alex Reardon of Silent House on designing the region’s biggest music festival
DUBAI: What do Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour, Usher’s Super Bowl halftime performance, Doja Cat’s Coachella show and Saudi Arabia’s MDLBEAST Soundstorm have in common? They’ve all had Los Angeles-born production studio Silent House to thank for their exceptional stage design and production.
Leading the creative direction and design for Soundstorm since 2020, Silent House president Alex Reardon says bringing their skills to the Middle East — and, specifically, the Kingdom — has been a richly rewarding experience.
Leading the creative direction and design for Soundstorm since 2020, Silent House president Alex Reardon says bringing their skills to the Middle East — and, specifically, the Kingdom — has been a richly rewarding experience. (Supplied)
“There is a desire in the region not just for the biggest shows, but also for the best or most creative shows. It is relatively easy to do big, but when we level up to groundbreaking — to be innovative, to be revolutionary — that’s where the real challenges and real rewards are,” Reardon told Arab News.
“Additionally, I’d say that there is a burgeoning production community who are focused on learning from the experience we bring,” he continued. “To be able to share knowledge with young, motivated, intelligent people is an unexpected and seriously appreciated takeaway.”
Soundstorm returns to Riyadh for its fifth edition from Dec. 12 -14. Stars in this year’s roster include rap legend Eminem, US rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, British rock band Muse, Swiss DJ duo Adriatique (Adrian Shala and Adrian Schweizer), German DJ Boris Brejcha, Italian DJ Marco Carola, British-Canadian DJ Richie Hawtin and many more.
“We’ve been working on this year’s show since the end of February,” Reardon said. “There is a wonderful sense of collaboration with the MDLBEAST team — as well as deep friendship. So, we have the pleasure of starting with a blank slate of conceptual design iterations for the different stages and communal spaces.”
When asked about any major changes or updates, he said: “I’d certainly not want to spoil the surprises to come, but the audience can expect to see both evolution and revolution at the festival this year. We continue to focus on providing both visiting artists and attendees the best festival experience on Earth.”
Reardon explained that Silent House approaches every event by listening to their client’s “highest-level ambitions.”
“If we’re designing for a music artist, we discuss the album. If we’re designing a corporate event, we talk with the C-Suite executives to find out what the event means to them. Why do we do this and not start with presenting preliminary concepts? It’s so that as we progress down the design timeline, we have crystal-clear alignment with the client on their goals,” he said.
In the case of Soundstorm, the Silent House team collaborated with MDLBEAST’s upper-level management to create a festival that serves both artists and audience.
“For the artists, we wanted to create an experience that would far exceed their expectations, meaning we want to go further than just a great stage to perform on. The experience includes transport to the event, backstage hospitality, seamless integration of their visuals into the stage screens, and layered 24-hour tech support.
“For the audience, we want to provide a visual and auditory adventure through different soundscapes and physical environments, each with unique characteristics,” he explained.
Reardon’s own personal favorite Soundstorm design element is not one of the multiple massive stages (one of which even earned a Guinness World Record in 2021 for “tallest stage”), but “MDLTOWN” — a central location for rest, relaxation and refuelling.
“Having never designed a public space before, it was a rare challenge to find a way to provide seating, communal space, a central sculpture, emergency access, et cetera,” he said. “I wanted it to reflect the influence of traditional Arabic architecture while still being modern in appearance. It’s a lovely place to hang out with friends and rest before diving back into the extraordinary stages and performances.”
And the key to pulling off a successful event in Saudi Arabia? “Collaboration and communication,” said Reardon. “Our friends in the Kingdom have been excellent at regular communication and have given us agency to collaborate so we can all elevate the experience to new heights year on year.”
