The designer and creative spirit behind the look for U2, Willie Williams talked about his punk roots, working at Sphere, and those Trabants...
Watch the recording from December 12, 2023.
Car headlights lighting the stage, a giant claw with expanding video screen, and Brian Eno's LED Turntable, these are just a few of the innovations that Willie Williams has brought to U2 tours and performances.
Willie Williams, Designer, Treatment Studio
Willie Williams designs & directs live events and concert tours. His combination of hi-tech media and low-tech eccentricity first received acclaim through his work with U2. The Zoo TV tour (1992-93) introduced multi-screen video imagery to concert touring, whilst the subsequent PopMart tour (1997-98), conceived with architect Mark Fisher, included the creation of the world’s first large-scale LED video screen. Williams’ work with George Michael, David Bowie and R.E.M. has also been highly respected as being both conceptually and technologically groundbreaking. His body of work is regarded as having contributed to laying the foundations of modern rock and pop show design.
David Johnson, Consultant
David Johnson returns to his content roots with this webcast. Most recently Chief Commercial Officer at ACT Entertainment, Johnson spent almost six years as associate publisher/editorial director with Prism Business Media where he launched the Live Design franchise in December 2005. He was subsequently a publisher and managing director at Penton, where he became responsible for all aspects of the Live Design franchise, including the LDI trade show. He later became a managing director at Informa, managing multiple event/digital brands in the entertainment technology market, including the LDI, XLive, and WFX trade shows. Earlier in his career Johnson was editor of Entertainment Design magazine at Primedia.