by The idea of hosting a concert at a Grand Prix is certainly not new, but Circuit of the Americas (COTA) took this concept to a whole new level with the introduction of the Super Stage in 2015. Since this year, visitors to the F1 race in Austin have been treated to world-class performances from world-renowned artists such as Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Ed Sheeran. This year, Sting took the stage on Friday evening, while Eminem will entertain the crowd at the Texas circuit on Saturday.
On Thursday, Autosport Business meets with Glynn Wedgewood, COTA’s senior vice president of music and entertainment, in his race control office. It is actually one of his three offices from which he operates during the Grand Prix weekend.
“I also have one in the Amphitheater and one on the Super Stage,” he explains, confirming with a smile that having three offices can be an absolute nightmare if he forgets to move something from one place to another.
Wedgewood’s office on the third floor of the race office is very different from all the other work spaces we pass on the way there. The room is filled with music memorabilia while one of the walls is completely decorated with concert posters. Until we sit down and turn the cell phones on silent, Wedgewood’s phone beeps continuously.
“That’s actually my phone that’s quiet,” he grins, before explaining that he has people running errands around town to make sure all the items listed on the tabs are there when the artists arrive. “Sorry, I have to authorize the purchase of some very expensive cigars for someone,” he says before putting his phone away.
Wedgewood is a former touring musician from Bishop Auckland, a small town in northeast England, who settled in Austin in 2005. He worked for clubs and festivals before joining Circuit of the Americas in 2015. In the same year the Super Stage was born.
“I worked on the very first time we built what we call the Super Stage,” he remembers. “It was for the X Games when they were here. And we built it for Metallica and Nicki Minaj. And then that same year we decided to present it on the Sunday of the F1 weekend, so we had Elton John.”
The 2015 United States Grand Prix was a memorable event for several reasons. Wedgewood: “I don’t know how much you remember about that weekend and how wet it was, but it was torrential weather. It was absolutely terrible. We experienced heavy, heavy rain. Friday and Saturday were really tough. Luckily the problem cleared up on the morning of race day. The track dried out and we had a fantastic race. But so much rain and cold probably cost many people their strength. But we still had a big participation from Elton John.”
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG is interviewed by Sir Elton John on the podium
Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
In 2016, Taylor Swift performed on the Super Stage. “This was a really crucial year for us. I believe that as a company, under Bobby Epstein’s leadership, we were the ones who were one step ahead of this,” says Wedgewood.
“Back then, Formula 1 was okay. It was for gearheads and racing fanatics. And the market was fine back then. But in 2016 the real turning point came. We went from “It’s all about the race and that’s it” to “Let’s get a few more people involved.” So we had Taylor Swift play, which opened up a whole new audience for us.”
At the same time, the event’s entire entertainment program was brought into full swing. Wedgewood: “We introduced the American Soundtrack stages, which are multiple stages around the track that operate throughout the day. And we introduced the villages with all the culinary offerings, experiences and activities like line dancing lessons and all that. So 2016 was a really, really important year for us. We changed a lot of things and introduced a lot of new elements so that the event wasn’t just focused on the race. And it opened it up to everyone.”
And from then on, COTA never looked back. “This year was a turning point. And we just kept building on it. We love it when people come here and just unwind for a weekend. For example, the campus, the people who move here on Thursday. They have everything they could need right on their doorstep. I mean, they go out during the day and watch the training sessions and races, and we also have talent, entertainment and bands around the grounds during the day. And as you know, our headliners play on the Super Stage in the evening. So there are really headliners in different line-ups throughout the day, be it on the racetrack, be it on a small stage, be it on the Super Stage. We just love it when people have a lot of fun.”
No rinse and repeat
Regarding the process of selecting and booking artists for the Super Stage, Wedgewood says, “It varies. Like there’s never any kind of rinse and repeat, cut and paste. We look at what’s going on, who’s on tour and available, and who might be a good fit. And once Bobby has done his part and looked at this, I’ll take a closer look at our shortlist. And then you start approaching bands and artists.”
“Like Eminem is a prime example. We didn’t look specifically at Eminem this year. These conversations started a while ago and we were going to try to get the Eminem show going last year. That didn’t work out with his work schedule, but those conversations continued and here we are: He’s here this year. His only North American show. I think he hasn’t played on tour since 2019. And he just released an album two months ago. This is huge, you know. It’s a really big coup. So we are all very excited. So that’s how we operate in a nutshell.”
“But as far as how we get these artists, I think the reputation and the word spreads. I mean, it’s a very small community, the music community. The artists we had have a lot of fun on stage. You get in and enter this amazing venue that drives every production manager crazy to this day. So we have all this racing activity going on, then the track gets cold and within an hour we turn it into a standing pit. This is not done anywhere else. It is something truly unique. But it was already planned before we had our first performance here. This lawn was intentionally created at a sloping angle. Bobby did this because he knew he wanted to host concerts there at some point. There is a separate lawn for this. So yeah, it worked out well.
There have been a variety of artists playing the Super Stage over the past decade. From Stevie Wonder to Green Day and from Billie Joel to Usher. Wedgewood emphasizes that it’s not about the genre. “I think there are only a handful of artists in the world who can headline a venue and such a large event. So if you look at that pool and the list of twenty to thirty artists that are at that level – be it a hip hop show, a rock and roll show or a pop show – then the genres could be different But the only thing they have in common is that many people love them.”
One artist Wedgewood would have liked to have on the Super Stage is Daft Punk.
Ed Sheeran, Christian Horner
Photo by: Erik Junius
“They were on our radar for the longest time,” he adds. “We really wanted to achieve this.” We looked at it for several years. We talked and tried, but their heads just weren’t in that room. They were interested in the directing aspect of film music. It was a shame we couldn’t get this to work. That’s what we really wanted.”
Unique complexities
Organizing these large concerts as part of a full-blown F1 racing event is quite a task. When asked about the specific challenges this presents, Wedgewood says, “There are certain elements that are unavoidable, and one of the biggest things is the track activity.” While you’re packing up your gear like any other concert, have to check everything technically and carry out a sound check. As you know, we are open to the public. So we have the stage in view. That’s why we have to bypass the route map, even for something as simple as audio. Like not checking what a speaker system sounds like or whether something is mic’d properly while a car speeds right past you.”
“So I don’t know if it’s a challenge. I guess it’s just something that comes with the territory, right? And we have been doing this for so many years. It’s just that you have to inform the staff working on the tour site and tell them, “Hey, this is the environment.” That’s how it works. This is what you’re getting yourself into. This is how we can do it. That’s what’s happening.’ As long as you give people the information beforehand instead of surprising them, you’ll be fine.”
“Due to this demanding schedule, we are limited to what we can do. Really simple things like, say, on Friday or Saturday you have the F1 Experiences trucks, while we have audio, lighting and video cables in the air, we can’t drop those until those semi-trucks start their tours are finished. So as soon as the rail fence comes out, we’d like to drop it and get started. But the reality is that we have to allow up to an hour to turn the route around to allow these vehicles to pass. So yeah, no real challenges. It’s just part of the environment.”
Unchanged policy
Although the audience for Formula 1 has grown significantly in the United States in recent years and the lineup of performing artists may have become less important to ticket sales, COTA’s approach to entertainment has not changed. Wedgewood: “It’s really about the experience, so that doesn’t change anything for us. We still want to be the best, we still want to host the biggest events and we still want to wow people. Even if the popularity of Formula 1 increased due to the Drive to Survive series, which certainly happened. That’s great. But it doesn’t change our policy. We will continue to strive to produce the biggest, best and most fun events on the calendar.”
Is this mentality necessary given that Austin has competition from other events in the US these days and in recent years Las Vegas and Miami have been added to the F1 calendar? “NO. I think it’s good. It’s healthy for the other races to introduce even more people. And at the end of the day, we are the only purpose-built F1 circuit in North America. The other events are great. I was in Miami last year and watched the race in Las Vegas. They’re nice events, but nothing compares to a purpose-built campus that gets people to camp out and stay for the weekend and enjoy it all.”
Wedgewood is looking forward to Eminem’s performance on Saturday evening. “This Saturday is going to be huge. We truly believe it will be the largest attendance ever on a Saturday. The love for Eminem… When we announced that, it went off the charts. This is something very special. So yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”
