Feeling good for big show
Last-minute preparations are being made for thousands of music fans to descend on Cannock Chase tonight to watch the first of three concerts being staged at the beauty spot this weekend.
Workers started creating the concert arena at 7.30am on Tuesday and have worked late into the night to ensure everything is ready in time.
Fencing was put up to mark out the perimeter before the stage was created and around 50 toilets were put in place.
Marquees were constructed backstage and a viewing platform was put in place for disabled guests yesterday.
Catering facilities were due to arrive today and a bar has been set up which is expected to sell up to 20 kegs of lager an hour, each containing 88 pints, during the concerts.
Tonight's sold out concert by The Feeling is the first of three this weekend.
The Express & Star was given a look behind the scenes as the beauty spot was transformed into a concert arena ready for the first fans to arrive.
Alastair Semple, forest planner for the Forestry Commission, said: "Birches Valley has got a great location as it is like a natural amphitheatre and, when we cleared it, we couldn't have hoped for better if it had been landscaped."
He added: "It wasn't looking very good in terms of the weather last week but things seem to have picked up and we are hoping it will be sunny all weekend so people can really enjoy themselves."
James Morrison will perform tomorrow and Jools Holland will take to the stage on Sunday with special guests including Lulu.
A total of 4,500 music fans will descend on the beauty spot for tonight's sold out concert and all tickets are expected to have been sold for James Morrison's performance tomorrow.
Tickets for Jools Holland – star of the BBC2 music show Later With..., who will be appearing with his big band – are still available for £30 each from the Forestry Commission's office at Birches Valley.
