As for preparing for the part of lead singer Bobby Beers, Flemyng explains, "Well, it was mostly genetic. I got Mick Jagger's lips as a gift from God." (Flemyng also concedes that the weeks of pre-production rehearsal with choreographer Eddie Baytos were instrumental in assuming his character.)
Shooting the rock concert footage was one of the biggest challenges the filmmakers faced during production. For the concert scenes in which Steel Dragon performs in front of thousands of fans, it was decided that the most effective way to recreate the excitement and frenzy of a crowd for the cameras was to actually produce a full-blown rock concert.
A week before the start of principal photography, the production staged a full dress rehearsal of several Steel Dragon songs. This was the first opportunity for Wahlberg and the other band members to perform as a group on stage, and the first time that the choreography, lighting, sound, costumes, lasers and pyrotechnics were all brought together. The experience was extremely beneficial to the performers, filmmakers and crew alike, as it allowed them to get a feel for what was to come during the shooting of the extensive concert scenes.
"It was really remarkable that we put on an actual rock and roll concert within the movie — a live show for 10,000 fans at the L.A. Sports Arena," recalls producer Robert Lawrence. "We created it, with real bands and real fans — it was a huge undertaking, but staging it live was the only way we could capture that kind of electricity and energy. It was quite spectacular."
"It was unlike anything I'd ever been a part of in my years in the business," notes producer Toby Jaffe. "It was by far the greatest logistical challenge of this film — and worth every effort. We were able to shoot spectacular footage of the audience reacting to the performance of Steel Dragon, and it was invaluable in adding to the credibility of those scenes."
The concert, a benefit for pediatric AIDS organizations, was held on Saturday, May 13th. Emceed by C.C. DeVille of Poison, the show was opened by the '80s rock tribute band Metal Shop and featured appearances by Great White, WASP and Metallica. The film's cast and crew were joined throughout the day by hundreds of additional personnel, as each band loaded in their equipment and performed sound checks while the filmmakers readied themselves for shooting the concert that night.
After performances by Metal Shop and Great White, Steel Dragon took the stage, and filming began. "I had been on stage before, in front of hundreds of people, and it felt pretty damn comfortable," recalls Mark Wahlberg of his performance at the concert. "The long hair was a cool disguise it was like a license to run around the stage and go crazy.
"When we were performing on stage, l suddenly realized that I never really wanted to he an actor I wanted to be a rock star!" laughs Dominic West. Steel Dragon's riff ripping guitarist. Kirk Cuddy.
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