Old School

The music on the current Robert Plant tour is a mix of different eras and vibes. Some covers, some tunes from the new record, some of the solo hits from the '80s and '90s and a whole bunch of Zep. Most of the band backing this rock and roll elder statesman consists of kids–what's left of the Brit trip-hop unit Portishead. Likewise, the production is a mix of state-of-the-art Meyer MILOs mixed with old-school stalwarts, including Midas H3000s at both FOH and monitors, and lots of screaming Turbosound wedges on stage. Walking into the showroom at the Las Vegas Hilton, one is immediately struck with how the stage and room look and can't help thinking that something is, well, off. Looking around, it finally hits you. The MILO rig is flown, but just barely. We asked Thunder Audio FOH system engineer Keith Jex if such a low trim height was common for this show.

"Not at all," he said. "But this room is very different than most we've been playing. Last night, we were in a theatre in Phoenix, but this room is flat. The only seats higher than the stage are those bleachers," Jex noted, pointing to the banks of the kind of portable bleachers you might see at an outdoor sporting event that lined the side and back walls of the large flat space. (With a Barry Manilow contracted show camping out in the Hilton's main theatre, touring acts are playing in a "new" venue that looks an awful lot like a large ballroom or maybe a convention floor.)

"I love the MILOs," says Jex. "But Robert had a bit of an adjustment period. He was so used to old-style P.A.s that he asked us why he could not hear the house from the stage. We had to explain that we do things differently these days and actually aim the sound at the people who paid for tickets. Getting him used to that has been a process."

What did the process involve? "Delaying the MILOs to the drum line helped," Jex answered. "But the other part of it is just really loud monitors. He has four Turbosound wedges–a pair in front of him and a pair behind–plus sidefills. The stage is loud. We are getting between 90 and 95dB at FOH just from the stage with the main system off."

Like many tours of this size, they are using different opening acts in different parts of the country, and many soundcos are turning to digital consoles simply for the ability to recall a setup for a band that may have done a few shows opening in the early part of the tour, and then return for some shows but not for every show. But FOH mixer Roy Williams and monitor guy Dee Miller are sticking to their Midas guns.

Jex says that on a tour like this, there is no reason to go digital. "Not at all," he says. "What Roy says about the digital desk is, 'Okay, what if you're adjusting EQ on the channel, but then you notice–out of the corner of your eye–that someone's gain just went to the next level and you need to change it immediately? You can't do two things at once.' And that's probably the biggest complaint with digital that I agree with. But we're kind of playing with the idea of having a PM5D out at Front of House next to the Heritage and using that for the opening act, and then having a split so at anytime, he can jump over the desk and get the learning curve going to see if he likes it. And then, if he doesn't like it, he can just run back. That idea's been popping around. I don't know if it's going to happen, but…"

The thought is left hanging as Jex runs off to deal with the kind of minor crisis that are daily occurrences on tour. When he returns, we pick up on the whole digital question. "I haven't toured in a while," he says, noting that after years on the road, he opted to take over the shop at Thunder and spend more time with his family. After we commiserated for a bit on the trials of raising teenage daughters, he noted that one nice thing about being in the shop is seeing everything that comes through and the perspective that gives on current and future touring tech. And he knows that, despite what he or anyone else might prefer, that things are changing and those who want to work will need to keep up. "

Even Roy says the reason he wants to have the PM5D is just, you know, what do we do after Robert? I mean, you still gotta have a job. And that's the way things are going, I mean, whether you like it or not. You're gonna have to learn it."

Sound Company: Thunder Audio

Band Engineer: Roy Williams

Band Monitor Engineer: Dee Miller

Systems Tech: Keith Jex

Monitor Tech: Dave Bernes

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