Don’t know why really, but the coverage in this issue of the recent Led Zeppelin show caused a bit of an “I remember when” kind of nostalgia among most everyone I talked to about it. Love ‘em (me) or hate ‘em (my wife), you could not ignore them. Yes, they were horrendous live at times, but just like the generation of rockers who came up in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s and point to seeing Elvis or The Beatles as their “I wanna play guitar” moment, an awful lot of next-generation players point to Zep as their reason for doing what they do.
So what does this have to do with the world of pro audio — especially in an issue that is supposed to focus on the house of worship market? Easy. Those kind of life-changing events only have that kind of impact if the technical details — like great sound — have been attended to.
Think about it, how much would I have been affected by that single performance in L.A. in 1977 if the sound had been horrible, the vocals buried or the whole thing plagued with feedback? I can guarantee you this: It does not matter how great the band is, if the sound sucks — THAT is what people will remember. The owner of Klondike Sound, who is profiled in this month’s regional slants, is a great example. His passion for sound be-gan when he heard The Beatles totally overblown by the crowd in an early concert before anyone had figured this rock ‘n’ roll concert thing out.
And it’s not just rock ‘n’ roll he said, trying to get back on to the subject of the church thing. When the leaders of a church — any church — set out to do a service, they do it with the express intent to change lives. Rock bands are probably out to put on a good show and make some money. Changing a life is a side gig at best. But in the house of worship setting that is the main gig.
So when the pastor/priest/bishop/rabbi/grand high mucky muck goes to give the big inspirational message that he or she hopes will touch the hearts minds, and souls of the gathered congregation, how successful do you think they will be if the message is inaudible, distorted past the point of un-derstanding or plagued with feedback? Anyone who works in a church audio setting has a huge burden — they must make sure that the message gets to the listeners clearly and without distracting audio problems.
And it is not just church services. What about weddings, funerals, award ceremonies? If anything, these present even more pressure than many typical rock ‘n’ roll gigs.
So, hats off to us. We change lives all the time whether we know it or not. Just getting the message heard — be it from the pulpit, a smoky club or a huge rock show in an arena — guarantees that we will have a significant impact. Kind of puts a different spin on “just another gig,” doesn’t it?
