It’s hard to believe, but the 2015 Parnelli Awards season is almost upon us. So far, FRONT of HOUSE readers have already stepped up to select the finalists vying for the top regional sound company honor — the Hometown Hero Award. These include DBS Audio (Coatesville, PA), Mid-Coast Sound (Nashville), Clearwing Productions (Milwaukee), Spider Ranch Productions (South San Francisco), Onstage Systems (Dallas) and Toronto’s Sound Art. Congratulations to all!
Next up, readers have until the end of this month to nominate their choices in other Parnelli Awards categories, including the best FOH Mixer, Monitor Mixer, Sound Company, System Tech and more, along with awards honoring companies involved in Lighting, Staging, Set Construction, Video, Rigging, Pyro, Trucking and Freight Forwarding.
Nominations are gathered until Aug. 31 (go to parnelliawards.com/nominate), and voting for the 2015 Parnelli Awards will proceed through the month of September. The final votes are tallied in early October. The Parnelli Awards will be presented Oct. 24 at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Work, Adapt, Succeed!
From the outside, it may look like the award nods always go to the biggest, splashiest companies, but if truth be told, that’s not the way it works in real life. In fact, more often that not in the production industry, innovation typically stems from how fast someone can work and adapt to unexpected challenges that suddenly crop up. Sound reinforcement typically carries a certain element of logistics, and getting the right gear from Point A to Point B. Deliveries don’t always happen on time — sometimes due to “acts of God,” such as weather, UPS delays and bus strikes. Based on the number of freakish weather incidents, thunderstorms, extreme winds and more than a flood or two that we’ve reported on lately, this trend is on the rise.
In dealing with life’s little calamities, whether a monitor engineer with the flu or a truck with a broken axle, making sure the show goes on in spite of these hitches is what separates the pros from the wannabes. And the real pros have the ability to pull it off without the audience or fans being aware of the chaos that exists backstage. That’s innovation, because if everything always ran smoothly and conditions like RF problems, crappy venue acoustics, food poisoning (or just bad roadhouse food), transportation and equipment failures didn’t exist, then our jobs would be a lot easier, and practically anyone could do them.
Outfoxing Mr. Murphy
Of course, the really smart professionals know that Murphy’s law can — and will — strike at the most inopportune moments. For a good example of this, see David Morgan’s column, “On the Digital Edge,” on page 54. Let’s face it, “stuff” happens, and if it can strike Mr. Morgan and his well-oiled crew of top-notch veterans on the James Taylor tour, then certainly anyone is susceptible.
In fact, real pros actually plan for all sorts of contingencies, which can range from simply packing an extra mic and cable when you’re doing a city council meeting with a Fender Passport rig to spec’ing an extra console on a major tour. The latter may not go over well with the tour accountant, but if it’s needed, that item suddenly becomes “priceless,” and is way better than issuing rainchecks or refunds to a packed venue.
In such situations, overkill can also exist as well. I’m sure having some SCUBA gear on the backseat of my car would definitely come in handy the next time I accidentally drive off a bridge. Unfortunately, there’s a tradeoff here where you need to weigh the hassle of carrying that tank around versus the unlikely event of a “water landing.” At the same time, on an out-of-town show, I might sleep better at night knowing a spare outboard console power supply is readily available.
Sometimes innovation springs forth simply from a little communication and cooperation. This is exemplified in this month’s Production Profile (page 32) on the “Heart and Soul” co-headlining tour featuring Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire. The bands have a lot of players and a lot of wireless. These days, any RF operations require a lot of coordination, especially during the tour’s opening and closing numbers, which feature all of the band members onstage together, making for 47 active channels of RF (mics and IEM’s) happening simultaneously. And during these numbers, the two FOH engineers also need to work as a single unit to make everything seamless to the audience, who are just watching a great show, unaware of the complexity they’re witnessing. In this case, planning is everything.
Do Your Part!
But innovation exists in all forms, in all situations and in all categories. So if you find yourself with a few extra minutes during the that hurry-up-and-wait existence we all call sound reinforcement, then take a quick breather and cast your choices for some innovation reflected in the 2015 Parnelli Award nominations. And on your next gig, don’t forget to pack an extra cable or two, but avoid crossing high fast moving water, and leave the SCUBA tank at home.
Catch George’s editorial commentary at www.fohonline.com/foh-tv
