I might be showing my age, but I recall as a kid in 1963, hearing Nat King Cole’s “Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer” when it first came out. With its carefree, feel-good theme, it was perhaps the perfect summer song for the time. Of course, no one could have predicted that five months later, the country would be plunged into turmoil with the events of Nov. 22, 1963, when perhaps we all lost a bit of innocence.
As it was then, so it is now, where in the aftermath of last month’s bombing outside a Ariana Grande concert, too many of us are looking over our collective shoulders instead of at the great summer activities we all should be enjoying. Live music events — whether as part of July fourth celebrations, street fairs, tours, festivals and winery shows, etc. etc. — are all part of a joyous summer experience and they should remain so.
After the Manchester bombing, I read a Facebook posting by a British production manager who suddenly was being asked to arrange for pre-show K9 bomb sniffers, metal detectors and setting wide perimeter search points far outside the venue entrances. All of this is in the name of keeping people safe (and no one disagrees with that), but production schedules are already tight enough and implementing such arrangements even before load-in definitely complicates what is already a complex procedure.
But before everyone gets into a frenzy about venue safety (and we, as professionals, should be concerned about protecting our audiences), we should realize that the Manchester attack, like that movie theater shooting in 2012 — were crimes of opportunity. Similar atrocities could happen wherever people are gathered — in a church, mall, subway station or outside a sports event. And, if truth be told, you are far safer inside any of those venues than you would be during the drive home.
The key here is to be alert, but understand that one’s chance of being killed by a terror attack in the U.S. is statistically lower than dying from a bee sting or a vehicular crash. So let’s get back to enjoying the season and perhaps bringing back the spirit of “Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer” in 2017.
Sure Signs of Summer
Just like clockwork, and right after graduations and school closings, it’s time for InfoComm (infocomm.org) — another sure sign that’s summer’s here.
InfoComm — the best-attended annual conference and exhibition for AV buyers and sellers in the Western Hemisphere — will be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL, from June 10-16. The exhibit halls are open from June 14 to 16, and audio demo rooms open a day earlier, on the 13th.
The core of InfoComm is in its educational offerings. Besides such perennials such as “Essentials of AV Technology,” “AV Design Level 1,” “Hearing Loop Basics for Installers” and “Designing Effective Audio Systems for Conference and Meeting Rooms,” this year’s expo features a wide selection of seminars and panels on straightforward sound reinforcement topics.
Among these audio-only presentations include: “SynAudCon OptEQ — Equalization Demystified,” “Audio System Gain Structure, Levels, & Metering,” “Understanding Amplifier and Loudspeaker Power Ratings,” “Subjective Evaluation of Loudspeakers,” “Point Source Speakers in a Line Array World,” “Real-World Loudspeaker Beamforming,” “How Do I Make My Church Sound Better,” “AES67: Practical Applications and Overview,” “Wireless Microphones in the New Spectrum Landscape” and more, among them a variety of Dante training/certification programs.
Of course, the lure for the true audio connoisseurs comes from the exhibit floor, where hundreds of audio manufacturers will be showing the latest technologies for live sound applications — that is, once you’ve gotten past thousands of digital signage and video products. We will be presenting a comprehensive show report in next month’s FRONT of HOUSE and online at fohonline.com. Yet, in the meantime, we’re presenting a selection of the show’s new debuts in a special, expanded new products section beginning on page 26. And from what we’ve heard so far, InfoComm 2017 is gonna be huge in terms of cool new toys for sound reinforcement pros. Stay tuned.
Convention Convergence
Last month, we unveiled that the PLSN/FOH Parnelli Awards would be moving to the Winter NAMM Show in 2018. I guess the idea is spreading, because AES just announced an agreement to present pro audio seminars and workshops at Winter NAMM, with NAMM admission open to AES members. So far it’s not exactly a convergence, but perhaps with NAMM’s new pro audio/lighting hall opening in Anaheim next January, we might be one step closer to that reality.
And speaking of conventions, if you are at InfoComm this month, drop by the FRONT of HOUSE / PLSN / Timeless Communications booth (#7443) and say hello.
See you there!
For George Petersen’s video introduction to the June 2017 issue of FRONT of HOUSE magazine, go to http://www.fohonline.com/main-news/16711
