These days, the once-common huge stadium music shows are less of the norm, except for the occasional special events (such as the Oklahoma Twister Relief Concert spotlighted in last month’s FRONT of HOUSE) or the rare mega-tour. Even The Rolling Stones’ last outing hit more arenas than stadiums. For some reason, stadium shows are more common overseas — perhaps because certain popular artists only come through on a far less frequent basis, so fans may consider such events more like once-per-decade events rather than annual occurrences, thus providing a larger draw.
However, one case where very large outdoor crowds seem to be the norm are festivals, an area of live music that has greatly expanded over the past decade or so. This growth has exhibited itself both in audience turnout and sheer size of the events, as well as the number of new events that seem to crop up every year. Seemingly, everybody — promoters and the general public — loves festivals. Their success stems from a number of factors. These range from ticket prices, where a one-day (or multiple day pass) seems more reasonably priced than a single-evening arena show, and festivals are more suited towards social media (and even in-person) interaction with other fans than the more face-forward/proscenium-type arena or theater performance.
The Festival Approach
Another plus of the festival approach (at least on the promoter’s side) is that the onus for drawing a crowd doesn’t typically fall on one single act. Here, creative booking (and/or) the addition of secondary stages for other performers all add to the appeal, making festivals a sort of three-ring circus of music, with a little something for everyone and something going on at all times.
Of course, the logistics for doing a big show in a non-traditional location can be pretty complex, and issues like parking, perimeter control, security, sanitation, food, water, stage amenities and so one are just a small part of one very complex equation. With that can also come other issues like zoning, permits, traffic, noise spill and trying to appease the neighbors.
As sound reinforcement professionals, we may not have much say about all aspects of large shows, but making it sound great to everyone in the audience is something that can be done. This can be accomplished using any number of methods, ranging from delay systems or distributed overhead ceiling speakers (not always my first choice), but often the enclosures of choice are large-format line arrays, many of which are capable of superb long-throw performance.
Going Long
Unfortunately, the subject of wide (and or deep) area coverage is far from simple. Typically, there is no single solution that works in every case. For sports events in a stadium, the answer usually comes from the combination of a variety of technologies — perhaps a long-throw rig centered at the scoreboard, combined with overhead boxes for the under-deck seats and pole-mounted enclosures to add intelligibility to fans in the upper decks. And certainly, for a rock show in that same facility, a completely different approach is required.
This month, our Buyers Guide turns to large-format line array systems. Obviously that market is far from neglected, as we spotlighted more that two dozen such systems at a variety of price points and designs that are suitable for just about anybody’s budget or specific need. Of course, the phrase “long-throw” is somewhat less well understood than most of us would like to admit and this month, our resident scientist Phil Graham turns the focus of his column to promoting the understanding of speaker “throw.”
The math itself can be pretty complex. Unfortunately, air (the medium through which sound readily travels to our ears) doesn’t always cooperate the way we’d always like it to, due to factors such as elevation, humidity, cloud cover, temperature, and so on. Throw in a few complications, such as difficult conditions (i.e., we can’t always place speakers exactly where we’d like to) and realities like reflections off walls, ceilings, balconies, grandstand, scoreboards, etc., and the equation quickly becomes far more complex than pure theory would dictate.
Problems and Solutions
Therein lies the challenge, or to mis-quote Mick Jagger, “you can’t always want what you get.” And, given all of these realities, it’s up to the creative (and resourceful) sound reinforcement pro to figure out a way to get it done, and even if not the perfect solution, then certainly to come up with an acceptable compromise. Having the right tools (both in systems and measurement devices), armed with the right knowledge is an essential first step. Occasionally, reaching out and looking for a little help isn’t such a bad idea, either. This may come in the form of bringing in an experienced consultant or simply posting a query on a social media site — whether it’s Facebook or Pro Audio Space, etc. — which can be a good way of sharing knowledge or seeking solutions and advice from others in who have faced similar situation in the past. But either way, the show must go on and with a creative application of technology, sometimes what seemed impossible (or at least, improbable) is achievable.
You can also catch George Petersen’s editorial commentary at http://www.fohonline.com/foh-tv.
