The AC/DC Rock or Bust tour, now through most of its slated 55 dates, has already played to millions across 21 countries. Following a four-week break after their last Los Angeles show, the boys boarded a plane and headed for where it all started for them: Australia. The band’s makeup is different this outing: Drummer Phil Rudd is currently battling legal problems in New Zealand, so Chris Slade is on the drummer throne; and original guitarist Malcolm Young has been forced into retirement and is currently fighting dementia. But keeping it in the family, his nephew Stevie Young is slinging his guitar parts.
Otherwise, with Paul “Pab” Boothroyd in the FOH chair and Jon Lewis as monitor engineer assisted by system tech Chris Nichols, the Clair Global tour might just be the loudest stage on the planet.
“Open With Caution”
Boothroyd, a frequent Parnelli Awards nominee, is also Paul McCartney’s longtime front of house mixer. In possibly the strangest gig an engineer could have, he was at the faders when McCartney and band performed live for the Space Station during a first-of-its-kind concert linkup in 2005. Here on planet earth, he’s also ridden faders for Paul Simon, Eurythmics, Faith Hill and Pink.
“Stating the obvious, this is a very loud rock show, straight down the line,” he says comparing this stint with his frequent ones with McCartney. “It’s pure rock ‘n’ roll — a two-hour set, and no sound check beforehand. Open with caution.” It’s a good, different kind of workout of his skills, though, as McCartney’s broad repertoire spans dynamics and complexities, big orchestrated rock songs to solo ballads and a musical catalog that is immense and varied, so much so it requires a full hour rehearsal before each show.
Boothroyd previously went out with AC/DC on their last several tours and says this one has been designed around the release of their Rock or Bust album. “We have been touring in an outdoor stadium mode so we have a lot production,” he says. “The show is typical AC/DC: Loud, bright and great video and content, plus all their normal props like The Bell, Cannons — and of course the lovely [giant inflatable] Rosie, all doing what they should in making this a show that only AC/DC can do so very well… and oh yes. tons of pyro from beginning to end.”
Boothroyd is using a XL4 analog console with the optional input transformer modification in place. “This is then fed to the very impressive Clair i-5D, i-5b set-up that was exclusively designed for this tour.” Going to a line array setup for the P.A. is the only thing that’s different, as “everything [else] has been approached the way they like it: analog old school. The only other new bit of kit is the Shure Axient wireless system and network, and it is simply the best you can use in wireless stability. We love it on Brian’s vocal and Angus’ guitars.”
Drums are covered mostly by Audix mics, with DPA’s undermiking the cymbals. Boothroyd uses A-T 4047s on guitars, Avalon U5/Radial J48 direct boxes on bass and — of course — Shure SM 57/58’s on all vocals. “There are a few things we try differently, depending on how bored Jon [Lewis, monitor engineer] and I get, but there isn’t much you can change up with these guys. I get all sorts of comments from colleagues saying, ‘Have you tried this ribbon [mic] on guitar or this DI on Cliff [Williams, bass player] and blah blah, but with the extreme volume on stage from the wall of Marshalls and side-fills, added to the constant pyro concussion going on, you have to play it simple. You have to close-mic everything and use only proven, solid (non-exploding) pieces of gear.”
Creating Small Gains
Lewis is an apple that didn’t fall far from the tree — his dad is monitor engineer Kerry Lewis (Queen, Mark Knopfler). So Jon’s been working in the business since he could legally drive, and he is now in his 21st year. He’s been mixing monitors since 2000 for the likes of McCartney, Oasis and Eric Clapton, among others. Most recently, he’s been out back-to-back with a pair of diverse acts — Cher and Pink. Lewis boarded the AC/DC train during the first leg of the Black Ice tour in 2008. “I had worked with Pab on many projects, including McCartney, so it was an easy situation to slide into,” he says.
He confirms the old school approach with a hearty, “No plug-ins here! It’s analog all the way! It’s something that the band has always been passionate about.” He’s mixing for them on a Heritage 4000. “It sounds great! The desk is pretty jammed with lots of outputs, and all 40 outs are pretty much put to work.”
He’s using the TC Electronic’s EQ Station as his master output graphic, which allows him to have limiters/compressors and parametrics on each output, which is “something you become used to when using a digital desk.” The other output is very classic — Drawmer gates and compressors, and sprinkled in are some TC reverbs and an Avalon 737 across the vocals. The latter is “a personal favorite of mine — clean, but not too subtle, and with the added EQ on the output makes for a powerful tool.” He’s also for the first time using a Drawmer 1973 3-band FET stereo compressor which he’s putting it across some of his ear mixes and says he’s really impressed with the results. “It just cleans up the mixes and is an impressive piece of gear, so much so I think it’s a must for me on any future work.”
Lewis seconds the “turned-up-to-11” aspect of the show. “One thing to know first and foremost is the stage environment is loud … very loud,” he says. “With a wall of Marshalls behind the band, most of which are turned up all the way, an extremely high dB level is created.” The 26 wedges on stage are Clair Bros’ CM22s. “These are by far the best thing on the market at the moment offering clarity and balls — a lethal combination.” He typically places Clair Brothers Vision left and right on the stage deck, the uses more as rear fills on each side, all of which is supplemented with the new self-powered Double-18 Sub — four per side. In the air are four Clair IDL’s per side, creating a wash across the stage. “The stage is zoned in such a way that allows me to control the performance spaces easily, and that is necessary for as anyone who has seen the band in action, as Brian [Johnson] and Angus [Young] run all over the stage through the show, all while there’s a tsunami of guitars coming from behind.”
The IEM’s are Jerry Harvey Audio Roxannes, which he says works for the band, especially those who hadn’t used them before. “They have a natural quality about them that make them not so scary to use. They sound amazing.” Johnson uses just one, with Young, Williams, Young and Chris Slade using two.
He agrees with Boothroyd’s assessment of the Shure Axient: “This is a new system that is sounding great and has a great frequency detection and avoidance system,” he says. “If we encounter a bad frequency through the show, it automatically switches, almost seamlessly. This, coupled with the fact it constantly scans the RF environment, makes it a no-brainer. It is like having an RF tech that gives you constant updates.”
Other than the personnel changes the band has recently experienced, Lewis says the tour is similar to their others from the audio perspective. “AC/DC has always been set a certain way, and that hasn’t changed. They have always stuck true to their roots, never experimenting with synths in the 1980’s and never sliding into melancholic turns in the 1990s. They never moved with fashion or trend — if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
The challenge for the entire audio crew is, and has always been, the sheer volume. “So it’s all about creating small gains. Microphone and speaker placement are huge factors. Creating just a 2 percent gain in your favor can make all the difference. This is something Pab and I constantly work to achieve. A small tweak can make a huge difference. What each of us does affects the other so much that I’m glad we have a good relationship and are able to work as a single unit to achieve a killer show.”
But this gig is different for him than others, and he’s enjoying it. “It’s great to get back to analog,” he says. “It’s something you never get to do these days. Many new people coming through don’t have the opportunity to work with analog gear, which is a shame. I feel that it should be a rite of passage for engineers to mix large rock bands on these big old analog desks.”
After a month of Australian dates, AC/DC’s Rock or Bust tour wraps up on December 15 at the Western Springs Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand.
AC/DC “Rock or Bust” Tour
CREW
Sound Company: Clair Global
FOH Engineer: Paul “Pab” Boothroyd
System Tech: Chris Nichols
Monitor Engineer: Jon Lewis
P.A. SYSTEM
Mains: Clair i-5D’s with flown i-5b subs
Amplifiers: PLM Series
System Processor: (3) Lake LM 44 processors; Lake Clair IO processor
FOH GEAR
FOH Console: XL4
Outboard: TC Electronic System 6000 reverb; (3) dbx 160S Compressor Limiters; GML stereo parametric EQ; (2) Summit TLA-100A Tube Leveling Amplifiers; (6) Drawmer DS-201 dual gates; TC Electronic D-Two delay; dbx Quantum digital mastering processor.
MONITOR GEAR
Monitor Console: Heritage 4000
Outboard: (3) TC Electronic EQ Station; (6) Drawmer DS-201 dual gates; TC reverbs; (2) Avalon 737 vocal processors; Drawmer 1973 3-band FET stereo compressor; (2) Eventide UltraHarmonizers;
Wedges: (26) Clair CM22
Side Fills: (4) Clair iDL’s/side
Rear Fills: Left/Right Clair Vision boxes with (4) Clair BT-218 subs/side
IEM’s: Shure PSM 1000’s; Jerry Harvey Audio Roxannes
RF System: Shure Axient
Vocal Mics: Brian Main RF, Shure Beta 58A capsule; Brian Spare Vocal, wired Shure Beta 58A; Stevie, Cliff & Angus vocals, Shure Beta 57A’s
Guitar Mics: Stevie guitar iso, AT 4047; Stevie guitar cab, AT 4047; Angus guitar iso, AT 4047; Angus guitar cab, AT 4047
Drum Mics: Cymbals, (4) DPA 4061 HD; Kick mic 1, Shure Beta 91A; Kick mic 2, Audix D6; Snare bottom, Audix i5; Snare top, Audix i5; hi-hat, AKG C480B/CK63/A61; tom 1, tom 2, floor tom, Audix D4’s; hi-hat 2, AKG C480B/CK63/A61; Thunder Drums & 2, Audix D6’s
Bass DI’s: Radial J48; Avalon U5
