About 1986, I was working a multiple- stage event at Marineland (which is now closed). We had six systems up and running at any one time, although mostly it was two or three with everyone else on break. It was during one of these periods when I was at the main stage (the Dolphin Show arena). We had a 30-bottom three-way system up and running, and Robbie Edwards was mixing FOH on an older Tangent console. What Robbie didn't know was that this particular console (from circa 1980) had an INTERNAL spring reverb! We weren't using it, and he didn't ask. During the show, a radio announcer from one of the local stations was doing some announcements, while at the same time, Robbie was having some trouble with one of the faders on the board. It was cutting out, and Robbie did what a lot of us did back then, which was to smack the side of the console. Needless to say, the resulting noise was like a bomb going off, and you could hear it for miles (literally). The announcer was saying, "and, coming up shortly we have…(BOOM!)." After about five seconds, he says, "SPECIAL EFFECTS." In the meantime, Don the company owner and I were frantically diving for the amp racks to shut things down. The rest of the event went off without a hitch, but people who were there were asking me for at least a year, "What was that explosion at Marineland during the Harvest Festival?"
Oh, did I mention that all the stacks were about three feet from the edge of the dolphin pool? It took two days to get all the salt off the cables and mics.
David Paul Campbell
West LA Music
Los Angeles, CA
