MOUNT KILIMANJARO, Africa – The world record for "The Highest Altitude Rock Gig/Electrical Musical Performance on Land" was set earlier this year at 19,341 feet above sea level, when Sound Driver, a five-piece indie band supported by a group of volunteers carrying gear, trekked up to Africa's highest point before performing amid the threat of sleet, rain, altitude sickness and oxygen deprivation.
The Kilimanjaro event was part of a global Chasing Rainbows tour, an awareness-raising campaign for a cleft lip charity, The Smile Train. Other notable Chasing Rainbows tour stops include the Great Wall of China, Niagara Falls, the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Dubai's Burj al Arab hotel.
Shure, one of the tour's sponsors, provided Chasing Rainbows tour manager David Spillane with its PM needs. The gear includes PSM600 receivers and transmitters for each of the band members and a UHF-R Series wireless system for lead singer Chad Marriott.
The gear list also includes QSC K8 active loudspeakers, powered by 1000W Class D amplifiers that power the QSC K8's dual drivers.
"Shure is a globally recognized brand, and along with the global nature of The Chasing Rainbows Tour, this makes them a perfect brand partner," Spillane said. "Shure products always perform at the level we expect – and even more so with the extra demands of this tour."
Record producer Danton Supple joined the trek to capture the band live at the summit, and they've also been filmed by cameraman Mark McCauley, who has been editing his footage on location and providing uploads to the tour's website.
"It's challenging enough to just climb Kilimanjaro, but gigging when you reach the summit takes an extra special effort and massive determination," said Peter James, managing director of Shure Distribution UK. "Shure and QSC products are tested to extremes, so we were happy to provide the band with microphone, PA and monitoring gear that was up to the task."
For more information, please visit www.smiletrain.org, www.chasingrainbowstour.com and www.shure.com.
