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Barenaked Ladies Tour - Meyer Reliability for Jason Sound
We caught up with the Barenaked Ladies' "Maroon" Fall 2000 Tour at the Shoreline Amphitheater (Mountain View, CA), on Wednesday afternoon, October 11. That evening would see the 12th show in a 33-date tour begun in Barenaked Ladies Belt territory of Michigan last month, spinning throughout the U.S., and finishing in Boston at year's end with a short run in Canada and Europe, mid-tour. This is the band's 5th time at the Shoreline. Westsun/Jason Sound of Toronto, Canada, provided the audio crew, working closely with the BNL tour crew. The Meyer Sound system was purchased for BNL touring 2 years ago. "We wanted to go with all-powered PA cabinets. We've used Meyer equipment since '85, and have had no problems with it. The sound quality makes it a natural choice, and the Meyer staff have always been good people to work with," said Jon Erickson, Director of Concert Touring. The Meyer Sound system was set up with basically the same loudspeaker package used for BNL's Summer '99 tour, designed by independent consultant and SIM guru, Dave Lawler. The venues for this leg of the tour are sheds and large arenas. The system consists of left and right arrays of MSL-6s, MSL-4s, DS-4Ps and MSL-2s, along with two sets of stacked horizontal, 650-P subwoofers and four UPAs on the deck. FOH Manager, Robin Billinton: "The great thing about Meyer systems is they're so predictable - you can count on the high fidelity of the boxes. The MSL-6 is a great, dedicated, long-throw, tight-pattern speaker enclosure." "The MSL-4s and MSL-6s , especially are really, really good," added Audio Crew Manager, Mike Smeaton. Billinton said of the subs, "The 650-Ps are excellent. I was skeptical at first, but they're a great sub. They're quick and easy." Monitor Engineer, John Sulek, who used a similar set-up for the recent Joni Mitchell tour, commented on the ease of the system, "The MSL-6 is the long throw part of the array, the MSL-4, the medium throw, and the MSL-2 serves as down fill." Sulek also appreciated the directional characteristics of the system, "The sound goes forward instead of backward, like with older PAs." On rigging the system, Sulek said, "It hangs in a smaller footprint. They don't need as much real estate on the floor. There's less congestion, and it's nice not to have to hide the amp racks." "Bone" Scheffel, PA Technician and self-described "guy who fills in the holes in the set-up and tear down" says of the Meyer cabinets, "They go up fast - that's what the locals always say. Amplifiers in the box make it power consumption-efficient. The power drain is so low for what the output is. And, the PA sounds great." BNL Production Mgr., Dean Roney agreed, "They're sonically unbeatable." On this drizzly, gray afternoon, the sound system was tuned to perfection with turnkey ease, with hours to spare before the late-afternoon sound check. Audio Crew Chief, Mike Smeaton, who finished SIM School right before the tour began said, "What I like best about Meyer, is the scientific approach they take to the boxes. The SIM Analyzer is my favorite Meyer product. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't use it. We knew exactly what would happen at this shed." Billinton said of the analyzer, "I'd definitely go out of my way to use it again. Quick set-ups, less guesswork, and it eliminates the need to tune the delay system to the house." When asked about his expectations for the night and the rest of the tour, Billinton said, "Everything's going great, and, no news is good news." October, 2000 |
FEATURED PRODUCTS Photo IDs from Top: 2. FOH Mgr. Robin Billinton and Audio Crew Mgr. Mike Smeaton anticipating sonic perfection 3. Monitor Engineer John Sulek and PA Technician "Bone" Scheffel after an entertaining sound check 4. BNL's Production Mgr. Dean Roney and Crew Mgr. Gordon Reddy |
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