Flaming
June is upon us, and as we dive into summer I've been privileged
enough to kick things off with involvement in a show organised by a
good friend of mine in support of the British Heart Foundation. This
show was an extraordinary undertaking, and I'm very pleased that it
went off so well. Although I was only involved in a supporting
capacity, watching the sheer amount of work that went into organising
it – everything from venue hire to instrument changes – got me
thinking about the staggering variety of skills that are represented
in a show like this, completely aside from the musical aspects of
learning and performing the repertoire.
First
off, deciding on and securing a venue, and setting a date. Even this
basic element is riddled with complexity – the more people
involved, the trickier it is to ensure everyone's availability and
make sure the venue is at least relatively accessible for everyone.
So the date has to be picked and settled on months in advance, and
everyone involved needs to take this as a solid commitment. Ditto
location – and with large amounts of equipment to be hauled around,
parking and accessibility are considerations. It is astonishing how
many venues decide they're going to book a band, and then fail to
provide anywhere for them to park and expect them to lug everything
up a single rickety fire escape. Not really a great option when
you're dealing with 4x12” speaker cabs, 88 key digital pianos and
so on.
Next
– sound reinforcement. This is something that the audience usually
takes for granted, but is a real art in itself. Speakers have to be
sited properly so that the audience doesn't get left with frequency
dead spots, and so everything is clear and audible. For a show
involving 4-5 guitar players, keyboards, drums and bass as well as
3-4 different singers, there are a great many sounds to balance –
careful EQ-ing has to take place to ensure the instruments don't
tread on each others' toes. If the sound is badly mixed, by someone
who doesn't understand how different frequency soundwaves behave, the
result will be a deafening, muddied mush for the audience. Careful
soundchecking and and able sound engineer is a must (and of course,
must be available for the selected date and venue- more headache for
the organiser). Thorough soundcheck for a show like this can take two
hours – and let's not forget that the acoustic properties of the
room will change hugely from being empty to full of audience. All
this has to be compensate for during soundcheck.
Sound
reinforcement doesn't just take place out front either. Good
monitoring is essential for the musicians to be able to hear each
other and play together. Different musicians will need different
mixes and the same rules of EQ apply. Sometimes In Ear Monitoring
(IEM) headset systems allow the musicians their own independent mix,
but some find the lack of on-stage sound disconcerting and prefer the
old style “wedges” - speakers blasting monitor feeds back onto
the stage. Poor placing and control of the wedges will result in
feedback loops and a very unpleasant experience for audiences and
players alike.
Many
shows also involve a strong visual element, and this has to be
synchronised with the music. Video screens have to be placed, any
props made ready, projection angles checked to ensure that there are
no distracting shadows or blockages when the videos are projected.
Musical and visual cues have to be set and agreed upon with both
performers and engineers. The video part of this show was essential
to the overall effect and very, very effective – well done to all
involved!
Come
the big day itself and everyone needs to know their entrance and exit
cues, their routes on and off stage, and behind the scenes a
bewildering array of guitars sit, tuned and set up for different
songs. My friend Chris, the man behind this show, had the daunting
task of not only performing in every song in the show with a variety
of different instruments, but also acting as a master of ceremonies,
keeping the audience's attention and interacting with them. So it's
down to the faithful roadie to ensure the right guitar is brought out
for the right song, tuned and with the wireless transmitter is
plugged in to make sure there's no unpleasant “thump” amplified
through 20,000 watts of PA! All small details, but all crucial to the
overall effect.
All
in all, last week's show represented the culmination of months of
hard work behind the scenes by everyone involved – none more so
than Chris, the organiser – and what was visible on stage
represented really only the tip of the iceberg. So thank you to
everyone who made it all happen, and never forget the guys behind the
scenes without whom none of the fun stuff would be possible!
