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Report from the Main Stage |
Day
One:
Vinroc – This hassle-free D.J. started both
days. He spun while the crowd started to filter in from the gates. The site is
over a hundred miles from Los Angeles, so the crowds tended to be thin as the
day would get under way, and then increased as dusk approached.
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Princess Superstar – We actually soundchecked her before Vinroc started. She is a cheerful person with a rapper and a D.J., that’s it. They asked for RF mics, and we provided them. These shows were the first time I saw the Pioneer CD “scratching” decks in the field. They have wheels that are used just like a turntable. Steve Walsh and I spent a substantial amount of time tuning the front-line Rat wedges, before any bands came in to work with us. We both wanted to be able to turn up a mix without it going into feedback. |
There was next to none all weekend. Of course, when the Prodigy “singers” pointed their mics literally straight into the wedges, the result is pretty unavoidable. I asked for a couple adjustments in the sidefill crossovers, until I felt like I could get more volume without the high end being too intense.
Steve did a certain amount of correcting on the graphics as I walked the stage with a 58.
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Then, at a certain point, he went to the parametrics for each mix output, on the 4KM, so that any band monitor engineers would still be able to change more on the graphics if they wished to. Those of us who spend more time on 4K FOH desks can forget that this is not only possible but desirable. Also, Steve can do a faster lap from behind the board to something that needs attention onstage, than almost anyone I have ever known. It pays to be a tall dude. Since much of the Rat shop and personnel are out on tour, there was quite a bit of sub-renting on our stage. The VDOSC cabinets in the air came from Audiotek/ATK, along with some of their trapezoidal C-6 boxes. |
Sidefills were from Schubert, as was a nice A/B switcher that threw from one snake line to the other; just as there were separate desks onstage for Steve and I, there was a pair being alternated at FOH.
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KRS-One – Again, pretty simple, old school shouting. Steve started them and then I gave him a break. With hip-hop acts, I run vocals and the D.J. as loud as I think it can stay stable, and then bellowed playing-to-the-crowd requests for more level (“Pump this shit up!”) are met with comparatively small adjustments. |
G Love – Any white person who says “I gots to” is automatically on my shit list. But I am a professional, so I do not allow that to interfere with fine service! I give ‘em fries with that, or anything else they ask for, that does not endanger the system. His rhythm section is excellent, and the drummer only asked me for a few changes. The FOH guy, unlike many younger people I have seen in the past few years, actually knew how to turn up an upright bass without the mains wildly resonating.
We had
drumfills on wheels, and if someone ever asked for more than I wanted to pump
out of one, I got on the talkback and asked the stagehands to wheel in the second
one, on the opposite side, rather than have to worry about the single stack getting
unstable. That is one of the luxuries of your bigger stage scenarios
Pete
Yorn – Not sure what the big fuss about this guy is, but he showed up
with members of the Rolling Stones crew in tow. They were fun, and had no problems
with our set-up.
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Jack Johnson – Very interesting lower-volume artist. I had known that Michael Pollock would be mixing FOH for him, one of my buddies from aforementioned club days, who is more often seen behind the board for some multi-hundred number of shows the world over with Ben Harper. Jack is a very well-known surfer, plays acoustic guitar and flabbergasted me by starting his set with a Jimmy Buffet song. That takes guts, at a determinedly alternative event like this. His drummer and bassist really listen to him and they are all working on grooving together. |
Jack only asked me for a little more guitar once, and I was happy
when Michael told me later that the band enjoyed how it felt up there. Jack has
obviously listened to some reggae records, and every once in a while, Michael
would hike up the reverb on the snare and make some cool hits.
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