Bader Field, Atlantic City was the site for the first VetRock concert, held in honor of those forgotten that served in the Vietnam War.
Held the first Saturday in June, the concert featured memorable bands from the 70s including headliners Mark Farner from Grand Funk Railroad, Mitch Rider, the Buckinghams, the Traamps, Soul Survivors, as well as local area bands.
Special guest speaker was Lt. Oliver North with Joe Piscopo acting as the event’s emcee.
The day’s festivities lasted every bit of 12 hours to tribute to Vietnam Vets; Local Vietnam Veteran organizations will receive 100% of profits from tickets and t-shirts sold that commemorate the day.
The main sound system was provided by ACIR Professional, located in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. and included the company’s new d&b Audiotechnik J rig.
The system was configured with 16 boxes of J8s, four J12s, two Q7 line arrays that were used for front fills, and 20 B2 subs configured in a “sub array” to achieve even coverage of the entire listening area.
A Yamaha CL5 and two Rio3224-D remote i/o racks was used at front of house, a Yamaha PM5D-RH was used for monitors, along with Yamaha P7000 amps.
A plethora of mics included Shure, AKG, Sennheiser, EV, A-T, Countryman, along with Shure and Sennheiser wireless systems.
ACIR also provided, lighting, backline, staging, rigging, and supervised power, video, and barricade installation.
“The Yamaha CL console was excellent from a festival standpoint, and connectivity of the Rio rack with AES inputs digitally was a big plus,” states ACIR co-owner and front of house engineer for the event, John Grasso. “From all accounts, the entire rig sounded pristine, especially our new d&b J rig. It was an honor to be included in this event in remembrance of our Vietnam Vets.”
“This was my first experience as a TD for a show of this size so I needed to hire a company who would cover all production elements,” states Sam Schwartz. “From staging to audio, lighting, video, and band gear, ACIR’s great crew worked flawlessly with our IATSE Local #77.
“I received a number of complements on the new d&b J8 audio rig and its massive sound, it filled our 10 acres of seating area with no sweat.
“Being responsible for the entire production, you can’t get a better production company than ACIR Professional. They moved quickly to address all the changes and additions that were presented along the way. They made me look very good.”
ACIR co-owner, Ed DiBona chose a Yamaha PM5D-RH to mix monitors.
“I chose the PM5D for monitors because I needed a console that could handle a large number of mixes, both wedges and in-ear monitors, with a mixture of mono and stereo outputs,” she explains. “The exceptional sound quality and ability to quickly make changes and mix on the fly made the 5D the only choice for this fast-paced, high- profile show.
“The desk performed flawlessly all day. The promoter was extremely happy with the entire sound system, and we received many compliments from performers.”
For more information on ACIR Professional, visit www.acirpro.com.
