Cruise Control
At monitors, Joe Campbell presides over the stage with the help of his own Allen & Heath iLive-112.
Both Campbell and McDonald’s iLive-112s share a single controlling brain that lives in an onstage rack.
From his perch out in the house, McDonald manages gain structure for both desks, effectively “cruise controlling” Campbell’s board in this regard.
Sennheiser G3 IEMs are used widely onstage by everyone but one of two guitarists and the bass player.
Wedges from L-Acoustics provide the latter with more-of-me, and also stand in a grouping of four in front of Adele, who will occasionally pull her ears out and listen to just the monitors with all four running to obtain a different aural perspective of what’s going on.
Campbell’s mixes are known for their precision and extensive scene changes built to accommodate a wide range of instrumentation and sounds emanating from the show’s more traditional instrumentation as well as a banjo, stomp box, and melodica.
“Unlike myself, Joe has a lot of work cut out for himself in terms of scene changes,” McDonald notes. “I, on the other hand, don’t believe in building and storing scenes. I like to use my own brain and hands. At front of house, we’re paid to interpret an artist’s songs, and we’re chosen for our style of interpretation.
“That’s where the art is in my job. There are many musical moments in this show that will give you goose bumps. My goal is to project these qualities in a forceful manner that isn’t aggressive. I never want the audience to feel as if it’s being shouted at. The music should envelop everyone, but not to the point they feel uncomfortable.
“Adele’s vocals are amazing,” he concludes. “I want the audience to forget who they are for a moment and be able to project themselves solely onto what’s occurring onstage. That is, after all, why we go to shows.”
Gregory A. DeTogne is a free-lance writer and publicist who has served the pro audio industry for the past 30 years.