At select concerts, legendary rock band Foreigner presents special guests with pre-show acoustic “meet-and-greet” performances, utilizing L1 Model II systems with B2 bass modules and a T1 ToneMatch engine from Bose Professional for sound reinforcement.
The performances generally feature a three-song acoustic set for an audience of anywhere from 35 to 150 people. The band sets up four L1 systems for these performances, in a stereo configuration. The system serves as a house mix, left and right, as well as monitors for the band.
To accomplish this, they place an L1 Model II system with single B2 bass module in the rear corners of the stage and to either side on the floor in front of the stage. This allows them to create a full stereo mix and accommodate each of the band members’ monitoring needs.
The performances usually happen earlier in the day in the same venue they will be performing with full instrumentation that evening. Brian Simon, audio engineer for the band, states, “When we do two shows in a day, time is everything, so the product that I’m using is the Bose L1 system. It is compact, lightweight, easy to set up and tear down, and it sounds amazing. A nice full-range sound out of a very small product. It’s very smooth, but it’s very crystal clear as well. I do very little EQing.”
Founding member and lead guitarist Mick Jones likewise appreciates what this setup does for the band’s sound and energy, noting, “If you’re in close proximity [with your bandmates], to be able to hear the natural harmonies creates more of a unified field of sound, and that’s what this system gives us. [Bose] is a class act to be affiliated with, I must say.”
“We’ve always had a great experience with this Bose system,” adds Kelly Hansen, Foreigner’s vocalist. “We’re hearing the performance as a whole. Performing that way kind of glues you together; you’re all hearing the same thing. You set this up behind you so you are hearing it and the audience is hearing what you’re hearing. It’s like a blanket of sound that we’re all listening to.”
Foreigner bassist/arranger/producer Jeff Pilson states, “As Foreigner’s audio producer over the last several years, I couldn’t be more excited about the Bose L1 system, which has been delivering the sound we’ve been going for, evenly distributed throughout the audience. Ordinarily, in a live setting, you have speakers and you have monitors, and generally those are two different worlds.
“But in this case, the speakers are the monitors,” he continues. “There’s no way to describe how important it is to an artist to make sure that your sound is right. Because of the way it’s designed, to spread all around, we’re hearing a very pleasant mix. And that has helped with the synergy between us and the audience. We’ve never had so many compliments on our sound. For everything that we’re doing with these, they’re absolutely the only and best system I can imagine using. Bose gets it right.”