Gand Concert Sound of Elk Grove Village, IL (a.k.a., “the NEXO guys”) just wrapped up a record-breaking month of July, beating the company’s previous record for total gear and events served that was set in May, 2013.
GCS vice president Tim Swan notes “Our new warehouse is making it possible to handle the summer festival season with over 250 NEXO loudspeakers moving in and out on a daily basis.” GCS has also added Yamaha Commercial Audio CL5 and Avid VENUE Profile digital consoles in the past year to meet national band riders.
Most recently, GCS provided sound reinforcement and support for both the Red and Green stages at the annual Pitchfork Music Festival, held for three days each summer in Chicago’s Union Park. The company’s inventory of NEXO GEO T arrays delivered clear audio to more than 55,000 fans on hand for a wide variety of music, including alternative rock, rap and hip-hop, EDM, hardcore punk, experimental/avant-garde rock, and jazz.
Meanwhile, at Lollapalooza in Chicago’s Grant Park, one of the longest running music festivals in the U.S., GCS band gear guru Ken Stevens provided a valuable helping hand after coming on board this year to handle the expansion of the company’s backline presence.
GCS president Gary Gand states, “We started in the instrument rental business in the mid 1970s out of our award-winning retail music store, and quickly moved into concert sound and permanent installations in the following years. Now we’re back to the beginning with a big expansion in back line.”
Bands on the “Gand List” of recent clients include Jimmy Vaughn, Beck, Kendrick Lamar, St. Vincent, America, 10,000 Maniacs, Joan Jett, Smashmouth, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Sonny Landreth, Pusha T, Mint Condition, Cold War Kids, The Head and the Heart, Portugal the Man, WAR, Average White Band, Dawes, Thao and the Get Down, Stay Down, Foghat, Blue Oyster Cult, George Thorogood and Maroon 5.