L-Acoustics K2 Has Oregon Music Festivals Covered

Two of this season’s most successful regional festivals took place in August in Oregon where the five-year-old BI-MART Willamette Country Music Festival in Brownsville drew upwards of 25,000 fans who came to hear acts like Blake Shelton, Gary Allen and Eric Church.

Meanwhile, BI-MART, a regional discount retailer, also launched a new sister event in Sixes this year, the Cape Blanco Country Music Festival, which attracted at least 15,000 to hear Brad Paisley, Eric Church and Justin Moore, among others.

What tied them together, aside from their mutual corporate sponsor, was the sound provided at each site by U.S. Audio & Lighting (USA&L), which deployed an L-Acoustics K2 system at both.

“The music sounded excellent in both places,” says Patrick Coughlin, general manager of U.S. Audio & Lighting North, the Northern California branch of the North Hollywood-based company that has become one of the largest K2 users in the U.S.

For the main stage at the Willamette festival, where it has been the SR provider for the last three years, USA&L flew a combined total of 52 K2 enclosures for its main and out fill hangs, anchored by 32 SB28 ground-stacked subs. A full complement of L-Acoustics gear also covered the stage, including 115XT HiQ monitors, flown ARCS II/SB28 side fills and 108P stage lip fills.

For Cape Blanco, 48 K2 belted out the main LR house sound bolstered by 28 SB28 subs, while LA8-equipped LA-RAKs supplied the power and processing for both festivals.

Coughlin says what attracted him to the K2 is the sonic and directional flexibility afforded by its steerable pattern down to 300 Hz. “It assures us of even, consistent coverage for the audience,” he states. “We also like how light the boxes are, which makes transporting and rigging them easier.

“Plus we like that the 12-inch speaker allows us good control of the low end,” he continues. “It’s just a great package, and we were able to run the entire system wirelessly via LA Network Manager. It’s unbelievable control. I use no outboard EQ at all; all of the EQ is on the network.”

The K2 systems are expected to get a workout in coming months at U.S. Audio & Lighting North. After being deployed in late August at the First City Festival, the successor to the legendary Monterey Pop Festival, they do a schedule of shows that includes Diana Ross at the Santa Barbara Bowl and EDM shows at the Event Center Arena in San Jose, culminating in a rave show on New Year’s Eve at the Oakland Oracle Arena, which will employ 96 K2, 48 SB28, 24 ARCS, and 80 LA8 controllers.

And U.S. Audio & Lighting North and K2 will be back next year for both the BI-MART Willamette Country Music Festival and the Cape Blanco Country Music Festival, as well as a third planned BI-MART-sponsored festival—this one in Idaho at a time and place to be determined. “The K2 is the perfect system for these kinds of shows,” Coughlin concludes. “It’s easy to move, simple to control and sounds fantastic.”

L-Acoustics
U.S. Audio & Lighting (USA&L)

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