Following a 10-year dark streak and $10 million, two-year restoration project, the greater Los Angeles area has witnessed the rebirth of another iconic entertainment venue, the Fox Theater Pomona.
First opened in 1931 as an art deco movie palace from Hollywood’s golden age, the 2,000-capacity auditorium once again came to life on May 21 with a rollicking concert by Gogol Bordello, who properly inaugurated the room’s new L-Acoustics KUDO rig.
Working in tandem with L-Aconstics, Oxnard-based Rat Sound Systems designed and installed the loudspeaker system, which is comprised of twin 11-enclosure KUDO arrays and eight SB28 subwoofers—four per side—all powered by LA8 amplified controllers. Rat also specified the purchase of four portable 8XT coaxial enclosures for use on smaller events.
“All of the groups that have performed here since we reopened have been extremely impressed with the sound system,” says Fox Theater Pomona AV/IT Manager Maria Tarozzi. “Many of the touring managers and front-of-house engineers coming through immediately recognize the KUDO arrays and are impressed that we have such an excellent rig here in-house.
“They’ve all looked forward to mixing on it, and then loved it once they did. We are told repeatedly that ‘the sound here is really, really nice’ and ‘you guys are very lucky to have this system,’ and I agree. It sounds amazing.”
Although Rat Sound is primarily known for its high-profile tours with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam and Ben Harper, as well as the annual Coachella and Stagecoach Festivals, the sound reinforcement company was highly recommended to the Fox by local promoter Goldenvoice, who is the exclusive promoter of live music for the venue.
According to Rat Sound’s head honcho, Dave Rat, “Our primary focus as a company, of course, remains on touring; however, we do take on select install projects when venues are interested in a high-quality L-Acoustics system.
“The support we get from the manufacturer is truly exceptional and it is always very much a cooperative process between the client, Rat Sound and L-Acoustics in putting a system together.
“Using the SOUNDVISION modeling software, we ran a number of different system configurations for the Fox, analyzed their respective costs and coverages, and came up with a cool KUDO setup that ultimately performed exactly as predicted,” he continues.
“Combined with the simplicity of specifying the LA8 amplifier, DSP and control system, putting together an L-Acoustics install is truly a smooth and slick process.”
Fox Theater Pomona can be booked for film showings, gala parties and other events, but the lion’s share of its calendar is dedicated to hosting top-tier indie and alternative acts. In the first few months, Wilco, Flaming Lips, Marilyn Manson, Cake, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sonic Youth, Paramore, Ween, 311 and numerous others will have all played on the new KUDO rig.
