A recent concert by hip-hop artist Lizzo at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA for Google’s Return To Office Concert saw the Sound Image San Francisco branch provided with a rider that specified VUE Audiotechnik al-Class line arrays that were deployed by front of house tech Winston Damme and system tech Mike Brown.
The system encompassed both al-12 line array hangs with al-8 as fills joined by hs-221 ACM powered dual 21-inch subwoofers and h-8 powered loudspeakers for additional fill. All loudspeakers were driven by VUE V3 and V6 Engine power amplifiers.
Sound Image techs placed the subs in the press pit across the front of the stage rather than in the wings because the “bowl” at Shoreline Amphitheater can create an undesirable buildup of sub frequencies. The deployment helped ensure that low-frequency energy fired forward.
“The al-12s with the V3 engine maintain so much clarity even at high SPL, and I could feel the hs-221s in my chest at FOH almost 200 feet out,” says Brown. “They performed just how EASE told us they would.”
Damme adds, “I’m impressed with how good the al-12s and al-8s sound right out of the box and that the rig continues to sound good even when push hard like it was at the Lizzo concert. The hs-221 subs are equally amazing. The software seems more intuitive and easier to operate than some other manufacturers software.”
While the VUE components are spec’d on Lizzo’s rider, her front of house engineer for the night was not familiar the system but did tell the Sound Image staff he was pleased with the sound. Lizzo will be heading out on a concert tour this coming fall.
