For the Live Sound Folks

[Jim vanBergen]

What's the line array? Looks like VerTec 4887s from the side but not from the front.

Nice to have a daytime gig and no lights to contend with...

Was the ENTIRE rig powered off 2x 20A circuits?

[bishopthomas]

That's the QSC WideLine array. They're small, light, extremely easy to fly, and, last but not least, they sound great. Yes, no lighting was helpful; the promoter wanted to save money as this was a charity event. I was fearful at first, but it turned out to be a nice sunny day. We set up the day before even though it was supposed to rain that night, but thankfully it didn't.

I'm not sure about what kind of power we were pulling but it was definitely more than two circuits. That unit is the distro with most of the connections in the back. Looking at the breakers it looks like there are 8-10 circuits. The orange cord (a Home Depot special, I'm sure) goes to FOH and the other one in the front I believe is the wireless unit sitting on the console.

[nathanvacha]

are those nl4's mounted to the front of a rack drawer? or is there a one space panel there that i'm not seeing, separate from the drawer?

and wideline 8's or 10's?

and foh was just run from backstage?

[bishopthomas]

There's a patch panel at the bottom of the rack. That's the monitor output panel, the FOH outs are on the back of the rack with the PowerLights. They are WideLine 10's. Look at the last picture and you will see the GB4 at FOH.

[SparkyCanada]

Was that a soundcheck crowd or actual show crowd? (just curious)

SparkyCanada

[bishopthomas]

Here is the crowd there for the show. The first picture with the people standing on subwoofers are the ones who stormed the field for the last two songs. No one was allowed on the field, as you can see in one of the shots. This is all that was there for this FREE show in Princeton (promoted horribly):

[bishopthomas]

I've done some pretty cool shows lately, so I think I may use this thread for multiple installments. Maybe some more folks would like to share some concert shots...... ? The last couple of weeks have been crazy, working at least one show a day all over the state (and more). My 24 track remote rack is completed, the new snake cable comes in tomorrow (24x8 200') and I'll spend the next couple of nights awake, slaving over a W4 Mass connector with a small soldering iron. I haven't had much chance to record or look for gigs because of all the live work I've had, so I figured I'd share that instead.

[bishopthomas]

I left my camera at home and missed out on taking pictures of the best fireworks show I've ever seen. They were shot from a barge in a river behind the stage. The stage was the same one used at the Gin Blossoms show (see above), but this time we flew the line array from all four corners of the stage. It worked out great and I'm upset I didn't have my camera that day.

Anyway, after a couple of rainout dates, we brought in subs and monitors for LL Cool J at the House of Blues Atlantic City. Sidefills were 4 x 18" subs with 2 LA460's on each side, plus the SM15's and HOB's Clair 12am's in the front. It was an easy day except for having to drive an hour and a half back home to pull a pair of LA460's out of a closed down club installation. The tour manager tried to pull the "we ordered two of these" maneuver and we went along for the ride. Anyway, here are the pics:

[bishopthomas]

The next day was at the Stone Pony (a kind of local legend club in New Jersey). They did two stages, one inside and one out. A band would play for 30 minutes inside, then the next band for 30 minutes outside, and so on. Thankfully the "headliner" was inside so we were able to pack up and get out before midnight in order to drive down to the next gig at an arena 2 hours away. I did record this Stone Pony gig but I have yet to even unload my rack.

[bishopthomas]

The next day was the show in the Arena (Mary Wilson of the Supremes). I didn't have much of a chance to get any pictures, and the ones I did came out blurry. But the next day we were across the street at a band shell in a park doing Philly's Intruders. I threw up a couple of mics (Earthworks sr69's) for a quick audience recording, plugged them into the Soundcraft GB4, and took the inserts out to my Nomad Jukebox. Again, I have yet to pull out the Jukebox to transfer and edit the files. I will post sound clips as soon as I have a chance.

[bishopthomas]

Last night was at this cool ampitheatre in a random northern NJ town. This place has a lot of potential to be a great small venue. There are 400 seats and the lawn holds another 200. We showed up with a small PA and the promoter asked if we wanted to use their speakers. He opened the backstage door and a pair of 3-box JBL VRX arrays were sitting there. He twisted my arm just enough to say yes, and I now am a fan of these boxes. The band was a Beatles tribute act that we typically run production for. They're great guys and do a really nice job.

[mrufino1]

What town is that amphitheater in? I don't recognize it.

[bishopthomas]

That is in downtown Linden. Who would have thought?

[bishopthomas]

I ran monitors at a festival yesterday that Less Than Jake and Reel Big Fish headlined. There were about 6 other bands on my stage beginning at noon. It was a long, hot day but everything went great and most of the bands were fun to listen to (mainly ska/punk) and easy to work with.

[Gravity]

Man, this has me jonesing for my FOH days. I've been in the studio too long... I need to get into the remote world.. best of both worlds ;-)

[Yankee Doodle]

Cool stage and love those QSC amps (especially the powerlites)...

Where can I rent a stage like that for a gig we are working on getting in Times Square NYC for an all day festival?

How much would something like that cost me?

Any suggestions?

Wasserdude

[bishopthomas]

Thanks for resurrecting this thread! That was a StageLine 100 (the smallest of the series) portable stage. They're pretty cool and go together fairly painlessly (although I've only watched as I try to stay FAR from staging of any kind). PM me your real contact info and I'll see what I can find for you. I don't know of anyone in NYC, but I'm sure the people in Jersey and PA would be interested.

[Jim vanBergen]

There's no GOOD place to put a drivable stage (like the first picture) in Times Square unless you play sideways, due to ground items (like lighting poles & subway access hatches that have to stay clear. The larger stage, like the one for Reel Big Fish, sure...Every stage that has ever been put up that is big enough for a concert in Times Square is custom built because of the obstructions, usually rented from Moutain Productions, and erected by Local 1 stagehands who have jurisdiction over events in Times Square.

Any stage proposal has to be approved by NYC Police Department, who can advise your client on location & restrictions.

if you need help in NYC, lemme know!

[Yankee Doodle]

There's no GOOD place to put a drivable stage (like the first picture) in Times Square unless you play sideways, due to ground items (like lighting poles & subway access hatches that have to stay clear. The larger stage, like the one for Reel Big Fish, sure...Every stage that has ever been put up that is big enough for a concert in Times Square is custom built because of the obstructions, usually rented from Moutain Productions, and erected by Local 1 stagehands who have jurisdiction over events in Times Square.

Any stage proposal has to be approved by NYC Police Department, who can advise your client on location & restrictions.

if you need help in NYC, lemme know!

I plan to shut down 7th Avenue ... so we should be able to set a semi-trailer sideways.

Workin on getting the police permits from City Hall now. Workin on some corporate sponsors as well.

Do I still have to involve the local stagehands? Picture 7th ave. near W. 48th Street.

[Jim vanBergen]

Originally Posted by Yankee Doodle

I plan to shut down 7th Avenue ... so we should be able to set a semi-trailer sideways.

Workin on getting the police permits from City Hall now. Workin on some corporate sponsors as well.

Do I still have to involve the local stagehands? Picture 7th ave. near W. 48th Street.

I can sure picture 48th street and 7th Ave, with a stage facing West, right?

It's a really dangerous area, for vehicular & pedestrian traffic. What time of day, are you planning on shutting down 7th ave, and for how long? Weekend or weekday?

1) The businesses in the area will complain about SPL level, you have to be super careful on that.

2) Make EVERYTHING wired mics. There are four broadcast networks and dozens of broadway shows in that area. It's simply better to plan on being all wired, all the time. If you need anything RF, get it locally, and hire an RF specialist to do a coordination long in advance.

3) you have to communicate with the Police department, the Mayor's office, and Times Square BID (the business development association) in advance. The PD will be VERY specific about the genny you can use, and where you can put it.

4) Local 1 has jurisdiction in the area for any "entertainment" or "special events" in the area, the same way North Shore sign hangers are the only people who can put signage in Times Square. NY is a heavily unionized state, NOT a "right to work" state. The union has jurisdiction. I'm just letting you know, otherwise you'll still end up paying for them later. I find it easier to communicate and get what you need in advance. In a similar vein, the first time I got charged for Teamsters on a truck I unloaded myself really burned me, since then I arrange it up front and am covered with a reasonable amount of labor & a consistent cost. For a small stage, you won't need a big crew, but it's easier and you can control what is needed if you start far in advance instead of trying to do it without the union and getting hit with serious charges afterwards, that's my $0.02.

5) fitting and parking an actual 48' or 53' trailer in NYC is no small task! Make sure you mention the stage truck size to the NYPD and ask for their help getting into the area.

[Yankee Doodle]

Great advice Jim...I will see if my buddy in the stagehands union can suggest the quickest resolution.

Thanks again for the heads-up.

Wasserdude