The Cure, whose enduring career is now entering its fourth
decade, is currently out on the road with an L-Acoustics K1/K2 system
supplied by London-based Britannia Row Productions, who have been with
singer/guitarist Robert Smith and his bandmates since almost the very
beginning.
Aside from a few short jaunts and various one-offs at
major festivals, “The Cure Tour 2016”— which played 33 shows in North
America this spring and is now journeying through 34 shows in 17
European countries — marks the first real outing for the band since the
release of its 13th studio album, 4:13 Dream, and subsequent tour in
2008.
For this year’s worldwide tour, Britannia Row added a
large quantity of new L-Acoustics products to its arsenal of gear,
including K1, K1-SB, Kara, ARCS II, ARCS Wide, X8 and 5XT enclosures,
plus the manufacturer’s new KS28 reference subwoofers and LA12X
amplified controllers.
The band is fast repeating the success of its North
American tour on its European/UK run as it performs 40 years of songs,
mixing hits, rarities, favourites, and as yet unreleased tracks in a new
stage production that culminates with three dates at London’s SSE Arena
in early December.
The typical loudspeaker arrangement for the current tour
leg features left and right main arrays of K1 over K2 down, plus hangs
of K1-SB low-frequency extension enclosures flown behind each K1/K2
array.
Additional side hangs of K1 over K2 down address the far
left and right seating sections, while dual arrays ARCS II cover the
area behind the stage. Low-profile Kara enclosures spread out across the
stage lip deliver front fill, with ARCS II cabinets on each side of the
deck serving as stereo outfills. Ground-stacked KS28 subs anchor the
show’s low end, and a combination of LA8 and LA12X amplified controllers
power and process the entire loudspeaker complement.
The challenge, particularly on the US run, was to adapt
the system to such a wide range of venues and their ever-changing
environments, both indoors and out.
“Providing consistency day to day for Paul Corkett, the
engineer at front of house, is paramount,” said Brit Row managing
director Bryan Grant. “Going from large American arenas to scaled down
college basketball floors, huge amphitheaters with extreme elevation, a
flat green field site, and then back into sheds — often with dated
‘house’ lawn delays and low tin roofs — was what our technicians had to
contend with week after week.”
According to Brit Row business development manager Dave
Compton, L-Acoustics’ Soundvision was absolutely essential in making the
2016 tour a success. “Once the final system spec was confirmed, the
majority of work was done well in advance of the tour starting,” he
explained. “A model was created in Soundvision, containing all the
system resources available for the tour, with speaker groups that
included different array types, both flown and ground configurations, as
well as multiple sub designs. This allowed for a quick start when
preparing and working on designs for each particular venue.”
Compton concluded: “There is no question that Soundvision
is extraordinarily powerful and extremely reliable, providing the user
with an accurate means of simulation and the necessary platform to
deliver consistency. It’s an essential and invaluable tool in any
L-Acoustics speaker application and venue system design.”
The same Paul Corkett that produced Bloodflowers?
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