Primus
Van Halen Tour 2015
The Van Halen 2015 Tour kicked off on July 5 at the White River Amphitheatre (Auburn, WA), with an additional 40 stops throughout North America — playing mostly sheds and arena venues — and wraps up in early October. The staging and lighting is uncharacteristically bare for a major rock tour, but it all serves to focus on the guitar pyrotechnics of Eddie at center stage, joined by his brother Alex on drums, son Wolfgang on bass and on-again/off-again singer David Lee Roth returning to the lead vocal slot. The outing is in support of a new live album, Tokyo Dome Live in Concert, which was recorded during VH’s previous tour.
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Recent House of Worship Projects
Technology upgrades — for audio, as well as video and lighting — for houses of worship remains one of the largest sectors of growth in the industry, particularly within the contemporary worship market.
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Ovo Fest: October’s Very Own Delivers In Toronto
One of the largest hip-hop festivals in Canada, the fourth annual OVO (October’s Very Own) Fest drew more than 35,000 fans to Toronto from August 1 to 3. Kevin Hart headlined day one of the three-day event; J. Cole, Big Sean, YG + Jeremih took the spotlight day two; and Drake hosted day three, along with guest performances from Future, Pharrell Williams, U.K.’s MC Skepta, Kanye West and Krept & Konan.
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Chris Lamb, 2015 Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
Production/Tour Manager Traveled the World with Queen, Madonna and Others
When speaking of the earliest days of what we now call “live event touring,” those who lived it often refer to it as “the Wild West.” That makes Chris Lamb, who is still never without boots and a cowboy hat, one of the original cowboys.
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Hometown Hero Finalists
Six Regional Audio Providers Make it to the 2015 Parnelli Ballot
The readers of FRONT of HOUSE have voted, and we have six finalists in the Parnelli Awards Hometown Hero category for the hardworking death-defying audio companies that cater to five U.S. regions and Canada.
LiveWire
New Phoenix-area Venue Marks First EAW Anya Install in a Club Environment
In the heart of Scottsdale, Arizona’s entertainment district, LiveWire has quickly become one of the most sought-after venues in the Southwest. Since opening earlier this year, LiveWire has hosted national touring acts, comedians, artists, DJs and up-and-coming local bands.
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DPS Expands Production Services Based on its Audio Roots
I’m riding over to DPS’ warehouse from their HQ in Burbank with Robert “R.J.” Lynn in his Audi and director of marketing Alan Sherin. At a stop light, founder and consultant Anthony Dever pulls up in his Tesla, rolls down his window and jokes, “Wanna race?” Lynn, DPS general manager, laughs and points out that maybe that’s not prudent, cop-wise. The light turns green, and Dever hits the pedal, if only for a short spurt.
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AC Power Distro Systems
To have a great show, you need clean, dependable power, and today’s productions require plenty of it for audio, backline, video and lighting. In the days… Read More »AC Power Distro Systems
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KS Audio CPD 14
When I was asked to write a review of KS Audio’s CPD 14, I have to admit that I had never heard of the company before. In fact, most of my colleagues that I asked hadn’t heard of KS Audio either. I only found one person who knew the name KS Audio, and when I mentioned their name, his response was that they “make amazing studio monitors.” For a company that has been around for over 30 years, it seemed no one really knew much about them, so I spent the past few weeks getting familiar with their product line, including the speakers that I’ve reviewed here, the CPD 14.
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Crown XLS DriveCore 2 Amplifiers
Once upon a time, old timers will remember when “one dollar per watt” was considered either the benchmark or goal of many amplifier designs. Well, thanks to switch-mode, Class-D technology, those days are long gone, and today’s models continue to improve on that, both in terms of increasing onboard DSP functionality and higher power levels in smaller, more lightweight packages.
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A Night of Celebration
I am now enjoying my eleventh year mixing FOH sound for James Taylor and his Legendary Band. I have come to believe the word “Legendary” doesn’t begin to describe the musical talent present on the stage each night. Throughout his career, James has always assembled an astounding group of musician’s musicians who each contribute their wondrous virtuosity to the performance.
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