Production Profile

“It’s involved,” system tech Frank Sgambellone says, of Usher’s “The UR Experience” tour, in what appears to be an epic understatement. “It’s large, and definitely a show — that’s for sure.” By all measures, the 27-date North American arena tour was a huge success, kicking off from Montreal’s Bell Centre Nov. 1 and wrapping up Dec. 14 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. A well-deserved break ensues before starting up again in Europe and the U.K. in February and March.

When F. Scott Fitzgerald famously wrote that there are no second acts in American lives, Garth Brooks wasn’t around to refute that assertion. After officially “retiring” from recording and performing in 2001 — with periodic, strategic breaks to drop a few new singles and one-off shows — he came part of the way back in 2009 with a five-year performance-in-residence at the Encore Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Now, with a new deal with Sony Music Nashville and the release of his catalog in digital — something he resisted doing for years — Brooks embarked on a three-year-long world tour in September.

Global rock heavyweights Five Finger Death Punch (5FDP) quickly rose to fame after the release of their first Album The Way of the Fist in 2007. Since then, 5FDP has sold more than 2.6 million albums in the U.S. and a new single, “Wrong Side Of Heaven” (on the plight of veterans suffering PTSD) has racked up more than 10 million plays on YouTube since Aug. 11.

On Aug. 3, 2014, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers kicked off its Hypnotic Eye tour in support of the group’s new studio album of the same title. The tour was a mix of mostly arena dates, with a few festival appearances, along with a number of outdoor performances, including legendary venues such as the scenic Red Rocks and The Gorge amphitheaters and Boston’s Fenway Park. The two-and-a-half-month tour concluded with two dates at the revamped (and reborn) L.A. Forum in mid-October.

The brainchild of noted producer (and jazz label GRP records founder) Larry Rosen, Georgia on My Mind: Celebrating The Music of Ray Charles is a tribute to the music of one of America’s greatest musical legends. The show —now running in a six week engagement at The Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas — features a lineup of award-winning stars including Emmy Award winner Clint Holmes, 10-time Grammy-winning vocal group Take 6, six-time Grammy nominee Nnenna Freelon and Grammy award winning sax phenom Kirk Whalum. And to bring the FOH input counter even higher, the show includes the Las Vegas Mass Choir and the Las Vegas All-Star Big Band under the direction of musical director David Loeb.

It’s been a busy summer for Nine Inch Nails. The band recently wrapped a successful tour with a final performance on August 30 at the White River Amphitheater in Auburn, WA, with the memory of countless sheds, arenas and a lot of festivals in their wake. A talented audio crew of four kept the group sonically together from Europe to the left coast. Audio was provided by Firehouse Productions of Red Hook, NY.

Without a doubt, Asleep at the Wheel founder/frontman Ray Benson is a national treasure. While other live music forms seem to espouse all the amenities of “modern production” — Pro Tools backing tracks, drum machines, loops, beatz, flashy lights, video playback, overblown sets, elaborate staging, pyro effects, legions of dancers, multiple costume changes and the must-have flashing strobes that blind the audience — Asleep at the Wheel just shows up and plays. And no “grueling” 20-stop tours, either: these guys (and gals) are on the road doing between 140 and 200 shows a year to packed houses and festivals, leaving audiences cheering for encore after encore.

“Queen is an old school rock band, so you can’t snapshot with a digital console and count on that working every night,” says monitor engineer Gary Stokes. “They don’t play the same every night, so you have to ride those levels.”

While the 13^th annual Bonnaroo Music Festival included a Friday the 13^th, it was nothing but good luck, good music, and good times for the 80,000 music-loving fans that showed up for the Manchester, TN event. With more than 200 acts over four days from June 12 to 15, 2014, including headliners Elton John, Kanye West, Jack White, Lionel Richie, Vampire Weekend and the Avett Brothers, it took several sound companies to make it a memorable festival.