California desert rockers Queens of the Stone Age went for a radical change of scene recently when they performed an exclusive one-off gig for 300 fans in a German salt mine.

Billed as the world‘s deepest gig ever, fans were transported 2,300 feet underground to hear Queens of the Stone Age perform through a Crest Audio Pro 200™-powered sound system supplied by audio rental and production specialists Complete Audio Berlin.
Complete Audio‘s André Rauhut admitted that the Sondershausen salt mine definitely ranked at the top of his “most unusual venue” list, and was pretty close to earning “most challenging,” as well. The first task was to bring all the components underground, where they were left for 36 hours to adjust to the climatic conditions of the underground chamber. Then his crew handled the massive reverberations coming off the walls. Throughout it all, Rauhut said that his Crest Audio Pro 200 Series amplifiers were a very important part of the signal chain.

“It doesn‘t matter how well-tuned your P.A. setup is if the amplifiers massacre the signal before it gets to the loudspeakers,” he remarked. “The Crest Pro 200 Series amplifiers provide clean, powerful and reliable sound reinforcement with plenty of headroom for strong peaks. In short, this was a world-class system that produced stunning results in challenging acoustic surroundings, and we have the live digital recording to prove it!”

The band‘s fans, who were required to wear protective helmets throughout the underground concert experience, were equally appreciative, and will doubtless be looking forward to reliving the event–and seeing themselves in helmets–on the forthcoming DVD.

Crest Audio Pro 200 Series professional power amplifiers showcase Crest’s renowned sonic integrity at exceptionally high power ratings (up to 6500W bridged on the Pro 9200) in a compact, lightweight (24 lbs.) 2RU package. Crest Audio Pro 200 Series amps also feature Automatic Clip Limiting™ (ACL) to protect connected drivers; IGM™ Impedance Sensing to accommodate varying impedance outputs; tunnel-cooled, high efficiency heat sinks; and variable-speed DC fans to limit the operating temperature and extend amplifier life. Models in the series include the Pro 9200, Pro 8200, Pro 7200 and Pro 5200.