Whitinsville, MA, USA, September 9, 2010 – Every year, thousands of revelers travel from mainland Iceland to Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands) to celebrate the anniversary of the country’s inhabitation at the national festival Þjóðhátíð (Thjodhatid). This year, local EAW® distributor EB Sound and Lighting Systems provided and ran a flown EAW main speaker system together with an onstage EAW monitor setup.

As much a social gathering as a music and dance festival, and typically extending beyond the official three-day weekend of 24/7 activities, the event attracted a record 17,000 attendees this year to Vestmannaeyjar, more than tripling the island’s population. The festival, which opens early Friday afternoon and runs through the early hours of Monday morning, typically features entertainment of all descriptions, including such traditional events as a massive bonfire, a huge firework display and a hillside sing-along of Icelandic folk songs. This year the entertainment on the main stage at Iceland’s wildest outdoor party included Icelandic music stars such as Dikta, Haffi Haff, KK & Ellen and Bubbi Morthens.

Delivering crystal clear sound and pumping bass throughout the weekend festivities was an EAW rig comprising a main hang of 12 KF760 and four KF761 line array modules, together with 16 BH760 subwoofers. Ten EAW SM15 wedges handled onstage monitoring for the artists, with eight KF730 small line array modules, supplemented by four FR250z dual-15-inch subs, supplying side fill coverage. Four EAW JF26 compact full-range speakers were put into service as near fills.

A pair of EAW UX8800 4-input by 8-output digital processors provided speaker management. Noted Dagur Hilmarsson, sales/project manager for EB Sound and Lighting Systems, “The UX8800’s proprietary EAW Focusing helped to optimize system performance. The coverage was great. All were thrilled with the sound of the EAW loudspeakers and subs.�

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