EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J.—Founded in 1883 and now in its 128th season, The Metropolitan Opera is the vibrant home for talented singers, conductors, composers, orchestra musicians, and dancers from around the world. Known as the venue for the world’s greatest voices, The Met recently hosted the 85th birthday celebration of legendary singer, Tony Bennett. Singing at The Met was not only the singer’s birthday gift to himself, but to the sold-out crowd that flocked to the 3800-seat venue’s Lincoln Center address. Guest artists included Elton John, Aretha Franklin, and Alejandro Sanz.

ACIR Professional (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) provided the audio necessary to reinforce the sound at The Met in order to achieve the live sound to which Mr. Bennett has become accustomed. A Yamaha PM5D-EX was the console of choice for long-time Bennett front of house engineer, Tom Young. Young, whose rider preference is a PM5D, said the 5D-EX more

LEJRE, Denmark — Danish company Moto Rental has been supplying equipment for the annual Ledreborg Slotskoncerter (Ledreborg Castle Concert) for almost 20 years. Since 1999, Moto Rental has used L-ACOUSTICS systems for the event, hosted by the Danish National Chamber Orchestra with various guest performers. This year, FOH engineer Henrik Bonné chose Moto’s new KARA WST® modular line source system with SB18 subs for the concert.

“Everyone was very excited about getting this large KARA/SB18 system,” says Bonné who has mixed the concert since 1995. “Normally we work with V-DOSC in larger venues and KARA in smaller venues. But using KARA on this large outdoor concert, which attracted 24,000 people over two days, really impressed us. We only received good, positive feedback about the sound.” more

Northeast Media Services provided a JBL VERTEC line array system for Massachusetts General Hospital’s 200th anniversary celebration.

NORTHRIDGE, California – Massachusetts General Hospital celebrated its 200th anniversary with a huge gathering of members of the hospital and medical community on Friday, September 16th at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. To support the celebration, which included an appearance by Henry Kissinger and entertainment by the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Northeast Media Services deployed a HARMAN’s JBL VERTEC® line array system.

Since 1811, Massachusetts General Hospital has been a leader in innovation and medical leadership. To celebrate the bicentennial event, the hospital transformed the Convention Center with a large projection screen imposed on three walls of the main hall from top to bottom. For sound reinforcement, left-right hangs of six JBL VERTEC more

Maryland Sound International provided JBL VERTEC line arrays and Soundcraft Si Compact 16 mixing consoles for the 2011 Dew Tour Portland Invitational.

PORTLAND, Oregon – The recent 4-day 2011 Dew Tour Portland Invitational in Oregon featured a variety of BMX and skateboarding competitions, along with a live performance by hip-hop group The Cool Kids, with Maryland Sound International (MSI) providing HARMAN’s JBL VERTEC® line arrays and Soundcraft Si Compact 16 mixing consoles for the competition and concert areas.

The skateboard competition area included a Soundcraft Si Compact 16 digital console, which was used with two columns of five JBL VERTEC VT4887A compact line array elements each and one VT4881A compact arrayable subwoofer each, powered by a Crown I-Tech HD 12000 amplifier. The BMX dirt track had a similar setup, with an Si Compact 16 and more

Sound Lab installed JBL VERTEC line arrays as part of an upgraded sound system at the historic Hippodrome Theatre in Richmond, Virginia.

NORTHRIDGE, California – One of the most notable venues in the United States, the historic Hippodrome Theatre in Richmond, Virginia has been renovated with a new sound system, while keeping the historical structure intact. Installed by Sound Lab of Richmond, HARMAN’s JBL VERTEC® line array elements and other JBL loudspeakers complete the venue’s multi-year renovation and the Theatre re-opened its doors for the Richmond Jazz Festival in August.

Located in Richmond’s Jackson Ward, the Hippodrome Theatre opened in 1914 as a vaudeville and movie theater, and has served as a historical cultural center for the African-American community, attracting such acts as Billie Holliday, Nat King Cole, James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Bill “Bojangles� Robinson, more

Nick Cave performs at the Boston House of Blues, which features a powered VERTEC line array system, which can be seen in the background.
Photo Credit: Amy Hope Dermont

NORTHRIDGE, California – Boston’s House of Blues is committed to great sound for great music, and its HARMAN JBL loudspeaker system is designed to let concertgoers hear their favorite bands and artists at their best. Operated by concert producer Live Nation, the Boston House of Blues can hold more than 2,000 people and needed a sound system to meet the demands of its expansive layout.

The main audio system includes 20 JBL VERTEC® VT4888DP powered midsize line array enclosures with DrivePack® technology, six ASB6128 subwoofers, and JBL AC26 loudspeakers for under-balcony fill. The stage monitor system is comprised of 12 JBL SRX712M stage monitors and more

CHICAGO—Founding member and lead vocalist for the band Styx and now out on his own for the past ten years, Dennis DeYoung recently performed a private show at Wrigley Field in Chicago for approximately 500 guests. Thanks to the sound production efforts of Gand Concert Sound (aka the ‘NEXO Guys’) who provided 16 NEXO GEO S8 speaker boxes and two Yamaha PM5D-RH digital audio consoles, the private event went off without a hitch.

With the two Yamaha PM5D-RH consoles positioned at front of house and monitors, the NEXO rig was configured with eight NEXO GEO S8 boxes per side flown, four NEXO CD18 subs, two PS8s for frontfills, two PS10s for outfills, and eight NEXO PS15 slants on five mixes. Gand also provided 3-phase Motion Labs Power Distro, and Rapco 48-channel split plus snake. A Stageline SL100 mobile stage was provided by American Mobile Staging, Barrington, Illinois and used more

Verizon’s How Sweet the Sound stage and system at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on Saturday, September 24

RED HOOK, NY — Hosted by Grammy winners CeCe Winans and Donald Lawrence, along with resident tour judge Marvin Sapp, Verizon’s How Sweet the Sound is both a celebration of gospel music and nationwide search for America’s best church choir. Currently out on its fourth annual tour, How Sweet the Sound is once again benefitting from the sonic expertise of L-ACOUSTICS Rental Network company Firehouse Productions, which is carrying a full K1 system for the arena trek. more

Huge crowd flocks to Great Lawn for free concert by Italian superstar tenor

NEW YORK CITY — Despite chilly temperatures and drizzling rain, nothing could dampen the spirits of the 60,000 opera and pop fans that descended upon Central Park’s Great Lawn on September 15th to see and hear Andrea Bocelli’s highly-publicized free concert. Accompanied by the New York Philharmonic and Westminster Symphonic Choir, Bocelli performed some of his most beloved pieces while sharing the stage with an impressive list of special guests, including Ana Maria Martinez, Pretty Yende, Celine Dion, Tony Bennett, Chris Botti, David Foster, Bryn Terfel, Nicola Benedetti and Andrea Griminelli. more

BAD KISSINGEN, Germany — German L-ACOUSTICS certified provider Soundhouse has installed a KIVA WST modular line source system into the Max Littmann Saal concert hall in Bad Kissingen.

The historic concert hall, built in 1913 and paneled in cherry wood inlaid with ebony, can accommodate 1,160 people and specializes in classical music and spoken word performances through to blues and rock music. When the time came to upgrade its sound system, the major requirements were low weight, wide and controlled coverage and low visual impact. more