Adlib's account handler Phil Stoker states, "Working with someone of Elvis's stature is fantastic and production manager Milo Lewis and engineers Fern and Nathan have been great to deal with all along the way."
The format of the show is that there's no formal set list. Songs are chosen - enough to fill nearly three hours of performance - largely by audience members invited up onstage to spin a giant wheel bearing different song titles. There is a pool of over 100 potential numbers in total.
This concept of spontaneity and anticipation has been a massive hit and keeps everyone on their toes.
One of Adlib's JBL VerTec systems was specified. The standard set up is 12 x VerTec 4889 elements per-side with three or four VT4880A subs ground stacked. For the Royal Albert Hall, 28 additional 4889 boxes were added to the rig taking the main hangs to 14 a-side with additional side hangs of 11 each.
The 4889s are being driven by Camco Vortex 6 amps. For the RAH, the side-hangs were powered by the new Crown ITECH 4x3500HDs.
For front/lip-fills they are using Adlib AA281s to cover the very front seats, and for the corner spots of the room, there are three L-Acoustics ARCS boxes a-side. Mixing is via an Avid Profile. For system processing and EQ they are using four Lake LM26s. Onstage, monitor world is overseen by Adlib's Pete Seddon.
Adlib's Neil Holloway created the lighting design using a careful blend of classic and contemporary.
Holloway wanted to lose some of the PAR 64s from their previous rig and make it a bit more tourable and less power hungry, so he replaced all those that were on the front truss with 10 x ETC Source Fours (a mix of 19 and 25-50 degree lenses) and four Martin MAC Aura LED washes.
The back truss - trimmed just at the top of the backdrop, is made up of five sections of pre-rig, loaded with seven bars of PARs plus four MAC 700 Spots for some rear key light and solo pick-ups and general contrast in light.
On the floor are another eight MAC Auras, which happen to be a personal favourite of Holloway and are also liked by the band. For some eye-candy and adding to the general idiosyncrasy of the stage, are four JB Lighting A8 LED fixtures and two A12s, which highlight the band from behind. Basic pixel mapping is used on these - they are zoned into eight sections. Sweeping up the backdrop bringing some rich psychedelic colour to the area are 12 Philips CK ColorBlaze LED battens.
Also feeding into Holloway's grandMA2 light console are the LEDs around the perimeter of the wheel.
(Jim Evans)
