The 70-minute Greatest Hits show, was a mixture of numbers from the last two major tours, Fever and A Night Like This, performed on a custom-built set. Capital Sound's Paul Timmins has been working with Kylie for the last four years, and although this was only a one-off show, the preparation took in excess of two weeks, with 10 days' rehearsals and four days' on-site time.
At front-of-house, Martin Audio W8LC Mini Line Array loudspeakers were flown in two hangs of seven per side, under a pair of W8LX subs, with a floor-mounted W8LS on each wing. DiGiCo D5 Live digital mixing consoles were used at both FOH and monitor positions. Chris Pyne was FOH engineer with Rod Matheson on monitors and Dave Wooster as system tech.
The system was tuned using the XTA DP226s. Four DP226s controlled the 16 W8LC line arrays, four W8LX and two W8LS subs. The W8LCs were running 6-way, with two mid bands and three high bands in use. The overall PA was flown quite low to help achieve an even and intimate experience. The subs were controlled using one DP226 and the frontfills (had they been needed) would have been assigned to another 226.
"XTA's proprietary Audiocore PC control software was used as the interface for managing the system - it is quick and simple to use," explains Pyne. "This allowed us to time-align the subs and lows in the system. There was no need to delay the hangs back to the band, as they were almost inline naturally due to the design of the stage. It's quick and simple to use. EQ-wise, I use the Audiocore to eliminate any unwanted audio lumps in the venue and then use an XTA GQ600 1/3 EQ as a general grab during show time."
The production values for this show were developed to the same high standards as all shows, but the Barcelona event differed for a number of reasons. Chris Pyne: "Since our regular drummer/MD was not available the musical content had a different dynamic than usual. Also it was the first time we have done an outdoor show with Kylie and also one of the first ever private corporate shows."
(Lee Baldock)
