L-Acoustics rides high at RodeoHouston
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Featuring daily double-bills of spirited rodeo action and major concert events hosted by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR), attendance records for the event were topped no less than three times in 2019: when Cardi B performed for an audience of 75,580 fans; when Los Tigres del Norte slightly overtook the lead with a crowd of 75,586; and finally on March 17, when George Strait packed in an all-time NRG Stadium record attendance of 80,108 for his 30th Rodeo performance.
Keeping this many music lovers happily singing along with their favourite artists required a massive concert sound system, and Houston-based LD Systems once again took the bull by the horns and deployed 360 L-Acoustics loudspeaker enclosures for the event’s PA.
With a diverse line-up that ran the gamut from pop (Camila Cabello) to EDM (Zedd) to rock (Carlos Santana), as well as plenty of country artists (Brad Paisley, Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw, etc.), RodeoHouston required a sound system that was as versatile as it was powerful. LD Systems’ solution? A system based on L-Acoustics’ K1.
“We first started taking delivery of K1 in August of 2012 and began to use it at the Rodeo in early 2013,” recalls LD Systems director of production services Robert Ausmus, who notes that the company has been providing sound reinforcement for HLSR since 1992. “We’ve used K1 for this event every year since then, first and foremost for its ability to throw and provide exceptional low-end pattern control in difficult acoustical environments like this. The systems we used prior to L-Acoustics were never quite able to achieve optimal control, and low-end impact was always an issue. That’s never been a problem with K1.”
Using L-Acoustics’ Soundvision acoustical modelling software, LD Systems ultimately specified a temporary fixed system featuring eight arrays comprised of four K1-SB subs over nine K1 enclosures plus six Kara downs - hung four per side across the long sides of the stadium - and four additional arrays of four K1-SB over ten K1, flown two per end zone. A total of 12 hangs each comprised of six K2 addressed the full circle of upper bowl seats, while four hangs of eight K2 fired at the temporary chute seat located on the dirt after the rodeo.
For George Strait’s final-day concert with special guests Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen, four under-scoreboard hangs each made up of four ARCS II provided supplementary coverage to the 6,347 seats that were added to the stadium floor after rodeo dirt and infrastructure were removed. Eight compact Kiva II enclosures were also deployed for apron fill, while two-dozen ground-stacked KS28 subs provided additional low-end kick for the record-breaking show.
The last time Strait performed at RodeoHouston was in 2013 as part of his farewell The Cowboy Rides Away Tour. Since then, the production has seen the debut of a 360° rotating star-shaped stage, which required a slight modification of the event’s sound system design. "Soundvision is an indispensable tool,” says Ausmus.
All of the L-Acoustics loudspeaker systems were collectively driven by a grand total of 138 LA8 and 12 LA12X amplified controllers, most of which were housed in LA-RAK carts stacked above the flown arrays to minimize both cable runs and gear footprint. Furthermore, a stage monitoring package featuring 16 115XT HiQ monitor wedges, two Syva side-fill stacks and two SB18 subs rounded out the L-Acoustics complement.
Following RodeoHouston, LD Systems’ K1 systems are being kept in high demand on a number of festivals, including Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, plus at the 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville and on many cross-rental opportunities.
(Jim Evans)
