Pronorte put their EAWKF760 and KF730 line array systems through their paces at several shows this summer including a concert for veteran UK rock band, the Simple Minds as well as several major festivals. Among the biggest were the Bilbao Live Festival that took place in Bilbao in July, the Noroeste Pop Rock festival, a huge four-day free gig held in a spectacular beach setting in La Coruna at the north-western tip of Spain, and the Azkena Rock Festival in Mendizabala, Vittoria, also in northern Spain which took place during the first weekend in September.
The principal attractions at Bilbao included Guns 'n' Roses, Ben Harper, the Pretenders, the Cardigans, Placebo, the Fun Lovin' Criminals and the Cult, while at Noroeste, fans turned out to see the likes of Paul Weller and the Sunday Drivers as well as many top-ranking Spanish artists. Azkena offered festival-goers a far more hard-core rock experience with Iggy Pop & the Stooges, the New York Dolls and headline act, Pearl Jam.
Pronorte was responsible for supplying the PA equipment for the main stage at all three events. The configuration for Bilbao and Azkena comprised a total of twenty-four EAW KF760 and eight KF761 cabinets deployed in right and left hangs of twelve KF760 long/medium throw cabinets and four KF761 near-fill cabinets each, plus thirty-two SB1000 subs and six KF600s acting as front fills. Noroeste demanded a slightly different approach due to the long, narrow nature of the area to be covered, constrained by a high boardwalk on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other! As a result Pronorte opted for a somewhat smaller main PA (twenty KF760 cabinets, eight KF761 and twenty-four SB1000 subs plus four KF600s as front fills) and two delay towers each comprising a hang of twelve KF730 compact line array cabinets and six groundstacked SB1000 subs.
"The results were spectacular in every case," affirmed José Javier García Osorio, owner of Pronorte. "All the festivals were sell-outs with Azkena reporting record-breaking attendances this year, but Bilbao was just amazing - 51,000 people through the gates in its first year is a huge achievement. The atmosphere was fantastic, due in no small part to the excellent sound quality. Our KF760 rig performed magnificently, delivering smooth, even coverage right to the back of the site."
Franc Gatell, managing director of Pro3, EAW's distributor in Spain, noted that Pronorte's success was well deserved. "Pronorte have over two decades experience in live sound production, and they have been champions of the EAW brand from the beginning," he remarked. "They were looking to invest in a high quality brand that would deliver the very best in terms of audio and features in addition to standing the test of time, and time has proved that they made an excellent choice in EAW."
(Chris Henry)
