Now one of the most successful performers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Gabalier was the headline act at the WinterParty concert, held in Seefeld in the Tyrolean Alps in Austria. The show presented new challenges for the WinterParty's rental company Rental Pro Austria; an increase in the audience size and a new stage position to accommodate it.
To service the larger event, Rental Pro Austria teamed up with its Czech Republic partner Rental Pro EU, pooling their inventories of Nexo STM line array elements necessary for the large and wide outdoor venue.
"Last year, we used STM but the system was configured only with M46 main cabinets and S118 sub-bass modules because the venue was smaller and the audience was just 6,000," explains Mario Held, production manager for the event and MD of Rental Pro Austria. "For Gabalier in the larger venue, a sell-out show for 10,000 people, we needed a full STM set-up with M46, B112 and M28 with the S118 subs."
"We also used a column of four Geo S12 cabinets at each side of the stage, flown behind the PA wings. Our goal was perfect coverage across the whole width of the venue."
For FOH engineers Andreas Putz and Roby Stepar (for Andreas Gabalier), and particularly STM system engineer Franta Fiala, the conditions were challenging - rain and snow falling, and temperatures varying from -15 to +10°C. "Such weather conditions are tough on all the equipment, but we didn't have a single fault from build-up to the last truck being loaded to go home. And the best news is for the guys working outside in that environment: STM rigging systems are a pleasure to work with, and go up and down twice as fast as any other system I've worked with before."
(Jim Evans)
