Fronted by the irrepressible Dave Grohl, the band provided maximum entertainment via a complex live show, which included two stages. In order to cope with the ensuing Front of House audio requirements of the show, a pair of DiGiCo D5 consoles were put to use.
FOH engineer Bryan Worthen has been using DiGiCo consoles for three years, replacing the original analogue console he had been previously using with Foo Fighters. "I knew I needed to go digital or I would get left behind, although I fought it for a long time," he says. "But I had to make the leap and it was actually the band's management who told me about the DiGiCo D5. It was being used on the Beastie Boys dates and they were really impressed with it."
Worthen's instant impression of the D5 was very positive and since then he has delved ever deeper into its many facilities. "I found the D5 very easy to get to grips with," he says. "Much of that is thanks to the layout, which is very much like an analogue console. Visually it's excellent because it has multiple screens. It makes it much easier to use than consoles which only have one."
A major reason for Bryan using twin D5s on the tour is because of the two stages, the A stage for the main 'electric' show, with an Electro-Voice X Line line array PA, and the smaller 'B' stage for the acoustic segment. The latter is hidden above the audience in the centre of the venue, being lowered when required, giving an added 'wow factor'. This uses a combination of flown L-Acoustics V-Dosc and DV-Dosc with subs mounted beneath the stage.
The concept is to have one console for each stage. However, in practise it's not quite that straightforward. "Effectively one desk does the A stage and the other desk does the B stage, but both can feed either PA," says Worthen. "That's because there is a point in the show where I am pulling inputs from the A stage and feeding them through the B stage PA, at the same time as inputs from the B stage are also feeding its own PA."
The point in question is during the song Everlong, part of which Grohl performs solo from the B stage with the middle eight and final chorus performed by the whole band.
"Dave plays on the B stage by himself with his A stage electric guitar, so his wireless system feeds the receiver and inputs on the A stage. However, he's singing into the microphone on the B stage, so I'm pulling the guitar signal from the A stage and feeding it through the B stage PA with his vocals," explains Bryan. "Halfway through, the rest of the band kicks in on the A stage, so I bring in the A stage PA and kill the B stage PA.
(Jim Evans)
