"Nobody's trying to pretend that it's 1976 again," says front of house engineer Andy May, owner of one of the very first Yamaha PM5D digital consoles to roll off the production line. "But these shows are for the 'hardcore' fans, so we have tried to put on a good, old-fashioned rock'n'roll show."
He and lighting designer Pat Marks have succeeded admirably in that aim - recreating the sound and look of a 70s rock show, but with all the benefits of current production technology. As well as Andy's PM5D, these included a line array PA, in-ear monitoring and three further Yamaha digital consoles (an M7CL for monitor engineer Tim Franklin, plus another M7CL and an LS9 for support band The Treatment) supplied by Capital Sound.
Complementing the 70s feel was a set list completely devoid of the Radio 2-friendly soft rock, cover versions and greatest hits medleys that have elicited scorn from musical snobs about the latter-day incarnation of Status Quo. It was strictly pre-1977 fare only - even Rockin' All Over The World was banned.
"The current 'regular' band like a more hi-fi sound and have a very slick, modern production, whereas these shows with Alan and John are much more stripped back," says May. "I've got 24 channels coming from the stage and they're going straight into the stereo masters - I'm not using any sub groups, DCAs, vocal effects or anything, as I would with the 'other' Quo.
"I've got more attack on the drums, more low end on the bass to give it a bigger sound and overall I'm using less compression. Apart from a short reverb on the vocals and drums, there are no effects. These shows are for the old fans and they want it loud and a bit raw - if I tried to polish it too much it wouldn't work."
Tim Franklin mixed monitors in a similar way to the 'regular' Quo line-up, the main difference being that bass guitarist Lancaster, drummer Coghlan and Bob Young (who plays harmonica on several songs) hadn't used in-ear monitors before, so the tour's rehearsal period saw Tim fine-tuning their mixes and getting them used to the IEMs.
"The M7CL was easily up to the job and, as we were playing in venues like Glasgow Academy and Wolverhampton Civic Hall with less stage space, its physical size also helped to keep the stage as clear as possible," he says. "Alan, John and Bob all took to in-ears very well and, in the same situation, I would do it all the same way again - M7CL included."
One concession to modern demands has been that LiveHereNow has recorded every show, releasing a limited run of each one on CD and MP3 for fans who want an audio memento. May is sending them a feed of the show's intro, while the 24 band channels and four audience mics are taken from splits at the stage box.
(Jim Evans)
