al-series scalable Acoustic Linearity line array to power Third Eye Blind’s “Fall of the Summer Gods” Tour
Starting with a sold-out show in Providence, RI on October 5, VUE and Pittsburgh-based RT Pro Audio will provide audio services for Third Eye Blind’s 31-city “Summer of the Gods” tour.
Performing in a wide variety of venue types, with capacities ranging from 1,500 to 10,000 seats, the RT team worked hard to deliver versatility and scalability while offering the best possible fidelity and a consistent voice, regardless of venue.
It helped that the team at RT Pro Audio, self-described “gear heads,” are focused on creative thinking. They stay apprised of the latest innovations in live sound technology and are always looking for ways to better serve their clients by thinking differently.
To accommodate a wide range of venue types and an aggressive 6-week schedule, RT will deploy the highly-scalable, VUE al-Class line array system comprised of both al-8 and al-4 elements in a variety of configurations. The all-VUE system also includes hs-221 ACM subwoofers.
VUE VP of Operations, Sara Elliott, was in Providence for the first show. VUE team members will be on-hand at several stops throughout the tour, including VUE’s VP of North American Sales, Jeff Taylor, who will personally attend the October 18th show at The Stage AE in R/T’s hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. If you can make the Oct 18th Pittsburgh show, you will enjoy the full al-Class & hs-221 experience, while getting a chance to meet Rob Thomas, owner of R/T Pro Audio and FOH engineer for Third Eye Blind.
Read the FOH Magazine Story about the tour at: fohonline.com/third-eye-blind-20th-anniversary-tour/
“The VUE line arrays give us ultimate scalability to move quickly from venue to venue while delivering unprecedented sonic character and a consistent voice regardless of configuration. It’s the perfect system for this tour, where every night brings a different room with a whole new set of challenges,”
Rob Thomas FOH engineer and RT Pro Audio owner.
Excerpt from the FOH Magazine Story about the tour at: fohonline.com/third-eye-blind-20th-anniversary-tour/
For the Third Eye Blind fall tour, RT mixed and matched al-4 and al-8 elements as required for each unique venue. For the Oct. 5 show in Providence, RI — their first with the Vue system — they deployed a fairly compact configuration using six al-8 elements stacked atop a pair of hs-221 subs, with eight al-4 elements in four stacks of two providing lip fill across the front of the stage.
At the Stage AE in Pittsburgh, for the band’s Oct. 18 tour stop, a much more elaborate system was required. Using the same Vue inventory, Thomas flew left and right hybrid arrays, each consisting of 12 al-8 elements, augmented with four al-4 subcompact elements for downfill.
Vue’s Continuous Source Topology (CST) allowed different sized al-Class elements to be combined for reduced weight and improved coverage — all without the disruptions typical with mixed element arrays.
For low frequency, RT traveled with eight Vue ACM subwoofers. Four hs-221 and four hs-25 systems were used to augment house systems as needed — or handle the full weight of the show in full deployment.
“The Vue systems are really scalable and do a great job of delivering a very consistent voice,” notes RT, “even when you combine different sized elements together. Plus, I have yet to push these boxes beyond their limit. I’ve mixed on many line arrays that simply won’t go loud enough.
“Vue’s lack of distortion makes the speakers much more versatile,” RT adds. “I can actually paint the high end rather than having to back away from it. Even if where I’m augmenting a house system, the transparency of the Vue systems makes it much easier to blend them right in. I blame the beryllium,” he quips, referring to the high-tech material used for the HF diaphragms.
“Getting a lot out of a small versatile inventory is the key to doing a tour this way,” RT continued. “The whole Vue inventory — line arrays, subs and racks — takes up just 14 square feet of truck space. And that inventory has yet to fall short in any venue we’ve dropped it in.”
According to tour manager Kyle Wood, the decision to bring their own P.A. is also having a positive impact financially for the tour.
“Adding the Vue systems has brought a high level of consistency to each show that the fans clearly appreciate,” says Wood. ”We’ve also avoided the cost and complexity of having to rent additional gear at each stop. We don’t have to worry about sourcing compatible systems, or whether those systems will blend sonically with what we’re trying to achieve. This has been especially true with the Vue subs. Those things just don’t seem to have a limit. We’ve been able to use them in almost any venue to great effect.”
Oct 5 Providence, RI Lupo’s
Oct 6 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Oct 7 Port Chester, NY Capitol Theatre
Oct 8 Bethlehem, PA Bethlehem Event Center
Oct 10 New Haven, CT College Street Music Hall
Oct 11 Wilmington, DE World Café Live – Wilmington
Oct 13 Grand Rapids, MI The Intersection
Oct 14 Minneapolis, MN Zombie Pub Crawl
Oct 15 Dells, WI Crystal Grand Music Theatre
Oct 16 Clive, IA 7 Flags Event Center
Oct 18 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
Oct 19 Asbury Park, NJ Asbury Park Convention Hall
Oct 20 Charlottesville, VA Jefferson Theater
Oct 21 Charleston, SC Volvo Car Stadium
Oct 22 Simpsonville, SC Heritage Park
Oct 24 Silver Spring, MD The Fillmore Silver Spring
Oct 26 Knoxville, TN Tennessee Theatre
Oct 27 Columbia, SC Music Farm Columbia
Oct 28 Orlando, FL House of Blues
Oct 29 Birmingham, AL Iron City
Oct 31 Oklahoma, OK The Jones Assembly
Nov 1 Austin, TX Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
Nov 3 Albuquerque, NM El Rey Theater
Nov 4 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium
Nov 5 Salt Lake City, UT The Complex
Nov 7 Billings, MT Pub Station
Nov 9 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
Nov 10 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory Concert House
Nov 11 Boise, ID Knitting Factory Concert House
Nov 12 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo
Nov 14 San Jose, CA City National Civic of San Jose
Nov 15 Sacramento, CA Ace of Spades
