Madonna - It's a Matter of Scale - Mobile Production Pro

volume 6 issue 1 2013Greg Lake ComesFull CircleLE BAS23 Successfully SafeYears of White GloveCharter ServiceBuford JonesPLUS:ClairRobeGMatterMADONNAIT’S A MATTER OF SCALE

photo credit: Southern Reel

FROM THE PublisherIs it possible? Is it 2013 already? Where did the lastyear go? Maybe this is a function of age, but it seemsthat it we went from Spring to Christmas in a blink of aneye! Tour Link is on us and that is where our year begins. Wework pretty hard during the year, but nothing like the amountof work we do during the last quarter of the year. So, I wantto take this chance to thank our staff for all the hard workthey put out. I especially want to thank Managing Editor, ChrisCogswell and our Chief Writer, Michael Beck.In this issue, we cover one of the more challenging tours onthe road, Madonna and her MDNA Tour. Her tours are alwayschallenging, but the show is always something special. A lotof the credit for the production goes to Production Managerextraordinare Jake Berry. Jake is one of those rare individualswho can balance multiple tasks and while doing so, remainsthe perfect gentleman. Jake will bring his experience to TourLink this year, so don’t miss the chance to hear him speak andmeet him….he is worth the trip by himself.Also in this issue is a piece on Le Bas Air Charter. This companyalso has a director with a unique personality. Tracey Deakinis a Brit with an amazing wit. Hey, that rhymes! I may have tolet him use that line. In any event, his energy is driving thiscompany into the industry with quality service keeping clientinterests as the primary mission.So, enjoy this issue and we hope to see you in Scottsdale.HOME OFFICE STAFFph: 615.256.7006 • f: 615.256.70042961 Armory Dr • Nashville, TN • USA 37204mobileproductionpro.comFor advertising inquiries:ads@mobileproductionpro.comPublisher: Larry Smithlarrysmith@tourguidemag.comManaging Director: Chris Cogswellccogswell@mobileproductionpro.comChief Writer / Photographer: Michael A. Beckgrockit@comcast.netArt Director / Graphic Designer: Anna Cherryanna.kate.cherry@gmail.comOffice Manager: officemanager@mobileproductionpro.comContributing Writers:Bill Abner / bigolbill@comcast.netHank Bordowitz / hank@bordowitz.comRichard Bennett / rbennett@mobileproductionpro.comBill Evans / revbill@revbill.comTodd Kramer / tklites@yahoo.comBill Robison / brobison@greatlakessound.comMike Wharton / mikew1955@bellsouth.netLarry SmithPublisherPUBLISHED BYAnvil Productions, LLCph: 615.256.7006 • f: 615.256.7004FOLLOW USTour-Guide-Publications / Tour-Link-Conference@mobileprodpro / @TourLinkConf©2012 Anvil Productions, LLC. Nothing may be reproduced without writtenpermission of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit any andall editorial content included in this publication. The publisher has made everyattempt to insure accuracy and consistency of this publication. However,some listings & information may be incomplete due to a lack of informationprovided by various companies listed. Please send any inquiries to theattention of the publisher. All advertising appears at the paid solicitation ofthe advertiser. Anvil Productions, LLC, can not be held liable for any errors,omissions or inaccuracies appearing in this journal in the form of editorials,listings or advertising.Member of:4 mobile production monthlyCellular 214.422.1844eMail alan@alanpoulinphoto.comWebsite www.alanpoulinphoto.com

IN THE NEWS: SoundThe Stones Rollat 50 with ClairWith former members Bill Wymanand Mick Taylor making cameoappearances, along with guestspots from guitar legend Jeff Beckand songstress Mary J. Blige, TheRolling Stones celebrated their 50thanniversary with style and panachewith two sold out shows at London’s20,000-capacity O2 Arena in lateNovember.Dressed in a silver blazer and trilby,Mick Jagger led the vintage rockers— Keith Richards, Ron Wood, CharlieWatts and sidemen Daryl Jones (bass)and Chuck Leavall (keys) — through acrowd-pleasing, no-filler set of classicsongs spanning their five decades as“the greatest rock’n’roll band in theworld”.From their 1963 hit ‘I Wanna Be YourMan’ through to their current chartsuccess, ‘Doom And Gloom’, the band’scommanding stage presence was asdynamic as it has ever been, withSir Mick at ease as he cracked jokesbetween numbers.Clair Global was chosen by the Stones’production management supremo Dale‘Opie’ Skjerseth to supply the audiosystems and crew for the shows aswell as private band sessions in Franceand production rehearsals at WembleyArena in the week leading up to theopening 50 & Counting show.FOH engineer Dave Natale, whose closeassociation with Clair stretches back tohis twenties, entered the Rolling Stones’camp in 2005 on their A Bigger Bangworld tour. He mixed the latest showson a pair of Yamaha PM4000 analogueconsoles, relying on outboard devicessuch as the Aphex 612 expander gate,Yamaha SPX 990 digital multi FX,Manley EL-OP tube limiter, dbx 903comp/limiter, Smart C-2 dual monocompressor and Apogee Rosetta 200AD/DA convertor.Natale mixed to a PA consisting ofmain and side hangs of Clair’s flagshipi-5 line array with flown i-5b bassmodules and P-2 two-way active frontfill cabinets. There were further i-5sin a rear hang. The system was set upby Brett Stec using Clair’s proprietaryAlignArray software; it was powered byCrown amplification and processed withClair iO loudspeaker processors.Another Clair long-timer, Ed Dracoulesmixed monitors and divided hischannels across a primary MidasHeritage 3000 console and an Avid(formerly Digidesign) D-Show Profile, asecondary board added to handle inputsspecific to the show’s introduction andencore. Stage monitoring was providedby Clair 12AM wedges, R-4 Series IIIfull-range cabinets, i-5b bass modulesand Shure PSM1000 IEM systems.Outboard in monitor world includeddbx 160a mono compression, Aphex622 expander gates, t.c. electronicTC1128 28-band graphic EQ andYamaha SPX 990 effects. Shure URseries wireless systems were usedthroughout.Chiefed by Lars Schlapfer, the Claircrew included system engineer BrettStec, PA technicians Adam Collins, MattWoolley and Tino Kreischatus, monitorsystem techs Myles Hale and DonBaker, and stage techs Simon Bauer andThomas Huntington.The Rolling Stones followed their 50& Counting shows at the O2 with USdates at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center(December 8) and the Prudential Centerin Newark (December 13/15).www.clairglobal.com6 mobile production monthly

IN THE NEWS: Video+CharityGMATTERDelivers Video ContentDesign for Journey’sWorld TourGMatter of Boston, MA completedvideo design work for the legendarygroup Journey as they head to Australiaand New Zealand on their 2013 EclipseWorld Tour.GMatter produced video for liveperformances for “Don’t StopBelieving”, “Escape” and “Wheel InThe Sky”. Kevin “Deuce” Christopher,Lighting Designer for Journey, directedthe video project for the band whileDavid Bigelow lead the post productioncreative team through the video editingand compositing process.Playing to arena audiences Journey’sstage features a video display of 30LED video screens rising 40 feet above.For “Don’t Stop Believing” a full 3Dcity was created in Cinema 4D. Theintended effect: to depict a sensationon stage that the band members ofJourney are actually riding on board acity subway train. “The effect when youwatch it is pretty exciting. Using 3D toget a sense of depth makes the stagefeel even deeper.” said David Bigelow,GMatter’s Director of Post Production.All digital editing and compositing wasdone in Boston until rehearsals in SanManuel, CA began late last summer.“Working with the LD and the band atrehearsals is the most productive part ofthe process. We can see the video withthe band on stage finally after weeks ofonly imagining it. We continue to editand change content as needed.” saidPeter Moll, Director of Production atGMatter.“Video content needs to work well withthe lighting design and not overshadowthe band. It needs to be an idealbackdrop for them. I believe westruck the right balance with GMatter’snew content. The results speak forthemselves”, Kevin “Deuce”Christopher said.GMatter of Boston, MA hasdeveloped video content forartists Nicki Minaj, Elton John,Van Halen, James Taylor, StoneTemple Pilots, Guns N Roses,Velvet Revolver and ZZ Top.www.gmatter.tvThe Hands That RockMassages the Futurefor UnderprivilegedChildrenNewly Formed Organization ReceivesStar Power SupportThe Hands That Rock (HTR) is anorganization with a mission to bringthe magic of music to underservedcommunities throughout the world.Founded by Darcy Lynch, founder ofStage Hands Massage Therapy (SHM),the organization will provide “ChairMassages” for audiences at majorconcerts, music festivals and eventswith net proceeds supporting musicprograms in cooperation with localmusic outreach organizations.Since its inception in June 2012,the five-month young charity had390 massage therapists at 31 musicfestivals and events nationwide for118 consecutive days raising $12,000.HTR’s services are not limited to onlythe United States. SHM, the sistercompany to HTR, presently coversa worldwide territory, providinghealthcare services to the Music andEntertainment industry with localpractitioners.HTR’s primary focus will be ondeveloping and partnering withprograms concerned with musiceducation, performance, relatedresources and outreach forindividuals and groups in need. Itwill additionally address communityinitiatives associated with suchoutreach programs and groups toinclude environmental, social andhealth-related concerns to helpcreate a suitable environment for thecreation and performance of music.“When I first started talkingto various individuals in theperformance industry about TheHands That Rock, many people toldme that they would pitch in and helpby letting us set up chair massageareas at their festivals,” says DarcyLynch. “Kevin Lyman, founder ofUnite the United, partnered withus and actually purchased brandedmassage tents and took them on theVans Warped, Mayhem and UproarFest tours. A portion of the proceedsfrom massaging was donated to thecharity, Little Kids Rock. Some of theconcert producers have favorite localcharities and we gladly support theseorganizations as well. We are gratefulthat the industry has given us suchstrong support.”Some of the charity’s events andfestivals have included: the VansWarped tour, Rockstar EnergyMayhem Festival, Uproar Festival,Identity Fest, Country Throwdownthe PGA Tour, CVS Charity Classic,Jeffery Osborne Celebrity GolfTournament, Newport Jazz & FolkFestivals, Moogfest, Harvest MusicFestival, Bumbershoot, and manymore.The future growth of HTR isinevitable. In order for our highestlevel of exponential success to bereached, our plan is to expand ourservices across industries such asSports and Entertainment, Film andTelevision, and Corporate Events. Tohelp prepare for this growth, we arelooking for assistance from notableindustry leaders to become directlyinvolved by joining our board ofadvisors and by forming partnershipswith HTR to co-promote similarcharitable causes.For more information please contact,Darcy Lynch at: handsthatrock@gmail.com or by phone:401.369.2239EVERY KID HAS THE RIGHT TO ROCK!8 mobile production monthly

Rehearsal Facility>>that layovers in LasVegas are much moreeconomical than otherSouthwest cities.S.I.R. Opens NewRehearsal Studios inVegasCompany Offering Unique Opportunityfor Touring Bands to ConsiderSIR Studio Instrument Rentals ofLas Vegas has announced the GrandOpening of the first truly professionalrehearsal complex in Nevada. The newSIR facility located at 4545 CameronStreet, provides two dedicated studiosnicknamed “The Sound Stage” and“The Living Room” both staffed by theirteam of dedicated backline and audiotechnicians in a unique setting near thefamous Las Vegas Strip.John Panichello roadtech working on“The Million DollarQuartet” said “SIRLas Vegas’ New DockHigh Loading savedthe show by providingquick semi-truck turnaround, a convenientaccess to the stage anda pleasant staff.Studio Instrument Rentals (SIR) isAmerica’s original backline companyand continues to be the industry leaderin all phases of the entertainmentbusiness. We have successfully exceededour customer’s expectations by providinginnovative solutions for artists and theirmusic since 1967.With locations in the heart of majorentertainment markets nationwide, StudioInstrument Rentals is the largest, bestequipped, and most respected backline,audio, rehearsal and production supportservice in America. SIR Las Vegas can bereached at (702) 382-9147 or online atinfolv@sir-usa.com. Visit the website atwww.sir-usa.com for more information.Studio #1 “The Sound Stage” has animpressive open span of 55’ x 83’ x 30’without obstructions and is wrappedentirely in tracked 24’ black velourdrapery. The Studio Power Panelfeatures (2) 100 amps 3 phase circuitswith Cam–lok connectors and a totalof 400 amps of dedicated power. Thestage offers 14’ truck load-in and StageDoor exterior entrances.Studio #2 “The Living Room” is aplush 1200 sq. ft. soundproofed roommeasuring 30’x 40’ with a dedicatedControl Room, mixing board console,PA system, effects rack and microphonepackage in a fully temperature controlledenvironment.Las Vegas SIR is very tour friendly withsemi-truck dock high door loading foreasy access, a large break room, spaciouslobby and is adjacent to thousandsof nearby hotels, restaurants and theglamour and glitz of Las Vegas. Thecomplex boosts on-site parking for alltour vehicles with great security in thebest part of town. Road Managers knowmobile production monthly 9

new hiresPreSonusNamesPatrickFaucher toCIO PostPreSonus ® hasnamed PatrickFoucher to thenewly createdpost of ChiefInformationOfficer. In his new position, Faucherwill oversee the streamliningand unification of the company’scommunications infrastructure,focusing on end-user experienceacross the entire suite of PreSonushardware, software, and onlinesolutions, as well as internal dataand communication platforms.Faucher was previously the CEOand co-founder of Nimbit® (now apart of the PreSonus family), wherehe was instrumental in creatingthe music industry’s most powerfuldirect-to-fan platform for musicians.Prior to founding Nimbit, Faucherwas Technology Director atStumpworld Systems, where hehelped to create some of the firste-commerce applications for bands,including Phish, Aerosmith, and theRolling Stones.In his new position, Faucherwill focus on making PreSonus’online information systems moreconsistent, simple, and engagingfor dealers, distributors, reps,customers, and others who dobusiness with the company.“PreSonus is a global company,with teams in Hamburg, HongKong, Ireland, and Massachusetts,along with our main office in BatonRouge. We want to better integrateour systems from allof these aspects ofthe company,” saysPreSonus CEO JimMack. “Furthermore,with the integration ofNimbit, PreSonus hascreated an ecosystemof hardware, software,and services. Creatinga streamlined communicationsenvironmentwithin PreSonusis essential in today’shighly connected world, and I can’tthink of anyone more qualified thanPatrick to spearhead that integration.I am confident he will help usprovide a better user experience foreveryone who interacts with our informationsystems.”“Now that Nimbit is part of thePreSonus family, I welcome thisnew challenge,” says Faucher.“The team here is an incrediblegroup of industry innovators andleaders. I’m excited to be workingwith them to create an integratedecosystem of solutions that hasnever been done. Together we’regoing to provide a great userexperience for everyone who usesour systems.”www.presonus.comDominic Harter Returnsto HARMAN to Head UpSoundcraft’s Global SalesMachineDominic Harter has rejoinedHARMAN to head up Soundcraft’sglobal sales operation, followingthe promotion of Adrian Curtisto VP Sales of the HARMANProfessional EMEA sales team.Harter originally joined HARMANin 1998, primarily to manage thesystems supply of the vast quantityof HARMAN equipment to theMillennium Dome project,working with all the HARMANbrands on all aspects of theproject. With the completion ofthe project, Harter became SalesManager with BSS Audio and CAudio, using his in-depth technicalknowledge and sales skills tosupport the distributors andproducts.Harter has spent the last 10 yearswith Turbosound, where he wasDirector of R&D before becomingSales Director.“It’s great to be back at HARMANwith so many great people andold friends,” Harter reported.“Soundcraft was the first brand Iever worked for as a student andI am relishing this opportunity tosteer the brand through the nextphases of the digital console marketdevelopment, and work with allthe regional HARMAN Pro salesteams aroundthe world. Itis a pleasureto be part ofsuch a fantasticbrand.”www.harman.com10 mobile production monthly

From ManyTo Millions© 2011 Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc. All rights reserved.Christie performs anywhere, anytimeFrom classrooms to concerts, meeting rooms to megachurches, boardroomsto broadcast sets, Christie ® offers innovative display solutions that performin any environment, whatever the size.Our professional projection solutions come in 2D and 3D models offering awide range of lumens and resolution types. Each providing the brilliant color,quality presentation, reliable performance and service you expect fromChristie – in a size that fits you.Ask us about the new Christie J Series –designed with your image in mind.christiedigital.com

LE BASTwenty-ThreeSuccessfully SafeYears of WhiteGlove CharterServiceBy Mike WhartonMadonna’s MDNA Tour productiononce again utilized the air charterservices of Le Bas International.This is the air charter company’sfourth outing with the Madonnaproduction. The tour consisted ofthree commercial size craft; the A320,737 and a McDonnell Douglas-80 totransport performers and productioncrew. Launched in 1990, thecompany’s three original principalsPeter Le Bas, Tracy Deakin, andPatrick Hampton continue today asthe management core. Previously, LeBas had owned a limousine servicein LA, catering to the entertainmentindustry. The company was doingsubstantial business when Le Bassold the successful enterprise andcreated Le Bas International withpartners Deakin and Hampton.Deakin and Le Bas crossed pathswhen Le Bas was running his limoservice. Deakin was working fora charter company out of Long Beach, CA known asAlpha Jet at the time. Le Bas International grew out of aconversation between Deakin and Le Bas about privatejets.Le Bas International remains a brokerage company. Afirm decision was made in the early days not to own afleet of aircraft. Though the option was viable and capitolavailable, the commitment was more a cornerstone oftheir business philosophy rather than a financial adjunct.The reason for this, state’s Le Bas is, “We wanted to keepvery objective with the client so when they came to uswith a certain request we could produce a range of aircraft rather than try to sell them one specific fleet ormodel. This decision has worked well for us, allowingthe company to successfully grow more quickly and now,twenty-three years later, we still have no desire to ownaircraft.”Of course, a hand-off of this sort needs to be well-vettedto garner the success and customer loyalty Le Bas strivesto maintain. Missed deadlines, departures, arrivals ordelays of any kind are simply not an option.16 mobile production monthly

LE BAS>>International since 1995.This duel sided loyalty has created two veryimportant aspects to the company’s business. Thefinancial acumen has practically guaranteed LeBas’s ability to provide the safest and best type ofaircraft for clients cost effectively. This has alsotranslated into the company being awarded in1999, the American Express Preferred Vendor statusfourteen years in a row.Employee loyalty has facilitated Le Bas’s ability toprovide its unique 24 hour a day dispatch. Sinceits inception on October 1, 1990 the companyhas never been closed a single hour. Within 20seconds of a call into the company, a live humanwill answer. This is done through teams of four orfive people around the globe each set up to dealspecifically with only a handful of clients.“The people on these teams more often than notknow the client on a personal level as well as allaspects of the aircraft being used,” notes Le Bas.While the company does specialize in the small tomidrange size aircraft, whenever a large aircraftor a particularly difficult airport is in the routing,a company representative will be on that planeto insure smooth passage. Mr. Le Bas will findhimself quite often traveling on the same aircraftin the service of a client, as he did November andDecember of 2012, traveling with the Madonnaproduction at its first date in Tel Aviv through theMideast and the America’s.To insure this, LeBas hires only vendors that enlist thesafety inspection and practices of two globally recognizedcompanies, ARG/US and Wyvern. Both meet all FAAstandards.Le Bas attributes the loyalty of its vendors to CFO PatrickHampton’s financial management skills in that, “He hasnever been a day late paying a bill.” This ‘eye on the ball’so to speak, has garnered employee loyalty as well. Le BasInternational’s average tenure of employment is aroundten years. In 2012 a new President of the company waselected, Donough Hughes, who has been with Le BasThough Le Bas refers to his company as a “whiteglove” service, by no means is it “hands off” oncethe deal has been set. He is referring to a first classservice being provided to clients that look for the personaltouch of the company. The company is geared to provide,if necessary, security services, catering for its craft andground transportation once the plane lands. Primarilythough, “We’re a people business and our business is toget people safely from point A to point B,” he says.A goal Le Bas International has successfully accomplishedfor 23 years.mobile production monthly 17

madonnaMadonna’sMDNAIt's a Matter of scaleBY MICHAEL A. BECK20 mobile production monthly

madonna-duction was part theater and part gagheavypop show. The show openedwith a commentary on Catholicismin the song “Girl Gone Wild” thatfeatured three male dancers dressedin hooded monk’s robes rising intoplace on a raised level of the stagevia toasters. As this was happening,a massive “confessional” that lookedmore like a cross between a very wellappointedwedding chuppah and thefanciest gazebo ever designed, flewthrough an opening created by two 30’tall Daktronics 10mm video walls thatswung open like giant French doors. Asthe confessional landed on the stagecarrying Madonna there was also anenormous Botafumeiro swinging acrossthe stage complete with smoke.This is the way the entire show went allnight. Including the confessional andBotafumeiro, the show had seven flygags wherein set pieces and/or peopleflew.The most complicated of these gagswas a bit during “Give Me All YourLovin” wherein a drum corps consistingof three separate groups of threedrummers flew in through the upstagevideo doors and landed on stage.Each group of drummers flew in ona separate track. But because of thelimited opening between the doorsthrough which they were able enter intoview they had to start the move withthe two outside groups facing in towardeach other and the center group facingforward in tandem formation. Thecenter track drove straight downstagewhereas the offstage tracks turned intheir respective directions.When the trolleys carrying thedrummers reached their end points,the outside groups had come around toface the crowd with the center groupremaining as they started. Once at theirtermination points, the offstage groupslanded on the stage among severalother drummers while the center groupstayed aloft. When it was time to exitthey were back up to the traveling trimand the whole move was reversed.As they were flying back out, severaltowers rose up out of the stage, facedout with high-res video panels withvideo content of drummers playing oneach panel creating the illusion thatthere were several more drummers thanactually existed. This system of towerswas called the “matrix”. Aptly named,it was a matrix of 38 aforementionedtowers – or cubes as they are called onthe tour - around which the entire restof the stage was anchored. The TowerLifts - as they were dubbed by TaitTowers where they were built – traveledin pairs in carts that locked togetherand were leveled via hydraulic jacksin order to compensate for the odduneven arena floor. When the systemwas fully placed it took up the biggestpart of the main stage. When it becameone unit it weighed just a hair under100,000 pounds.Leveling this system was criticallyimportant because during one partof the show Madonna was draggedsomewhat violently across the liftsin their home position. Catching anedge during this move would have hadunspeakable consequences.One of the more interesting aspects ofthe matrix system was the method bywhich it was controlled. The controlwas light driven. If a cube was fedabsolute white it would rise to itshighest elevation and absolute blackdropped the lift to its home position.Where the cube went between high andlow was based on varying levels of grey22 mobile production monthlyRobb D. Cohen Photography & Designwww.RobbsPhotos.com

Robb D. Cohen Photography & Designwww.RobbsPhotos.commadonna>>scale. This was all fed to the controlsoftware through a template builtin Adobe After Effects. This wayprecise movement could be selectedby way of the numerical propertiesof the various stops along the greyscale. The video clips of varyingshades of grey were then applied tothe overall time code of the show.Because all of the video content ofthe show was being spread aroundso many surfaces, bit mapping thecontent across the whole of theshow was something of a challenge.Each of the cubes had three surfacesupon which video was playingas well as the eight panels of theenormous upstage video wall,meaning that there were 108 areasof coverage just in the matrix alone.It all had to be synchronized notonly in the way it showed up but inthe way the matrix operated. We’ll getinto more about the video aspect of theshow a bit later.The automation of this show waseverywhere. In addition to the sevenfly gags, the matrix and the threepreviously mentioned toasters, therewas also an escape hatch lift upstage, apersonnel lift at the tip of a triangularB stage accessed by two thrusts thatwrapped around a VIP section on thefloor at the stage. Directly behind thepersonnel lift on the B stage was alarger props lift that was used to liftgroups of people and props includingan upright piano.Riding herd on all of this movementwas Theatrical Stage Manager MikeMorobitto. Morobitto called 125 setup,action and cleanup cues over the courseof the show, but within those cues wereseveral sub-cues. “[Producer] TiffanyOlson and I spent a lot of time workingon setting up a really, really simplefoolproof system for a complex show,”explained Morobitto. “We numberedeverything. We looked at [the idea of] afew cue callers and there was so muchtalking going on that by the time theguy stopped talking the cue had alreadypassed because sometimes it wouldbe one simple cue in terms of a liftmoving or a screen opening. However,sometimes on the same cue we wantedthree different lifts to go down, wewanted video screens to open, wewanted a band riser to mobilate onstage and say, a disco ball to fly in.Five, six, seven things happening all atonce. That’s a lot to say.“So we worked it all out, put it onpaper and we numbered the cues. Thenwe’d give the crew sheets to the crewand we’d sit down every day beforerehearsals and we’d take it a sectionat a time. We’d basically choreographthe crew just like the dancers arechoreographed so they’d know theirsteps in order to get from cue to cueand how much time they’d have tobreak one thing down, build another,get it in place and send it out on deck.So they’ll each have their numberbut I know all the other numbers aswell. Let’s say carpenter number threehas fourteen different numbers. Heknows that when I call number 72he’s sending a lift up or when I call64 he’s mobilating a band riser out tothe center of the stage along with fouror five other people who also havesomething to do in cue 64.”In total, Morobitto estimated the showcontained something in the area of450 cues within the 125 he actuallycalls. As the set pieces were comingoff the back end of the stage they werehoisted down to the arena floor wherethe irrepressible Head Carpenter FloryTurner and a team of tour carpentersand local stage hands would break itdown and send it directly to the truckswhile at the same time getting the nextset pieces up to the stage for assembly –and in some cases – deployment.However, before any of that takes place,Turner builds the stage. Whereas withmost traveling custom stages the entirestage rolls into place in one piece, thesheer mass of this stage precluded thatas a possibility. Therefore, the stagerolled into place in 15 separate pieces –not including the matrix.When asked what the biggest challengeof her job was Turner, who was onlyhome four days in 2012 smiled sweetlyand said, “Just finishing the tour.”As Turner and her team were doingtheir work the automation is mannedby motion control specialists RaffBuono, Jack Richard and AndrewJohnson. While the automation of theshow could actually be operated frompositions at the front of house or asite near the base of the matrix underthe stage, the primary control locationwas at the front of house, which, ofcourse made the most sense given theobvious ability to see everything (ormost of everything) that is happening.As was said earlier, the movements ofmatrix were handled via time code.The fly gags and the movement ofthe eight 2,000 pound video panelswere controlled by Jack Richard atthe FOH position. However, the liftsand toasters were all operated locallyat their position. “We could controlthem remotely but we have to have aspotter at the lifts anyway, you might aswell have the guy drive it,” explainedBuono.With Lead Rigger Todd Maugeroperating the props lift behind thestage during the show, the team ofautomation operators running theshow totaled eight people. In a phonemobile production monthly 23

madonnaRobb D. Cohen Photography & Designwww.RobbsPhotos.comconversation with Morobitto he wasasked if there is anything that deeplyconcerned him during the show andhe answered that there was not. “Haveyou ever been out on one of thosetours where you have to constantlystay after a crew to make sure thingsget done? That was not the case here.Everyone knew exactly what neededto be done and they felt motivated todo it,” explained Morobitto. Howeverin a follow up call he corrected himselfexplaining that timing of the show wasso critical that if anything happened tothrow the timing of the action of theshow off it could throw a serious chainin the fan. The result is that everythingin the show had a backup.One example of this was in the song“Vogue”. At one point in the songMadonna was introduced into thesong via a mirrored fly gag dubbed the“Vogue Flyer”. The move consisted offlying the set piece with Madonna onit straight up to a trim of about eightfeet then flying it through a break inthe video walls to the matrix where sheexited the flyer onto the matrix whichwas fully elevated. However, in theevent that Madonna was running lategetting onto the flyer due to somethinglike a delay in a wardrobe change thematrix might not have been in positionwhen she got there.The backup plan designed by Morobittoand Robert was to fly the gag directlyto the matrix in a diagonal trajectoryrather than taking it straight up andout to the matrix in a level flight. Thiswould shave 17 seconds off the move,more than making the trip on time.Because of all the moving parts in thisshow, there were backup plans all overthe landscape. Assisting Morobitto inthe execution of his responsibilitieswas an array of four infrared videofeeds looking down on the stage fromvantage points directly over the B stage,the main stage looking down at thetoasters, looking down at the matrixand one shot looking straight down onthe center point of the video wall so hecan see what’s happening immediatelyupstage and downstage of the wall.The video portion of the production,which was supplied by Screenworks,was comprised of eight mannedcameras and one robocam; five handheld at the main stage and the B stage,two long lenses in the seats and one atFOH. In addition to the eight upstageDaktronics video walls there were alsotwo offstage 13.5’ x 24’ IMAG videoprojection screens fed by two stackedBarco 20k projectors. In addition to theIMAG projectors there were also twoprojectors at the front of house thatwere converged and hitting the entireface of the stage to give the image ofglass breaking away from the front ofthe production. Once that effect hadtaken place the projectors were shutdown for the night.Video Crew Chief Jason Lowe seemedto agree with the sentiment of therest of the crew that this is a prettystraight forward if not huge production.However, in terms of cutting the livevideo it was not as straightforward forU2 Video Director Stefaan “Smasher”Desmedt. “When I do U2, I cut to themusic and four guys and that’s it,”explained Desmedt. “But in this showI cut to the choreography, which is fullon all night.” Given enough time anygood director can change the mindsetby which he/she cuts a show.That notwithstanding, in this caseDesmedt only had four days to getinto the new groove. The reason forthis is that he’d spent the entire restof the time during rehearsals workingon programming and bit mapping thecontent of the show which was put forthby Montreal based Moment Factoryas well as programming the cubemovements of the matrix. Eventuallyhe had to hand off everything to otherpeople so he could lean fully intothe task of learning the show fromthe perspective of directing the livevideo. Because one of the demands ofthe show was that it had to be lit likea television show rather than a liveconcert, the cameras had to be heavilyshaded. Thus television TechnicalDirector Emilie Scaminaci was broughtin to handle the shading on the show.Lighting design was penned by highprofile television Lighting DesignerAl Gurdon. While the lighting of theshow did indeed have its dramaticmoments, it was clearly lit with an eyetoward more general coverage than onemight see coming from such hard-coreconcert designers like Roy Bennett,Bryan Hartley or Howard Ungerleider.The compliment of 300+ lightinginstruments in this design were putforth by PRG and included 78 PRG Best24 mobile production monthly

madonna>>Boys (their first tour in the US), PRGBad Boys, 144 Sharpy’s, 26 Robe Robin1200’s (also their first tour in the US),Robe Robin 600’s, Elation Impressions,VL3500 Spots and Washes, VL 3000Spots, 100+ Martin Atomic Strobeswith color changers and 400 iCove LEDfixtures outlining the stage.Lighting Crew Chief Ron Beal washeartily impressed with the Best Boyunits. “They’ve been great. They’vebeen poured on in the rain and it wasnot a problem. They’ve been kicked offthe stage and a little bit of super glueand they’re back up and running.”One of the more dramatic effectscreated by the lighting system was dueto the use of the Sharpys. They werehoused in pods around the stage aswell as in a massive pod upstage of thecenter break in the video wall. Whengrouped in these formations they hada look that was both powerful andelegant.Of all the interviews done in the courseof covering this tour, by far the shortestwas with Audio Crew Chief MarkBunich who brushed away any notionof the size of the show. “Yeah, it’s justmore of whatever you have on a show.Whether it’s a small scale show or alarge scale show, they’re similar, its’ justmore equipment,” explained the evenkeeledBunich.The systems provided by Eighth DaySound was all D&B J series cabinets– J-8, J-12, J subs, and the new Vseries cabinets that have been recentlyreleased. The show is mixed throughDigico SD7 consoles. While the showseems to be a very straight forwardapplication of audio engineeringthere is the one challenge that all popshows present. “It’s the fact that she[Madonna] is in front of the PA almosthalf of the show,” added Bunich. “Soit’s just a matter of how things areaimed and tuned and the levels are setfor the various sections of the PA.”The part of the audio package that wasnot in any way routine was monitors.Monitor Mixers Matt Naiper and SeanSpuler who have been working forMadonna for several years, decidedthree tours back to work on the samemix with Naiper handling the music andSpuler mixing the vocals. While the twoengineers were working on separateconsoles, they were getting exactly thesame mix. They were simply addressingdifferent parts of it respectively.Because Madonna likes to have thesame mix in her monitors that she hason the recordings, the monitor mix waseffects heavy. One would think thiswould cause a latency issue. However,the delay was only five millisecondswhich didn’t pose any real problem.With all that was considered on thetechnical side, we can tend to miss theareas of props and wardrobe. The spaceunder the stage was honeycombedwith countless changing rooms andhair stations and the traffic patternof one clothes rack after another wasendless. While Madonna only had fourwardrobe changes over the course ofthe night, some in the cast had as manyas 12. Because of the rigorous wear thatthe wardrobe is subjected to and thesometimes delicate nature of the pieces,there were several backups to many ofthe outfits used in the show.Part in parcel of the care andmaintenance of the wardrobe islaundry. Everything had to bewashed every day. But because of theaforementioned delicate condition ofmany of the pieces it all had to hungdry.Because of the heavy laundry needsof the show the tour carried its ownlaundry service provided by Hans Topfof Rock N’ Roll Laundry who has beendoing laundry for the touring industryout of Germany since 1988. While Topfwas actually touring with MDNA, thecompany – partly owned by BobbySchneider – he typically just sendslaundry equipment out on a given tour.But the heavy work load on this tourrequired a more hands-on touch giventhe fact that he has six washers and sixdryers that are constantly running.Another part of a big pop show thatoften goes unnoticed is props. In thisshow the list of props is extensive,ranging from drums for a marchingband to handguns and rifles andeverything in between. Managing thistask was the head props person on thetour Rebecca Sloan whose job started inthe beginning of March with the processof figuring out what was needed forthe show, sourcing it all into rehearsalsand then making sure it was sturdyenough to survive the tour. “Madonnamobile production monthly 25

madonnais an artist who is very particular aboutwhat she uses and once she’s decidedon something, changing it is not a goodidea. Therefore, I only had one chanceto get it right,” said Sloan.Because the rehearsal process onthis tour was somewhat shorter thanMadonna is normally used to, Sloanand her team were working at a veryfast pace. Part of that pace was not onlygetting the props into rehearsal, butmaking sure it all worked effectivelyand – most importantly – safely. “Wehad weaponry, twirling batons andcheerleader pompoms,” Sloan recalled.“We had a holster that had to workwhen she climbed a wall. We had a setof body shackles that we had to figurehow to quickly fasten and unfastenon stage without hurting the artist.She likes realism in her props as muchas possible, so we wound up goingwith quite heavy full steel shackles.So how do you put full steel shackleson somebody and drag them around astage without hurting them?”Thus are the challenges of putting thefinishing touches on a production likethis.All the way through the team onthis production the story seemed tobe the same. There was a shriekingburn in the very beginning of the gigbecause of the short rehearsal window.“The challenges of a project like thisare not unsolveable,” said Set Co-Designer Mark Fisher. “But it becomesa challenge when you’re dealing withthese short time scales because there’sno time to ‘to and fro’ in discussion onthings like visualization. In the end,the [matrix] lifts were complicated butthere’re not that complicated. I meanif you compare them to any othermodern machinery like a modern motorcar the only thing remarkable aboutthem is that they’re being brought intoexistence in a very short amount oftime. It’s not rocket science. The rocketscience is getting them built quickly.”Once the rocket science of gettingthis show on the road was mounted,everyone seemed – according to whatthey said - to get into the same grooveof any other huge concert tour thathas ever gone out. All the same thiscould have been a nightmare with aless cohesive crew. Jake Berry had thatissue beat from the very beginning.“I heavily drew on some of the peoplethat I had on U2 because we hadphenomenal success on that tour andthe way it ran. Rather than bringing abunch of individuals we brought a teamand that really, really worked.”26 mobile production monthlyRobb D. Cohen Photography & Designwww.RobbsPhotos.com

Flory Turner locking matrix carts togethermadonna>>Tour Punker DogDirk Henneberger strapping matrix carts in place.Front Row: Dirk Henneberger – Carpenter, Stanley Jilesen – Carpenter, SidBerry – Carpenter, Josh Smith – Carpenter, Dennis Osborne– Carpenter,Second Row: Flory Turner - Head Carpenter, Boja Gonzalez – Carpenter,Back Row: Drew Hilt – Carpenter, Appy Thorig – Carpenter,Arthur Fogel –Live Nation Tour PromoterJake Berry – Production Director, SidBerry –Carpenter (and Jake’s Nephew)Matrix Lift Tower “Cube”CartRaff Pagen - Production Coordinator, Jake Berry–Production Director, Elizabeth Curto - ProductionCoordinatorRebecca Sloan - HeadProp PersonMatrix cart hydraulicleveling jackMike Morobitto – TheatricalStage ManagerJR Newkirk - Drum Tech, Tommy Simpson - GuitarTech, Bob “Bongo” Longo - Back Line, Joe Wolfe –Keyboard TechHans Topf – Rock n Roll LaundryRussell “Bits” Lyons -FOH Follow SpotsFOH Engineer – Tim Colvard, MarkCunniffe -Lighting DirectorDemetrius Moore - Monitor System Engineer, Eoin Collins - Audio Tech, MattNaiper - Monitor Engineer, Mark Birch - FOH System Engineer, Tim Colvard -FOH Engineer, Arno Voortman - Audio Tech, Wilson Tennerman - Audio Tech,Daniel Blum - Audio Tech, David McPhee - Monitor System Engineer, ClintonReynolds - Audio TechHead Rigger – Todd Mauger, Darrell Schlabach –Rigger, Ricky Acebo - Rigger, Robert Slepicka - RiggerJake Berry – Production Director, IanKinnersley –Stage ManagerAustin “Aus Dog” Smith – Video Tech, - Chaim Chavaria - Video Tech, Tim Brennan -LED Lift Tech, Emilie Scaminaci - Technical Director, Nate Brister - LED Tech\CameraOperator, Zanood Hammid – Video Engineer, Eric Smnacher - LED Tech, AdrianBrister – Camera Operator, Stefaan “Smasher” Desmedt - Video Director, Jason Lowe- LED Tech\Camera Operator/Video Crew Chief,Chris “Jonesy” Jones - Camera OperatorRobert Fry - Dimmer Tech, Urko Arruza Urratia- Moving LightTech, Jonathan Fuller – Lighting Tech, Ronald Beal – LightingCrew Chief, Back Row: Matthew Levine – Moving Light Tech,Kevin Sherwood – Moving Light Tech, Christopher Sbelleck– Truss and Hoist Tech, Christopher Olk – Moving Light Tech,Matthew Bright - Moving Light Techmobile production monthly 27

madonna CREWBandMadonna: Guitar & VocalsKevin Antunes: Musical Director/Programer/KeyboradsBrian Frasier Moore: DrumsJason Jang: ViolinMonte Pittman: GuitarRic’Key Pageot: Keyboards & UprightPianoBackground Vocals: Kiley Dean, NickiRichardsPerformersDancers: Adrien Galo, Ali “Lilou”Ramdani, Brahim Baibat, Chaz Buzan,DarrellBullock, Drwe Dollaz, Emilie Capel,Emilie Schram, Habby “Hobgoblin”Jacques,Kupono Awaeu. “Lil Buck” Riley,Loic “Speedylegz” Mabanza, MarionMutin, MarvinGofin, Rocco Richie, Sasha Mallory,Sheik Mondesir, Stephanie Nguyen,Valeree Pohl,Vibez Henderson, Taman “Yamsonite”OkurSlackliners: Carlos Neto, HaydenNickell, Jaan RooseKalakan: Jamixel Bereau, Thierry“Ttirritt” Biscary, Xan ErrotabehereEntourageManager – Guy OsearyAssistant to Guy Oseary – Sara ZambrenoManagement – Samantha HessSheena DolcLive Nation Tour Promoter – ArthurFogelTour Director – Tres ThomasArtist Tour Manager – Frankie EnfieldTour Manager – Jason MilnerChoreographer - Alison FaulkChoreographer – Jason YoungTour Accountant - Bob KotchTicketing Manager – Cynthia OknaianAdvance Security – Jose CastroSecurity: Craig Evans, Didier Meert,Hugo Rodriguez, Jerry MeltzerHotel Advance - Courtney RoussoChoreographer - Alison FaulkChoreographer – Jason YoungTrainer – Nicole Winhoffer, TimothyAndersonHair Stylist - Andy LeCompteKinesitherapeute D. E. – Jean MichelEteChef – Marco PerniniEsthetician/Masseuse – Michelle PeckMake-up Artist – Lauren AndersonPersonal Assistants to Madonna:Dana Belcore, Danielle DollPersonal Assistant to Arthur Fogel -Alicia GeistAssistant to A Party Tour Manager –Gingi LevinAssistant Tour Manager – Jill Mc-CutchenPhysiotherapist - Chris McClean,Mark ParkhouseWardrobe – Lola LeonAl GurdonC PartyProductionProduction Director – Jake BerryStage Managers: Ian Kinnersley, RonaldRamosTechnical Director– Mike Morobitto305 282-6819Tour Coordinator – Alison LarkinSecurity: Scott Nichols, AlessandroNicotra, Sara O’HerlihyProduction Accountant – EmilyThomasSettlement Manager – Tyler ArendProduction Coordinator: Jess Berry,Mimi Sullivan, Elizabeth Curto, RaffPagenIT: Josh KapellenVIP Party Coordinator – Fran CoombsVIP Party Assistant Coordinator –Natasha VeinbergLive Nation Production Assistants:Colleen Cozart, Cristian FogelBack LineProgrammer: Daniel RoeDrum Tech: Chris Achzet, JR Newkirk,Back Line: Bob “Bongo” LongoKeyboard Tech - Joe WolfeGuitar Tech – Tommy SimpsonCarpentryHead Carpenter – Flory TurnerCarpenters: Sid Berry, Boja GonzalezMartinez, Drew Hilt, Stanley Jilesen,DennisOsborne, Josh Smith Appy Thorig,Dirk HennebergerRiggingHead Rigger – Todd MaugerRiggers: Robert Slepicka Ricky Acebo,Darrell SchlabachAutomationRaff Buono, Jack Richard, AndrewJohnsonProps:Head Prop Rebecca Sloan,Patricia HamelinWardrobe:Madonna Dressers: Tony VillanuevaLisa NishimuraHead Wardrobe – Lana CzajkaWardrobe – Deb Cooper, Pam Lewis,Kristle Rodriguez, Jessica Sheehan,Julie SolaMake-up – Chris Melone, TiffanySaxbyLead Hair – Mischelle NavarHair: Jennifer Blanchard, Jazz CookDressing Rooms /Ambiance –HeadDressing Room Coordinator MariaKraft,Stefan Warner, Lindsay McGoren.Dressing Room Catering – GemmaDalyLightingLighting Crew Chief – Ronald BealOperator - Kathy Beer/Mark CunniffeMoving Light Techs: Urko ArruzaUrratia, Matthew Bright, MatthewLevine, KevinSherwood, Christopher Olk, GregoryGore,Truss and Hoist Crew: Tom Dubas,Christopher SbelleckDimmer Techs: Christopher Olk RobertFryFOH Follow Spots: Russell LyonsVideoVideo Director – Stefaan DesmedtTechnical Director – Emilie ScaminaciLED Lift Tech – Tim BrennanCamera Operator: Adrian Brister,Chris Jones, Nick O’Brien,LED Techs\Camera Operator: NateBrister, Jason Lowe,Video Techs: Chaim Chavaria,LED Techs: Eric SmnacherAudioFOH Engineer – Tim ColvardFOH System Engineer – Mark BirchMonitor Engineers: Matt Naiper SeanSpulerMonitor System Engineer – DavidMcPhee, Demetrius Moore28 mobile production monthly

madonna CREW>>Audio Crew Chief – Mark BirchAudio Techs: Daniel Blum , ClintonReynolds, Wilson Tennerman, ArnoVoortmanEoin CollinsPower:Power Techs: Jon Boss, Cisco ReyesStadium Power – Dennis Crespo,Justin GordonMerchandise: Richard Carter, DieterSzczypinskiDrivers:Lead Bus Driver – Dave WaltersBuss Drivers: Eugene Fields, FloydRobinson, Gerald Cory, Hank Arrington,RubinGarcia, Danny Autry, Brian Daigle,Nathan Evan, Joe Folk, Mike Mallatt,WallyMorrow, Geoff O’Connell, JamesSaam, Mike SussinoTruck Drivers: David Heath, ScottRottler, Matt Chesnut, Jeff Clark,Patricia Galbraith, Duane George, JoeHarrison, Charles Hunt, Chris Legner,Robert Marshall, Chad McKnight,Dorothy McKnight, Mike Meadows,Vardrick Minter, Anthony Morgan,Fran O’Keefe, Byron Risvold, MartySankey, Lon Simpson, Antwon Stigger,Don Conard, Gary Adair, GeorgeBerlingeri, Randy Cook, Dave Patch,Alex Zaharia, Terry Johnson,Scott Williams, Ron Hess, John Ferris,Mike SacksonTour Related OfficesArtist ManagementGuy OrsearyBusiness ManagentNigro Carlin Segal and Feldstien, LLPTour Producer & PromoterArthur FogelArtist Tour ManagementWorldwide Touring LimitedLegalGrubman Indusrky Shire & MeiselasPcShow ArchitechMark Fisher StudioGround Transportation (Entourage)J Travel ManagementGround Transportation (Artist)DPLTravel Agent (Artist)Music By Appoint LtdTravel Agent (Entourage)Protravel InternationalCharter (Artis)Glencoe Aviation GroupCharter (Large Group)LeBas InternationalStagingStageco USASet ConstructionTait TowersTour DirectionJake Berry ProductionsProduction Services/Crew TravelSOSRiggingFive Points Production ServicesField CoverEPSBarricadeMojo BarriersPowerCat EntertainmentLightingPRG LightingSoundEighth Day SoundVideoScreenworksVideo ContentMoment FactoryFreightSound MovesSecuritySequel Tour SolutionsCoaches (Entourage)Pioneer CoachCoaches (Crew)Senators CoachesTruckingUpstagingRadiosAAA CommunicationsCateringEat Your Heart OutLaundry ServicesRock N Roll LaundryMerchandiseLive Nation MerchandiseInternet PhonesCasbah OnlineGuest Ticketing Database & SoftwareBruce Kline – VirtuSoft SolutionsGuest TicketingPaul OkanaianTiffany LyonProducer/DirectorsMichel LapriseJamie KingTiffany OlsonRichmond TalauegaTone TalauegaPassesCube PassesItinerariesKnowheremobile production monthly 29

Buford JonesBuford JonesAn Incredible Career That Was the Result of JustAnother Day at the Office...And Another, And AnotherBy Michael A. BeckIt’s often been said that the quietest person in the room is generallythe smartest. That can obviously be debated well past the end of thenext Mayan Calendar. However, in the case of Buford Jones, we seea southern gentleman who expresses extreme intelligence, discretion,and a refreshing sense of humor. Despite a resume´ as a Front of HouseEngineer for some of the most legendary names in the history of ourindustry, Jones possesses deep humility. Jones is soft spoken andefficient with his words, but when he speaks it’s worth the time investedin listening to what he has to say. Mobile Production Monthly recentlyhad the pleasure of chatting with Buford Jones on the record. We inviteyou to listen in (as it were):MPM: Let’s go all the way to thebeginning. How did your careerbegin?BJ: I graduated high school in ‘67and I went into college and got atwo year degree in electronics. Iwas fascinated with repairing electronicitems, but I really had no directambition to get into live sound.I was repairing stereos at a largeservice center for a couple years inDallas, Texas and a friend of minehad mentioned to me that with myeducation and what I’m currentlyworking on, I should go down andtalk to these people at such andsuch company and that companyended up being Showco.I made an appointment and spokewith them not really knowing whatShowco did. I just knew that it wasa possible job working with electronicsand sound. When they interviewedme they liked the fact thatI’d had a degree in electronics, thatI was a musician and I had a recordingstudio. They also wanted toknow if I was single. I was curiouswhat that had to do with anything.MPM: Gee I wonder why theyasked that.BJ: Yeah, that of course meant,‘can we send you on the road foreverwithout your family complainingabout it.’So there it was. I took the joband on my first day at work I wassoldering connectors onto audiosnakes and Jack Maxson [one ofthe owners]came in and told me,“Pack your bags, you’re going onto Atlanta tonight. You’ll be on theThree Dog Night tour.” I went homeand packed my bags and on dayone I was already headed out tobe on tour with Three Dog Night,where they were headlining severalstadium and large arena shows. Thefirst gig I did was at Atlanta’s FultonCounty Stadium.MPM: What did you do on the gig?BJ: Jack Maxson was mixing theshow and I was the assistant tohim. I helped set up the soundequipment and that’s where I beganlearning about live sound. That’spretty much how I got started inlive sound reinforcement.MPM: Backing up just a bit, yousaid you’re a musician. What doyou play?BJ: I play guitar. My dad was amachinist and a wood worker andhe played piano and guitar. WhenI was in high school, he made acouple guitars for me and I watchedhim make some peddle steels forsome people. He was really goodat working with wood. He mademe my first guitars and I got to jamwith my dad. When I left for college,some of my fondest memorieswere jamming with my dad. I thinkthat’s where I learned the veryfundamentals of mixing, which waspositioning our guitar amps wherewe could hear each other. I alwaysliked to position myself where Icould hear both amps, which isthe very fundamental of all mixing,where two instruments (or more)together sound better than one byitself. That’s what really got meplaying. I also took classical guitarin college.MPM: Do you still play?BJ:No. I regret that I don’t play30 mobile production monthly

Buford Jones>>as much as I used to. It’s sort ofgetting away from me. I put guitarson the wall and look at them, butI’m just not getting the time to playthem that I used to. I can’t seem tofind the time to play guitar as muchas I would like.MPM: Do you still have the axesyour dad built for you?BJ: Yes I do. Both of them. Severalyears ago, I took them hometo have him refinish them. Hedisassembled them, but he nevergot around to finishing the work.Unfortunately, now I only have theparts; my dad passed away a fewyears ago and wasn’t able to finishthe rebuild process. But I’m thinkingI’m going to let my son finalizethe work. It would be interestingto put them back together with myown son.MPM: You also said that it helpedin getting hired by Showco that youhad a recording studio. So you werealready into the audio game right?BJ: Yes. I was always fascinatedwith recording. In high school I hada Sony sound-on-sound recorder,which was a fascinating technologicalpiece of equipment for me to beable to play guitar on one track,roll the tape back and play anothertrack on the same piece oftape. Shortly thereafter, I built upto multi-track recorders and puttogether a multi-track studio. AlthoughI ended up in live sound, Ibelieve that both fields, recordingand live, are very much related.I’ve learned much from bothworlds. The big difference is thatlive doesn’t have a rewind button.You only get one shot to get it right!Whether I’m doing it in the studioor live I’m still blending instrumentsand vocals on an audio console andmuch can be learned from bothsituations.MPM: So you started with ThreeDog Night. How did that work?BJ: Working with Jack was a greatexperience. Jack did a great job.We were also doing Led Zeppelin,so occasionally I’d carry additionalPA for the Led Zeppelin dates andRusty Brutche mixed them. Thosesounds were embedded in meand stayed with me still to thisday. I think they were just colossalsounds. Even though we’vehad technological advancement toamazing degree and level, therewas something about the energyand excitement and the sound ofthe systems of that time. It wasthose two people, Rusty Brutcheand Jack Maxson and listening totheir work that really embedded thenotion of high quality sound in meand wanting to reproduce it and doit myself.MPM: How long was it before youstarted doing it yourself?BJ: ZZ Top was the first band Imixed. “Tres Hombres” was thealbum, the year would have tohave been 1973. I had been ontour with Uriah Heap through theUnited States and ZZ Top had beenopening for Uriah Heap in theatersand that’s where I met them. Onething came to another and “TresHombres” went platinum and theywanted Showco to do the soundand they wanted me to come withthem because I’d gotten to knowthem.MPM: Obviously the technologyhas spun off into countless newareas of capability. But you werethere in the beginning of all of this.Did you have the sense as your careerwas progressing that you wereon the nosecone of a rocket?BJ: No. I never looked at it thatway whether it be ignorance orwhat [laughing]. When I came intothe field I had no prior knowledgeof live sound reinforcement it wasall new to me. As a musician Iquickly found that this was a wayto play music professionally and toplay with some pretty big names.Eventually I looked at sound mixingas playing a musical instrument, soI was playing music with people likeZZ Top. Right after that I was workingfor Linda Ronstadt and becauseshe was managed by Peter Asherwho also managed James Taylor, Iwas mixing both of them. Amazingmusic. Amazing talent there andI was just so fortunate to be withthem. My learning ground for yearswas Linda Ronstadt and JamesTaylor. What more can anyone askfor? I don’t know. I look over theyears and appreciate so much thoseopportunities that Linda and Jamesgave me to establish myself in thisbusiness.MPM: You did Pink Floyd’s MomentaryLapse of Reason tour inthe late 80’s. That thing was massive.Do you look at that and seedelineation between those hugeproductions and the work you didwith Linda Ronstadt and JamesTaylor or were they all just as big aproject for you, only in a differentvenue?BJ: Because of my entry into thebusiness this had become the normalwork. It’s another day at the officeso to speak. Many people wouldjust love that opportunity, which Idid as well. But with the major actsthat were coming into Showco atthat time, they just couldn’t buildsystems fast enough, so for all of usit was, “What major artist are yougoing out with next?” They wereall truly major platinum artists. Thethrill was amazing. When PinkFloyd came along I got excited ofcourse. I had no idea the magnitude,but it was more a case of,“Wow, I’ve got another great bandto work with and we’ll be going outin a couple months.” I don’t reallythink the true magnitude of thattour hit me until close to the end.And still to this day I look back atit and find it hard to believe that Ihad participation in that tour. Butit’s very hard to match that againstthe other ones. I had amazing, indescribablemoments with Linda Ronstadt,James Taylor, Don Henley,George Harrison, Eric Clapton andon and on. Some of those mo-mobile production monthly 31

Buford JonesMPM: What was the last touringwork you did?BJ: Counting Crows and ClintBlack. I was kind of doing themat the same time.MPM:this?What time period wasBJ:That was 2005.ments are priceless that you cannotdescribe to anyone. You just haveto have been there and let it gothrough you. You can’t reproduceit. Even if you have it on audio andvideo you look at it and say, “Well,that’s nice. It brings back memories,”but it doesn’t bring back whatactually happened. I keep sayingit. I am so blessed and fortunate tohave been a part of all of it. Yes itwas wonderful to do the things thatno one else was doing with the surroundsound for the large audienceswe had and in the size venues weplayed.MPM:road?What made you get off theBJ: I just think that through timethere seemed to be an end to itall as an end comes to everything.There’s nothing that steered meaway from it. I just didn’t think Icould continue to travel like thatand I think that to settle down witha company, being that I was independentlycontracting my work out,started looking good. And then Icame upon Meyer Sound. MeyerSound just seemed like a mostamazing company that I’d liketo work for and it would be a steadyjob that wouldn’t be touring.MPM: Did it take a while to get intothat groove?BJ: I became very satisfied withthat line of work and being thecompany’s touring liaison and stillhaving contact with the touringcommunity, so the transition wasvery smooth for me. It wasn’t likeI’m not going to this anymore andI’m going to do this tomorrow. Infact, when I first came to MeyerSound I was still doing a little bitof touring while I was working forthem. Within a couple years I quittouring all together and did mywork in tour liaison and education.MPM: How did the MeyerSound relationship come together?BJ: Just like I’ve been so fortunatethroughout my career, thatcame from them. I did not goto them looking for a job. GregMcVeigh, who was the salesmanager at the time, calledand asked if I’d be interested towork for them and I told himI’d give it some thought.MPM: Did you have a predilectionfor Meyer while you weretouring?BJ: If I knew then what I knownow I would have, but all of thecompanies I’d ever worked for hadtheir own proprietary boxes. That’sjust the way the cards fell.MPM: You mentioned tour liaisonand education. What do you do ineducation?BJ: It’s what I call a mix workshop.Meyer Sound had an educationdepartment long before I got therewhere they teach system optimizationand other courses and howto achieve the best results on theequipment that you work with. It’sabout audio and physics and studyingwavelength. So we added themix workshop because I figured itwas all related. We had very talentedinstructors teaching the fundamentalsof sound, the physics behindsound, how to set a system upcorrectly and I figured “I’ll be thenext to follow up on that; how toproperly mix on that sound system32 mobile production monthly

Buford Jones>>you just set up properly.” It fitinto the scheme of things prettywell and it’s been accepted verywell as I go around the worldputting on these workshops.MPM: In a world where technologydebates abound - Mac vs.PC, iPhone vs. Droid– the discussionin the audio world is digitalvs. analog. Where do you standon that conversation?BJ: It’s just an evolution that’sinevitable. It’s happening andthat’s just the way it is whetherwe totally agree with it or not.The conversation will go on foryears to come. I think digitaltechnology has come a long wayin the years that it’s been out andit’s very widely accepted. Themain benefit that I see is the flexibilitythat digital gave us overanalog. We just have so muchmore flexibility in using the toolsthat we need to achieve the bestsound that we can, and digitalgives us that compared to the oldanalog consoles and how largethey were. They sounded great.The digital consoles are a lotsmaller and we can do so muchmore with them.MPM: What advice do you havefor people just coming into thebusiness? Or do you have advicefor them?BJ: I do. I would hope they’reinspired by music. Working withsound is working with music.It’s the common thread betweeneveryone in the business. Like Isaid in the beginning, as a soundengineer I play music. I once gotinto a cab in New York and thedriver asked what I do and toldhim I mix sound for Linda Ronstadtand he said, “Oh, she bakesthe cake and you serve it.” I said,“Well put.”Well put indeed.mobile production monthly 33

ObituaryEd Hopson Leaves a Wide Trail of Goodnessand TearsBy Michael A. BeckOn August 9, 2012 long-time Atlanta based production professional EdHopson passed away from cancer that had spread through his bodyat an enormous rate of speed. He was just 10 days short of his 57 thbirthday. From the day he was diagnosed to the day he passed was aninterval of only eight days. “We thought we were going to have time tofight it,” said Mary Ellen Jones, Ed’s wife of 25 years. “We just nevergot that chance.” By all accounts the two facts about Ed’s life thatcome before all others are that he was no saint and that no one wouldcomplain were he referred to hence forth as “St. Ed”.“He was smart, funny, well spoken and he knew what he was talkingabout,” recalled lighting director/technician David “Duck” Burns. “Hewas completely genuine in a business of people who aren’t alwaysgenuine.”Under the broad umbrella of that genuine characteristic was Ed’sability as an audio engineer. In a recent interview legendary engineerBuford Jones was asked what advice he would offer to aspiringengineers just coming into the business to which he responded, “Iwould hope they’re inspired by music.”That inspiration came for Ed Hopson early in life. His first recordingjob came at the age of 10 years old wherein he was responsible forrecording church services so the sermons could be distributed toshut-ins. “He would get the recording running and then go over tothe black church and creep into the crawl space under the church andlisten to the gospel music with all the dust falling through the cracksin the floor from all the people stomping on the floor to the music,”reminisced Jones. “He said, ‘I just loved the music.’”While that love for music was a common thread that ran throughevery aspect of his life, it wasn’t the first serious track he took. Edwent to school to study physics. While in school he also mixed soundon the side. During that time his physics professor would come to theshows and finally asked, “Why would you go into physics when youare so good at this?”That is when Ed made the fateful and final course correction thatnot only changed his life but the lives of the countless people whoshared his fire for the rest of his far too short life. “He was recklesslygenerous,” said Jones. “When Robert McTigue took over mixing forSkynyrd, Ed gave him all of his mixing notes. I said, ‘Ed, it took youyears to get all that knowledge.’ He just said, ‘Yeah but it doesn’tmatter. It’s more important that the band sounds great on the firstday.’”What ultimately drove Ed was not music or mixing. It was a desireto see that whatever he did was done as well as it could be done nomatter what it was. If it was out of his reach he would learn to reach it.That sounds like the perfectionist that ruthlessly pushes peoplebeyond reason or compassion, but nothing could be farther from thetruth. It’s impossible to find anyone who didn’t say he had the34 mobile production monthly

Obituary>>biggest heart of anyone they knew. He was also a teacher at heartpossessed of intelligence that was off the charts. “It was such a pleasureto be able to talk with someone that intelligent. He was gifted with theability to bridge the gap between a normal person and that kind ofknowledge,” said Jones. “One of the things he’d say when I would argueabout his amazing generosity of knowledge was, ‘I know this stuff, theyneed to know it and there’s always another gig.’”Through the course of his career Ed mentored countless people. Theimpact he had on those people was realized in his last days when MaryEllen talked the nurses in the ICU to allow his friends to come in – nomore than two at a time – to visit with him on the premise that “thesepeople are his family”.“It became a steady stream of people coming in see him,” recalled Jones.”Over and over I heard people thanking him for teaching them to be betterto people and deal with people in a better way every day.”After Ed’s passing a group of people decided to put together a memorialgathering at Atlanta’s Center Stage, which is a 1,000 seat concert venuein Midtown. Because of Ed’s popularity throughout the industry the eventquickly became a serious production.One of the people who stepped in and took control of the project waslong-time friend Mark Parks. “He was my best friend,” says Parks. “Hewas way more than my confident. He knew things about me that no oneelse knows. He was my mentor. We were completely alike because ofwhat I learned from him.”After an initial meeting it was decided that the event would take place inOctober. “I really didn’t want to wait so long that when we did it would bere-opening wounds for people.”When the get together happened it consisted of musical performancesby The Blondes, Freddy Jones Band and Buddy Black with members ofKansas, The Producers, The Georgia Satellites, The Swinging Richards,Bareback, with Mothers Finest dropping in as well.This was no easy undertaking. Volunteers for the project includedAtlanta radio personality Kaedy Kiley (MC / Hostess), Albert Parks, BillAbner, Monty Curry, Ashley Dennis, Chris Rushing and David Manionamong many others. The idea was to remember Ed in the largest mannerpossible and raise funds to help with Ed’s final expense. To that financialend there was a cover at the door as well as a donation site and a silentauction with instruments and memorabilia from celebrities throughout theindustry.Dubbed by David “Duck” Burns as an evening with Atlanta’s Rock Royaltythe event was summarized by one word... EPIC!People’s lives are defined by what they leave behind after they’ve passedon. Ed’s life was certainly held up to that same standard and by everyaccount he passed with flying colors. However, there is another guideby which only the best of us can be judged. These people are not onlymeasured by what they left behind, but by how much they took with whenthey left. This can only be found in the size of the hole in the souls ofthose who loved them.In the matter of Ed Hopson, the man who was no saint, the size of thehole he left in the people he leaves behind is too big to be measured.Rest well Ed.mobile production monthly 35

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