volume 1 issue 9 2008 - Mobile Production Pro

The audio of this show wasflawless. It had punch and sensitivity. That would seem to makesense given that Both Stuart Delk (monitor engineer) and JonJon Garber (FOH engineer) have been with the show from thebeginning. Such longevity has maked for a very smooth productionthat is able to shift on a moments notice.This show had a lot of gear for a shed tour. The daily challenge,according to production manager Kendall Carter, wasin getting it all into spaces that were so very different from oneanother. Carter explained, “We didn’t really know what wewere going to do until we got in and marked the floor.”If you’re the type of person who likes it to happen the sameway every day, this wasn’t the tour for you. On the other hand,for the folks who like a challenge, this was the place to be.Carter added, “That’s what makes the gig worth doing. It reallykeeps you on your game.”These people areon their game for sure and are happy to be there. The bandknows that all glory is fleeting, and the star won’t always burnas bright as it does right now. So there is a commitment tomake hay while the sun shines. The clock never stops.The next incarnation of the tour is already out playing arenas.The production will lose two trucks of gear from the shed tourand add three trucks for the indoor show. The main addition tothe show will be a box thrust that extends out 100 feet into thehouse and involve most of the front of house.As was said in the beginning of this story by tour managerJake LaGrone, the principle members of this band understandwhat it takes to go out and compete for the ticket dollars on theroad. In the expanding world of put up or shut up, these guysput up in a manner that will have other productions makingsome serious decisions about what they’re willing to put up inorder to hang with Rascal Flatts. 5mobile production monthly 29