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Kenny Rogers - Not a gambler When it Comes to Nexo!
Still a concert-hall favourite at 71, Kenny Rogers - wearing a crisp white shirt to match the patrician beard - has completed a British tour, playing concerts in England, Scotland and Ireland with Nexo-centred audio production support from the SSE Audio Group.
In a career spanning six decades, he's given more shows than many younger artists have had hot dinners, and the same can be said of long-time front-of-house sound engineer Keith Bugos (pictured), who started mixing for Kenny Rogers when he was with the First Edition, 39 years ago!
"We've definitely seen some changes over the years," says this master of understatement, "not least with the equipment we are using. Back in the late 80s, when Kenny was blazing hot and selling out arenas in a couple of hours, we were long-term clients of Clair Bros and carrying all our own production. Today, with shorter tours, we carry consoles, and depend on local rental partners like Yan Stile and SSE to source racks and stacks that match our rider requirements."
One of the systems specified regularly on the Rogers' rider is Nexo's GEO T tangent line array, which Bugos considers the perfect fit for the 2,500- seater arenas on the itinerary.
"It's one of my two favourites. I first came across it in 2007, and have used it consistently both indoors and outdoors. For a vocal-ended show like ours, we need hi-fi reproduction because people are coming to hear Kenny Rogers' voice. The GEO T system delivers precisely that, no matter what level we run it at."
SSE has supplied a system comprising 14 x T 4805 and 2815 modules a side, with just four CD18 subs in total, for the eight-piece band. We caught up with the tour in Birmingham, at the peerless Symphony Hall - a traditional ‘shoebox' design which dates back to the great halls of the late 19th century, while offering the latest innovations in acoustic management.
"This is an amazing and beautiful venue," says Bugos, "and acoustically it is really really good. The GEO T has again distinguished itself thanks to its cardioid design, which means there is negligible sound coming out of the back of the cabinets: with such low levels on stage, we were able to get by with just five pairs of stage monitors."
SSE system engineer Mike Savage confirms this opinion. "GEO T is a very transparent system. It is a very good vocal PA, and this show is all about Kenny's voice. We had no end of comments from the audience about how clear his voice sounded.
"Hanging it correctly is half the battle. The software side is fantastic, and SSE has built lasers into the flying frames to help set the PA hangs at exactly the right height. When you put GEO T in the air, you know you're going to get the coverage."
28th June 2010
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