Having made his entrance on on the My ShowTV talent contest in 2004 and released 12 studio albums since, Zhang Jie (张杰) – or Jason Zhang – is a musical phenomenon in China. His recent Future Live tour has filled stadiums across China, including a show at the Beijing National Stadium for 80,000 fans, which sold out in little more than two-and-a-half minutes and set new records for a live streamed event with in excess of 100m viewers.
The Future Live show is a theatrical masterpiece, and as well winning praise for the human elements of music and dance, it has been termed a ‘comprehensive showcase of new technology’, with the incorporation of a large L-Acoustics K Series PA system as well as a huge ‘ice’ LED screen, advanced staging and lighting.
Future Live monitor engineer Zhang Jing describes the concert as an ‘undreamed-of success’.
‘It was mind blowing,’ he continues. ‘With spectacular lighting, and an amazing sound system. Zhang Jie delivered the best performance on stage, while the L-Acoustics system delivered the ultimate sound. The coverage was excellent, which is never easy for such a large-scale production, with audiences in the tens of thousands.’
China’s Beijing National Stadium, dubbed the Bird’s Nest due to its distinctive architecture, includes a huge concrete inner bowl and a 45,000 tonne steel mesh roof. Measuring 330m x 220m, even with the inner acoustic membrane, the sheer size of the venue meant that coverage and control were always prime concerns for the crew. The solution was a substantial L-Acoustics K Series deployment comprising more than 200 loudspeakers.
The main PA system comprised stereo hangs of 12 K1 cabinets with three Kara modular cabinets, stereo hangs of 12 K1-SB subs, LR stacks of eight SB28 subs, and eight stacks of three Kara cabinets as distributed front fill. Two hangs of eight K1 and three K2 provided out fill, with additional distributed systems of five stacks of four K2 elements on chariots, plus two flown arrays of six K1 and three K2, and six flown arrays of eight K2 elements.
‘We definitely got the most out of the system,’ says Zhang Jing. ‘We achieved the full fidelity the loudspeakers are capable of, which allowed us to maximise the listening experience for the audience. With a well-designed solution and accurate installation, L-Acoustics gives excellent quality sound and creates a perfect atmosphere for the audiences – even in such a large venue.’
More: www.l-acoustics.com
