Marking the 20th anniversary of their album Hopes and Fears, Keane recently undertook a UK arena tour spanning six arenas for seven shows, with two nights at London’s O2 Arena.
‘While Keane are known for their melodic ballads, their live performances demand a very dynamic sound,’ says Keane front-of-houe engineer, Philip Harvey.
‘Our goal was to deliver a powerful rock show that ranges from intimate moments to thunderous crescendos, while ensuring every seat received consistent audio impact.’
The obstacles to achieving this included the varying sizes and acoustics of the various arenas and the tour’s set design, which featured a T-shaped thrust stage extending into the audience, complicating loudspeaker placement and coverage. And the requirement for consistent sound throughout the venue without relying on delay hangs added another layer of complexity.
‘L-Acoustics was specifically requested for this tour,’ says Harvey. ‘It’s the system I feel most comfortable with after years of working with it, mixing for other artists.’
Keane’s team had turned to L-Acoustics and Certified Provider, Solotech. ‘Coverage was our main goal, making sure everyone received the same full spectrum audio impact,’ says Solotech Project Manager, Tim Mitchell. ‘With most of the audience in allocated seats, we needed the sound to reach every one of them with a comparable quality and power.’
The concert touring system featured 16 K1 and six K2 per side for the main LR hangs, with 16 K2 each side hangs and eight K3 for the 180º hangs per side of line arrays, complemented by eight flown KS28 subwoofers in a cardioid configuration per side toed out 30º with 18 ground stacked KS28 subwoofers in a cardioid sub-arc array. Out fill consisted of four A15 Wide per side, with 12 Kara II used for each the front and thrust fills. All enclosures were powered by LA12X amplified controllers, with system control from three P1 processors on a Milan-AVB network.
L-Acoustics Soundvision software was key role to the system design process. Initial designs were created by veteran US System Engineer Michael Gazdziak, whom Harvey had worked with on multiple tours and brought onboard, the designs were then refined for each venue on the ground by Solotech System Engineer, Rich Kemp.
‘Soundvision was used extensively throughout the design process of this system, allowing us to adapt to the intricacies of each venue,’ Mitchell says. ‘Panflex was used on the K2 down-fills to minimise spill onto the thrust. A strategically placed second row of Kara II along the edge of the thrust provided fill for the areas affected by the stage structure and those not covered by the K2 down fills.’
The result was a resounding success: ‘I always have a smile on my face working with a skilfully deployed and tuned L-Acoustics system and walk away satisfied,’ Harvey says. ‘The barometer for success of this UK arena leg was the two O2 shows, and we were overwhelmed by compliments and positive feedback.’
