In a tremendous show of support for communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, some of the biggest names in music came together for the Concert for Carolina, in front of 82,000 fans packed into Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium in October.
Raising more than US$24.5m for relief efforts, Special Event Services (SES) was selected to deploy an extensive Outline GTO line array system to deliver sound from an in-the-round stage throughout the stadium.
The concert extended from Saturday into Sunday morning following a 90-minute weather delay, with a line-up that featured North Carolina natives Luke Combs and Eric Church, alongside James Taylor, The Avett Brothers, Scotty McCreery, Chase Rice, and Parmalee – artists with strong local ties – plus Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow, Billy Strings, and Bailey Zimmerman.
Adding to the event’s status were surprise appearances by actress Nicole Kidman, who joined husband, Keith Urban, on stage, and country music legend Randy Travis. These unexpected moments elevated the concert into a truly memorable experience for fans.
The audio system featured a combination of Outline GTO, GTO-DF, GTO C-12, Mantas, and LAB 21 HS sub-bass cabinets, powered by TTM12K4 amplifiers and controlled by Outline’s Newton FPGA processors. Sound designer Jason Farah led the system’s design and deployment, using Outline’s OpenArray 3D simulation software to map the venue’s acoustics and deliver clear sound to every seat.
‘Regarding the GTO rig, I’d been looking forward to mixing on it for some time,’ says FOH engineer,’ Ben Rigby. ‘Our Eric Church camp first encountered it at Red Rocks in 2012 and 2015, and I was accustomed to flying it during the Justin Moore tour in 2013–2014. But, until the Concert for Carolina, I hadn’t had the chance to mix on it myself.
‘The first thing I noticed during soundcheck was how precisely it captured the fine details of Eric’s playing. Eric has moments where he barely sings above a whisper or fingerpicks so softly it’s barely above the noise floor. With the GTO, I didn’t have to fight to bring those subtleties forward in the mix. The PA was even, giving every seat – even in the upper bowls – the same pristine audio image as those down front. The GTO allowed me to focus entirely on the performance instead of tweaking the PA, and that’s always the sign of a great system. I could not be happier with the outcome of the show.’
‘The benefit for Carolina was my first time hearing/running sound on the Outline GTO PA system, and I was very pleasantly surprised,’ adds Andy Lytle, FOH engineer for Billy Strings. ‘We have been touring with the Meyer Panther system and my show file didn’t have to change much for dialling in our show with the GTO rig.
‘We walked in and the PA was tuned perfectly for the stadium, which is no easy task while performing in the round. I rely on a PA system that allows low and high mids to really cut through without getting muddy, and the GTO rig did just that. I look forward to seeing this PA system out on more gigs and festivals.’ ‘This was the first time in the past two years of stadium touring with Luke Combs that the system was deployed in the round,’ says Jason Farah with SES, sound designer for Luke Combs’ two years of stadium touring as well as the Concert for Carolina. ‘There were video screens on all four sides of the stage, which required the PA to be deployed from the four corners only.
‘This allowed the audience on each of the four sides of the stadium to enjoy a stereo experience. Luke Combs’ long-time systems engineer, Joe Lefebvre, is expert at tuning this system, and GTO is the best tool to ensure an even listening experience throughout the stadium. It always does exactly what you ask of it.’
With SES’s proven expertise and Outline’s systems, Concert for Carolina achieved exceptional acoustic performance, showcasing how expertly designed audio can enhance the connection between artists and audience.
More: outline.it
