Entering their fourth decade, The Cure show few signs of tiring – in the studio or on the road. With major festival appearances and other one-off gigs, The Cure Tour 2016 – which played 33 shows in North America this spring and is now journeying through 34 shows in 17 European countries – marks the first real outing for the band since the release of its 13th studio album, 4:13 Dream, and subsequent tour in 2008.
London-based Britannia Row Productions has been with singer/guitarist Robert Smith and his mates for most of that time, since 1979, providing global touring support for the post-punk group, which is currently out on the road with an L-Acoustics K1/K2 system.
In anticipation of the worldwide tour, Britannia Row added a large quantity of new L-Acoustics products to its already bursting arsenal of gear, including K1, K1-SB, Kara, ARCS II, ARCS Wide, X8 and 5XT enclosures, plus the manufacturer’s brand new KS28 reference subwoofers and LA12X amplified controllers.
Having sold out every arena, amphitheatre and shed on its North America leg – including three nights at both the Hollywood Bowl and Madison Square Garden –the European/UK tour legs looks set to do the same, as it delivers 40 years of rarities, favourites and as-yet unreleased tracks in a new stage production that culminates with dates at London’s SSE Arena in December.
The typical loudspeaker arrangement for the current tour leg features left and right main arrays of K1 over K2 down, plus hangs of K1-SB low-frequency extension enclosures flown behind each K1/K2 array. Additional side hangs of K1 over K2 down address the far left and right seating sections, while dual arrays ARCS II cover the area behind the stage. Low-profile Kara enclosures spread out across the stage lip deliver front fill, with ARCS II cabinets on each side of the deck serving as stereo out fill. Groundstacked KS28 subs anchor the show’s low end, and a combination of LA8 and LA12X amplified controllers power and process the entire loudspeaker complement.
‘Providing consistency day-to-day for Paul Corkett, the engineer at front of house, is paramount,’ says Brit Row MD, Bryan Grant. ‘But, equally important, are the thousands of listeners in the audience each night across the floor, up high in the top seats, and out back in the fields who expect and rightfully deserve a great sounding show regardless of where they are.’
The challenge, particularly on the US run was to adapt the system to such a wide range of venues and their ever-changing environments, both indoors and out: ‘Going from large American arenas to scaled down college basketball floors, huge amphitheatres with extreme elevation, a flat greenfield site, and then back into sheds – often with dated “house” delays and low tin roofs – was what our technicians had to contend with week after week,’ Grant recalls.
‘However, our K1/K2 rig was more than up for the challenge; it’s simply the best system on the road today in terms of audio quality, coverage and modularity. We have, of course, put a control and amplifier package together which makes it extremely versatile for use in the varied venues that The Cure are performing in around the world, and the reviews of the sound in the press and on social media have all been overwhelmingly positive – not to mention the fact that the production team and band are extremely satisfied as well.’
According to Brit Row Business Development manager Dave Compton, L-Acoustics’ Soundvision played an essential part in the tour sound: ‘Once the final system spec was confirmed, the majority of work was done well in advance of the tour starting,’ he says. ‘We pulled room data from the L-Acoustics database, and for venues that were not included, David Brooks and other friends and colleagues from within the L-Acoustics network helped. A model was created in Soundvision, containing all the system resources available for the tour, with speaker groups that included different array types, both flown and ground configurations, as well as multiple sub designs. This allowed for a quick start when preparing and working on designs for each particular venue. The mute/hide function within the speaker data window proved invaluable.
‘Adam Smith, the tour’s system tech and Soundvision operator, then tweaked it upon arrival – double checking room data, confirming flown array types and numbers, finalising ground configurations and sub design, and so on.’ Some additional work could then be applied within source settings to achieve the necessary SPL target over distance, Compton notes.
‘We try not to rely too heavily on acoustic modelling, as in live sound there are so many variables and parameters of change – from installation of any given system and the show itself – that influence the final result. There is no question, however, that Soundvision is extraordinarily powerful and extremely reliable, providing the user with an accurate means of simulation and the necessary platform to deliver consistency. It’s an essential and invaluable tool in any L-Acoustics speaker application and venue system design.’
