STEVIE WONDER 3 Arena Tuesday, July 9th 2019

mr_edge_to_you

Dog Man Star wrote: »

It is an Irish trait. Irish people love getting one up on the neighbours, small town mentality. One of the many, many reasons I left Ireland. and have never looked back.

Many, many reasons...... this would be an interesting list! I presume the fact that we drive on the left would be another?

martco

stateofflux wrote: »

The acoustics are not great in the 3 arena.... due to the physicals of the room...even though it has been improved since the point. the issue is a lot of touring engineers dont have the skill / desire to compensate for it.

THIS

I have a close family member in the business whom a couple of years back whilst reeling off some of the gigs he's produced for gave me his answer to the question of why the sound is so sh*&e in the [insert venue]. His answer was that its a complex thing & that you can only please some of the people most of the time if its a not for purpose gaff i.e. The Point, Lansdowne Rd, RDS, Croker etc. versus likes of NCH, Convention Centre (v.good apparently) Olympia...

He referred to the Point (Three, whatever you're having yourself I wont bow to corporate naming on any venue) as "the shed" and how its the equivalent of the engineer being handed a situation where he's already 2-0 down at halftime. Most engineers love that kind of challenge, some don't, some don't get enough time, maybe have non-ideal tour rigging on the truck, don't engage with the locals etc. etc.

there's a plethora of things going on but it's down to the sound engineer & those various factors.

In Stevie Wonder's scenario there was one additional issue - the mic on his traditional baby grand rig was definitely compromised & they never got it sorted at any point....chalk & cheese compared to the one on his organ rig. and I think on balance fair fupps to him for even coming to Dublin given his present issues.

dixiefly

Peter File wrote: »

Sound engineer for the artist is at fault. Acoustics are excellent in the 3arena. Lazy sound engineers are the problem for poor sound in there.

Correct. Sound was perfect for the Eagles the night before.

Ash.J.Williams

keithkk16 wrote: »

Having a good laugh at all the complainers on here, you all sound like you've never been to a gig before. It's Stevie Wonder ffs(a blind 70 year old with health issues) he's aloud to have a break. As someone who works as a sound engineer if the sound quality is good in a youtube video then it has to even better there in person.

you work as a sound engineer or you ARE a sound engineer?

Technocentral

People on Eagles thread said sound was great for them, must be bad sound mixing.

The Nal

Technocentral wrote: »

People on Eagles thread said sound was great for them, must be bad sound mixing.

Its not that simple. Stevie has a lot more musicians on stage.

Some venues are a bit crap. The Three is one of them. Very hit and miss.

Roger Waters sound was incredible for example, as was Neil Youngs, the Prodigys was as good as Ive heard but Ive been to gigs where theres been a lot of echo because of the venue, also muffled sound because of the venue etc.

Its also a soulless kip of a place but thats another conversation.

Mrs Shuttleworth

The Nal wrote: »

Its not that simple. Stevie has a lot more musicians on stage.

Some venues are a bit crap. The Three is one of them. Very hit and miss.

Roger Waters sound was incredible for example, as was Neil Youngs, the Prodigys was as good as Ive heard but Ive been to gigs where theres been a lot of echo because of the venue, also muffled sound because of the venue etc.

Its also a soulless kip of a place but thats another conversation.

I think your good self said it in another post, if the standing area downstairs is wide open leading into the concession area then a lot of the sound gets lost. If that's what you meant then I agree with that, the sound was dreadful for Kylie Minogue last October and if those curtains downstairs are left open with people milling around then the atmosphere is shot there and then.

Most of the time though they get it right and it's easy access in and out. I was at Wembley Stadium Sat night for The Who, the sound was disgraceful and Pete Townshend apologized. A much tighter pitch area than Croker but then higher stands and capacity. So as if the band is playing in a giant tin can and the muffled sound ricochets back and forth.

Having looked at that Stevie video I have to say it all seems very sad (in the melancholy sense). Clearly the show was padded out as he's not in the best of health but still wanted to perform. Having said that punters are entitled to value for money and this wasn't it. Given the ticket price and the design of the show to facilitate Stevie those sound engineers who screwed up the actual live element should get their P45.

delbertgrady

The Nal wrote: »

It's not that simple. Stevie has a lot more musicians on stage.

Not so. I think Stevie had eleven musicians, including himself, plus the backing singers. Eagles' lineup depended on whether Don Henley was on drums, percussion or guitar, but - for simplicity - if he was on drums, they had either nine or thirteen on stage, depending on whether the horn section was on or not. Four guitars, bass, piano, keyboards, drums, percussion, plus the four piece horn section, where required. Six of the musicians sing, and the harmonies are crucial. It might not be a full-on Motown extravaganza, but it's not unreasonable as a comparison.

Number of musicians on stage is not the problem, and not in a tour where the sound engineer is used to mixing such a set-up.

The best sound I've heard at gigs in recent years were at two Hans Zimmer shows in the 3 Arena. Between band, orchestra and choir, there were well over 60 sound sources to mix from the stage plus who knows how many tracks. It helps though that Zimmer's tour did months of pre-production/planning and weeks of tech rehearsals before going on the road. Not speaking for Stevie and co., but not every touring act puts nearly that level of preparation or care into planning a tour.

These wouldn't be my favourite bands, but U2 rent out an arena for a week to prepare for their upcoming tours, Coldplay fill stadiums with speakers and had maximum sound coverage for their last Croke Park gig. There are bands and acts putting great effort into their live sound, but there are also too many 'just get it up, get it done, get it out' merchants on the road who are charging top dollar for a sub-par audio experience.

As for the 3 Arena and sound - I can't honestly think of a gig I went into in there where the sound ruined the gig for me or was even a major issue. When I think of 'worst sound at a gig', two come to mind - Neil Young and Crazy Horse at the RDS in 2013, and Modest Mouse in The Helix in 2015.

dixiefly

delbertgrady wrote: »

Not so. I think Stevie had eleven musicians, including himself, plus the backing singers. Eagles' lineup depended on whether Don Henley was on drums, percussion or guitar, but - for simplicity - if he was on drums, they had either nine or thirteen on stage, depending on whether the horn section was on or not. Four guitars, bass, piano, keyboards, drums, percussion, plus the four piece horn section, where required. Six of the musicians sing, and the harmonies are crucial. It might not be a full-on Motown extravaganza, but it's not unreasonable as a comparison.

I counted 14 on stage at the Eagles gig monday night. I didnt pay enough attention as to haw many were playing on particular songs.