Take That’s Circus Live, one of the most successful British Tours of all time, has come to a close with a four-night residency at Wembley Stadium. The reformed boy band sold an incredible 1.2 million tickets and sold out the British Isles’ biggest venues, including Sunderland’s Stadium of Light, Dublin’s Croke Park, Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, Glasgow’s Hampden Park and Manchester’s Old Trafford Cricket Ground.
Take That have long been Sennheiser users and this tour was no different. The four members of the band all used SKM 5200 mics with MD 5235 heads while they and their backing band were all fitted out with ew 300 G2 IEMs. In addition, ew 500 series radio guitar systems were used for all the member of the backing band with moving instruments
“On the two previous Take That Tours we’ve used the SKM 5200 with Neumann KK 104 cardioid heads,” explains front of house engineer Gary Bradshaw. “We’ve had great results with that set up. But this tour posed some different problems, as we wouldn’t have a roof everywhere we played, so weatherproofing everything was be a major consideration. With this in mind we decided to try the 5235 heads. The results have been excellent. We’ve had great vocal clarity and feedback rejection and the mics are able to withstand the rigours of a British summer. Which is a polite way of saying plenty of rain.
“The ew 300 G2 IEMs are indispensable for a tour like this. Not only do the four members of Take That and the band wear the in ears. The whole cast of circus performers and dancers have them as well. This means wherever they are performing or off stage, they can hear the show. On this tour the boys spend the first half of the set singing out on the B stage and then return to the main stage. Throughout the second half of the show there are two other visits to the B stage (one via unicycles!) Having high quality In Ear Monitoring during all this movement is essential and the ew 300 G2s have proved 100% reliable. Right from the very first day of rehearsals of the first Reunion Tour the band have been very happy with the sound and performance of both their Sennheiser microphones and in-ear monitors. Gary Barlow in particular has commented several times on the quality of the vocal sound in his ears, helped in no small measure by the engineering skills of Steve Lutley who does the band’s monitor mixes.
“A particular problem with this tour is the fact that we do not have a B stage PA system. When the boys are on the B stage they are out in front of the main PA. They have been able to successfully stay in time with the band and isolate themselves from the sound of the PA (which is approximately 160ms-180ms late by the time the sound reaches them). And we have had very few feedback problems with the vocal mics out in front of the main PA system.”
The quality of Sennheiser’s equipment was never in doubt, but Bradshaw and RF Technician Simon Hodge were equally enamoured by the support offered by Sennheiser UK, in the shape of Andy Lillywhite, the Company’s chief engineer, and Mark Saunders, who looked after the tour as Artist Relations Manager.
“Back up and support from Sennheiser is always first class on this tour and every other tour,” insists Bradshaw. “Any problems that appeared to have something to do with radio transmission or reception, on either stage at whatever distance, have been overcome. The problems we encountered with weatherproofing the mics and in ear packs have been solved. It is very reassuring as an engineer to know if and when problems do pop up, there is the back up and support to quickly find a way round whatever the problem may be.”
It’s an appreciation echoed by RF Tech, Hodge.
“The band perform on a B Stage some 70 metres from the stage,” he explains. “For an RF guy this is a nightmare. But by using the G2 IEMs with the Vulcan and CP antennae we are able to cover the whole space with no dropouts. We have had no complaints from anyone, and that is the best reaction we could expect! When performers can trust in this kind of kit night after night then we know we have chosen the right gear.”
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