More than three decades after “The Joker” topped the charts, classic rock icon Steve Miller shows no signs of slowing down. Now in the midst of a 37-city North American tour, the Steve Miller Band is still rocking sold-out arenas with renditions of his considerable catalog of hits, and previewing songs from his forthcoming album, accompanied by special guest Joe Cocker.
Clearwing Productions is supplying audio for the tour, a powerful Meyer Sound system comprising two hangs of 14 MILO and one MILO 120 line array loudspeakers per side. Eight M’elodie line array loudspeakers cover front fill duties, with two hangs of four MSL-4 loudspeakers as side fills. Providing generous low end to the audience are a dozen 700-HP subwoofers arranged in a cardioid pattern.
Scott Boorey, Miller’s long-time FOH engineer and manager, gives particularly high marks to the 700-HPs. “It’s really some of the tightest, best sounding bottom end I’ve ever worked with,” he says. “The ability to configure the boxes in cardioid pairs means there’s almost zero boominess on stage. And the MILO rig is very focused; it’s got great imaging, and the transition from the MILO to the M’elodies is just seamless.”
Production manager Brett Enzensperger is equally pleased with the MILO’s self-powered design. “We had one of our trucks break down about 350 miles from a gig, and I had to choose which of the three trailers to hold back while it was being repaired,” he says. “I chose the truck with the MILO because I knew we could bring that in the following day and still have time to set it all up. Sure enough, we pulled in at 2:30 with the racks and stacks, and by 3:30 we were line checking. The self-powered arrays are a huge timesaver.”
President of Clearwing Gregg Brunclik adds: “Aside from making great sounding speakers, Meyer Sound has been more than accommodating at every turn of this project. Confirmation of this tour with a brand new Meyer rig happened only shortly before the starting dates. The whole Meyer team really made it happen for us and took all the stress out of a quick prep for a lengthy shed tour. In a world where real customer service is on the decline, these guys not only still ‘get it,’ but more importantly, still give it.”
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