Marking the life and work of John Denver, a concert in Broomfield, Colorado, featured performances from Lee Ann Womack, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John Oates, Trace Bundy and the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra.
Sound production was entrusted to local company Dowlen Sound, who deployed a combination of Outline GTO, Butterfly and Mantas loudspeaker modules in the 6,500-capacity venue. The main LR system comprised 12 GTO plus four underhung Mantas modules per side, while 16 Dowlen Sound subwoofers provided low frequency reinforcement. Eight Butterfly modules were used each side as ‘wraps’ to provide the necessary coverage width for seats near the stage sides.
‘For us and many sound providers like us, shows like this are an important part of our work but as one-offs they can be hard to do profitably,’ says Eric Satre of Dowlen Sound. ‘The fact that our Outline systems are quick to rig and de-rig with minimal crew, plus the ability to combine them seamlessly as required, really contributes to our operational efficiency in this type of event’.
Company owner Bret Dowlen mixed FOH for the show: ‘Gigs like this are always a challenge because of the number of artists, the sheer quantity of instruments and the fact that there is always an element of the unknown,’ he says. ‘The only way to do it well is to use a flexible and accurate PA that can handle anything we throw at it, and that describes our Outline GTO, Butterfly and Mantas systems perfectly. With 105 inputs from the stage and the PA flown 8-ft upstage of the downstage edge the rear rejection and coherence of GTO has proven to be unrivalled. In fact, this show may not have been possible with any other system. On a personal note it was very nice to hear John’s music again after a long absence. I was his system engineer for his dates in this region for about ten years. Making it sound like it was supposed to was much easier with GTO and the amazing engineering that has gone into this box’.
The show opened with Denver’s induction into the Colorado Music Hall Of Fame, the first artist to be so honoured, and also included performances from his first wife and his widow. The conclusion was a stirring finale where all the artists gathered onstage for a massed rendition of Denver’s most iconic song, ‘Rocky Mountain High’. To mark Denver’s commitment to humanitarian, sustainability and conservation causes the event was held on Earth Day.
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