The recent London Palladium production of Elvis – the Ultimate Performance saw Allen & Heath’s GLD digital mixing system prividing both FOH and monitor support to this tribute to The King.
The show stars the world’s leading Elvis performer, Chris Connor, accompanied by a comprehensive band comprising drums, bass, rhythm and lead guitar and keyboards, along wth a dedicated wind band, brass section containing sax, flute, trumpet and trombone, and four backing vocalists.
Using AR2412 and AR84 input expander units, the system provided 28 inputs on stage and three inputs into the GLD-80 mixer for playback and talkback. The desk was also fitted with a Dante card, enabling a previous multitrack recording of the show to be used for virtual soundchecking, to assist the system set up and EQ.
‘It’s a great advantage when going to a new venue to be able to hear the PA as if the band were playing on stage,’ says the show’s sound designer, Tom Cox. ‘GLD also makes it easy to switch between Dante and the stagebox inputs.
Cox also made use of the new GLD iPad app, GLD Remote: ‘The Palladium’s FOH position mainly receives sound from the delay speakers, so the iPad allowed me to move around the auditorium during set-up, and hear what the show would sound like in different seats,’ he says. ‘It also improved monitor set up, as I could EQ monitors on stage and set mixes with the musicians as they heard it too.’
Elvis – the Ultimate Performance recreates two landmark performances from Elvis’ career – the ’68 Comeback Special and the Aloha from Hawaii – and features a selection of signature songs, including ‘Suspicious Minds’, ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, ‘Blues Suede Shoes’, ‘Jailhouse Rock’’ and Love Me Tender’.
