TOUR INTERVIEW
ON TOUR WITH...
AC/DC Ph otos SA R A H RU S H TO N-REA D
It’s been a hell of a year for AC/DC. This legendary Aussie rock band have been going for more than 40 years, and are still setting concert attendance records. After massive European and US tours, they’re back down under, presenting their massive production to a a string of Australian stadia - and they’re going down a storm. We managed to grab a few minutes with monitor engineer, Jon Lewis, to find out how he tames one of rock and roll’s loudest stages, and manages to stay on tea-drinking terms with the band. When we last spoke to Jon Lewis, it was in LA, and he’d just finished touring with P!nk. He then went out on the road with Cher, before taking a job with AC/ DC working monitors. He’s just finished two monster legs with these hard rocking entertainers, and has been somewhat blown away by not only their professionalism and energy, but the sheer volume that ‘slaps you in the face’ as you walk across the stage. Tell us more, Jon. “The European leg was huge. Some of the shows were way over 100,000 people, and in Austria they broke their own record at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg with a crowd of 127,000. It’s been crazy,” Lewis says, with a sigh. Feeling tired? “Oh, it’s just been non-stop. They’re so popular, particularly in Germany and Scandinavia, which have always been huge markets for them; and they’re continuing to smash it in these territories.” Lewis joined AC/DC at the beginning of their last tour, and was reacquainted with a few old chums including Paul McCartney’s long-time engineer, Pab Boothroyd, who’s currently working front of house. It’s also a very old school setup in terms of console technology: this is analogue through and through. “These guys are very much traditionalists, and we only use wireless when we need to,” Lewis smiles, adding that a DiGiCo SD7 is ordinarily his go-to. “No digital desks here, though; it’s a case of, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’.” But isn’t it a good thing for any live sound engineer to go back to basics, remind themselves about gain structure and channel strips? “Oh definitely, and everyone should do it at some stage, in my opinion,” Lewis replies. “When you’re turning a dial, it feels as if you’re physically doing something, as opposed to telling a computer to do it. It’s something as engineers you don’t get the ability to do that often, because when you’re working with artists that use a lot of tracks or keyboards, you absolutely need the flexibility of having scenes and snapshots, to be able to get the best out of what is being inputted to you. That’s why I use an SD7. But 24 HEADLINER