BLINK-182
As a long term-endorsed artist, Travis Barker used a whole array of Audix Microphones on his kit; To fill the void of on stage guitar cabinets, the production deployed 3 VR3 3mm LED screens supplied by VER; The video team Lindsey Haney, Jason ‘Spikey’ Harvey and Austin Stengle; Production Manager John Lafferty; Pyro Technician Nick Zangari.
toms. “Travis has been a Audix artist since 1998 shortly after he joined the band,” stated Abbey Masciarotte of Audix. “Our microphones are able to handle the high SPL’s of Travis’ powerful style and they deliver every note precisely as it’s played. FOH Engineer Jason Dector has been very complimentary about the performance and consistency of the microphones night after night, year after year.” For vocals two Sennheiser 935’s were deployed. “They have been solid for us on this run,” praised Decter, adding: “The only thing I have to be mindful of is with Mark’s mix. Due to his animated stage presence he often sings across the microphone. On top of that he generally is a softer singer, meaning I have to boost the gain up. But it’s a delicate balance as I have to ensue I don’t get feedback from the PA or spill from the crowd.” Finally Decter gave his thoughts on the bands moved to Kemper Amplifiers. “They are really good as long as you have someone to dial in the system which thankfully are backline guys are fantastic,” stated Decter. Holt added: “They really are awesome. The fact that we don’t have the tone change from show to show just means it’s one less thing to worry about.”
Last but most certainly not least in the supplier chain was the Pantry Maid, which provided catering services for the band and production. Director Lucy Bell has had a long history with the band, being the trio’s personal chef for several tours. After enjoying the extensive menu from the Pantry Maid at the O2 (thanks again for the sushi!) TPi sat down with Head Caterer Heather Spooner to discuss the tour. “For the European run we sent our two chefs who looked after the band, then for their UK run we brought on 4 extras to feed the crew,” began Spooner. “But, as is the way with London shows, there are always a few more mouths to so feed we added an extra 2 chefs to the team.” Spooner went on to mention how the main goal was to provide the widest range of food possible. “We have several dietary needs we have catered for including one individual who is a vegan and gluten-free. We set ourselves up to cater for everyone’s needs and tastes.” With the last power chord ringing through the PA and the final f-bomb dropped, blink-182 said sayonara to their UK legions, promising to return to their shores soon. Although many things have changed for blink, it is clear that their long-term fans have accepted the changing face of the trio and are excited to see what the future holds for this punk-rock powerhouse. In the words of Mark Hoppus, “Well I guess this is growing up!” TPi Photo: Sarah Rushton-Read & TPi www.blink182.com http://neonblack.org www.ver.com www.sseaudiogroup.com www.negearth.com www.pyrotekfx.com www.flybynite.co.uk www.beatthestreet.ne www.thepantrymaid.com www.sgps.net
PLEASE TAKE ME HOME (OR TO THE NEXT VENUE) Beat The Street and Fly By Nite handled the band’s European travel needs. In total the production brought out 7 tour busses with 11 production trucks and 1 merchandise truck. Production then brought in EFM to handle all freight requirements, as the production flew their entire backline and backstage package from the US. Ian Massey from Beat The Street discussed the company’s involvement with the tour: “We have been touring with blink since 2004 and working with John on many tours over the years. Along with the 7 Busses for Europe and the UK, we sent out an addition 3 V-class passenger vans for the UK dates from our ground transport department. The band and production were a pleasure to work with and everyone always had a smile on their!” 54