Supergroup featuring Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs tours North America with Sound Image's L-ACOUSTICS rig
Sound Image's K1 system at St. Louis' Fox Theatre
ESCONDIDO, California -- The Dukes of September Rhythm Revue -- perhaps better known as Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs, along with a seasoned nine-member backup band -- has now closed the final chapter on a very successful 43-show North American tour. The outing was a combined effort between Detroit-based Thunder Audio, which supplied the monitor package for Fagen, and Escondido's Sound Image, which handled monitor packages for McDonald and Scaggs as well as provided FOH control and a full L-ACOUSTICS K1 system for the duration.
The K1 system, which had just come off of the road with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers prior to the tour, was prepped for the Dukes' first show at St. Louis' Fox Theatre in Sound Image's Nashville office by systems engineer Vic Wagner, who has deployed K1 for Taylor Swift and Prince, in addition to Tom Petty.
For most venues on the tour, Wagner flew up to ten K1 per side with as many as six KARA below for under-hung front-fill. When performing at amphitheaters and other outdoor venues, the KARA enclosures were often stacked on their flight cases to serve as out-fills, flexibly delivering greater horizontal coverage.
The Dukes of September live at the Fox Theatre
For LF, four SB28 per side were side-stacked on the stage or ground and typically set up in cardioid mode. A total of six LA-RAK -- positioned three per side and each containing three LA8 amplified controllers -- provided the power and processing for the mains, fills and subs.
"Everyone was more than impressed with the sound on this tour," says Wagner. "Joe Walsh, the front-of-house engineer, and I got numerous compliments on the mix and PA from Boz, Donald, Michael and all kinds of house engineers around the country. But, most importantly, from audience members who had seen many other concerts in the same venues -- as well as seen these artists’ solo acts, The Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan over the years -- and were completely amazed by the sonic quality of this show."
"I think K1 was the ideal choice for such an accomplished group of musicians," Wagner adds. "When you have the combination of an amazing band like this, Joe's clean and simplistic FOH mix, and some of the beautifully intimate venues we played, I felt like most nights we were listening to an audiophile hi-fi system in someone's living room. It was such a treat!"
K1 at the Majestic Theater in San Antonio
Wagner further notes that he relied on L-ACOUSTICS' SOUNDVISION acoustical modeling software to configure the system for each stop on the tour, as well as expresses his enthusiastic approval of LA Network Manager version 2.0 for its greatly improved system tuning, monitoring and control.
For more information on The Dukes of September Rhythm Revue, visit the band's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dukesofseptember. Sound Image can also be found online at www.sound-image.com.
L-ACOUSTICS is a leading innovator and manufacturer of high-performance loudspeakers, amplifiers and signal processing devices for touring and installed sound markets. Known around the globe for pioneering and championing the modern line array loudspeaker concept with V-DOSC, the company has received numerous accolades for its K1, KUDO, KARA, KIVA, ARCS, XT coaxial loudspeaker systems and SB line of subwoofer enclosures, all powered and processed with the LA4 and LA8 amplified controllers in fulfillment of a "total system approach." Product distribution and customer service for the USA is handled by L-ACOUSTICS' subsidiary in Oxnard, California.
Credit for all photos: Vic Wagner
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