WE Day gives impassioned and empowered young people across
Canada, the US, and the UK the opportunity to hear from global luminaries like
Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Malala Yousafzai in between performances by major
stars like Demi Lovato and Alicia Keys.
WE is an organisation that aims to empower young people to
affect positive change in their local and global communities by adopting an
inclusive, communal “we” mentality. WE Day is a physical manifestation of that
mission, combining the energy and excitement of a live concert with education
and inspiration delivered through shared stories of leadership and change.
It’s paramount that the arena full of amped-up youth can clearly
hear every word of those messages, and thanks in large part to a substantial
Adamson Systems Engineering loudspeaker system supplied by Cleveland, OH’s
Eighth Day Sound, that’s been the case for WE Day’s 2016/17 season.
“We needed a PA that would satisfy the rider requirements of top
touring acts but that’s also versatile enough to handle everything else we
could throw at it,” says Lina Beaudin of Nordest Studio, the consulting
producer and creative director for WE Day.
“It also has to be loud and clear enough to rise above a crowd
of very energetic young people, so considering all of that, I was really
confident that the Adamson product was the optimal choice. And working with
Eighth Day Sound has been great – they know the products inside and out and
carry a high degree of professionalism, so we couldn’t have asked for a better
provider.”
The system is comprised of Adamson’s E-Series and S-Series
boxes. The main left and right hangs typically have 15 E15s and three E12s per
side while the side hangs have 12 E15s and three E12s per side. The rear hangs
are comprised of 16 S10s per side, and the S10s also provide font-fill from the
lip of the stage. Sixteen Adamson E119 subs handle the low end.
FOH engineers David Donin, who mixes the performing artists, and
Wade Butland, who handles the guest speakers and basic playback, laud the PA’s
performance considering WE Day’s unique mix of content – especially when it
comes to spoken word.
“We feel that’s the most important part of this show,” Donin
says frankly. “We want these kids to hear everything people are saying and to
fully absorb the message, and the music and performances are really there to
support that.”
In
the full arena configuration, the PA is flown relatively high compared to a
standard concert set-up. “A lot of PA systems will sound very far away with
spoken word when you do that, like the PA is in another room,” Donin shares.
“With Adamson, it’s in your face. It’s right there, it’s full, and there are no
problems with intelligibility.”
