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Pearce Hire Demonstrates Touring Excellence for Ladysmith Black Mambazo
When South African capella ensemble Ladysmith Black Mambazo needed an integrated production solution for their 35-date UK tour, they turned to well-established audio and lighting providers, Pearce Hire.
The group has a special place in the affections of the international public, first reaching Western ears on Paul Simon’s Graceland LP in the mid 1980s before becoming part of the soundtrack to the freedom movement as their homeland emerged from apartheid.
Having performed everywhere from Nobel Prize ceremonies to the Carnegie Hall, Ladysmith are accustomed to working to the highest production values. Pearce Hire had worked with the band on previous tours, providing audio services one year and lighting, another. This was the first time the production team headed up by production manager and FOH sound engineer Jon Picciano, and lighting designer Tim Speechley, had specified Pearce Hire for both disciplines.
“Pearce Hire’s equipment has always been to a very high standard and they provide great service so we invited them to quote for the combined light and sound package,” says Tim Speechley. “Throughout the tour their staffing was particularly good. All the technicians were very friendly and worked well as part of the team.”
Shaun Pearce, managing director of Pearce Hire, says: “Our crew, Neil Carson, Richard Oxley and Jimmy Johnson are highly experienced and knew the majority of the venues on this tour. This gives us a strong advantage in the mid-sized touring market, in general. We also have the equipment to suit that level of venues.
“On the production side, it’s a lot easier to deal with just one company. We’ve been able to provide the same high quality for both the lighting and audio for Ladysmith Black Mambazo. A large part of the success of this tour is due to the quality of the staff we employ and we will only take on a project if we are certain we can secure the right personnel for its entire duration.”
The audio system supplied for the tour is based around a mixture of L-Acoustics ARCS, MTD 115 XT, MTD 108as and SB218 enclosures, with XTA processing, the system being re-configured on a day-by-day basis to suit each venue. Monitor and FOH consoles are a Yamaha DM2000 & DM1000 respectively and monitoring is provided by RSA Bi-amp wedges and L-Acousitcs MTD 108as. The lighting rig designed by Tim Speechley is based around a two truss system including a dozen Martin MAC 700, a very big selection of Source Four Profiles and ten PAR 64 ACL bars. Lighting is controlled by an Avolites Pearl 2004 with Avolites ART 2000 racks providing dimming and mains distribution.
16th November 2007
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