Brunton . “ We felt really great coming out of it . I ’ ve travelled with Jann for the past 17 years to every show . And she and I both came out of it feeling like it was a very quality experience .”
“ Everyone was so thrilled ,” according to Poncilius . “ There was a very cool moment where we were like , ‘ We did a show , holy shit . This is amazing ! We haven ’ t done this in almost a year now .’ There ’ s some camaraderie that goes along with it , working with the lighting folks , the video folks , the band . Not having been able to work with Jann for a while , then finally getting to do a show together , it was like ‘ We ’ re back at it again .’ It feels great .”
Over the last year and a half , it ’ s become apparent that livestreaming as a concert model can be one that is effective from both a performer and audience perspective , especially with the availability of high-quality producers for this kind of content that has only grown exponentially as companies and venues have been forced to adapt . As such , with audiences finally beginning to make a return , it ’ s finally time to consider whether or not livestreaming can continue to benefit artists and production houses , or if it was merely a temporary hotfix because there were no other options for people to perform .
“ Well , I think that streaming is going to be here ,” says Nevalainen . “ I think it ’ s one of the technologies that emerged out of necessity during the pandemic that will be here in some form after we emerge back into live performance ; mostly because people have been forced to explore other avenues to reliably deliver a high-definition product . For example , I think some artists might choose to do something like this for promo for an upcoming tour , they might do a 30-minute kind of sneak preview performance and broadcast that . I think there ’ s a good chance there ’ ll be video meet-and-greets for people that can ’ t physically be in the building . Quite often with meetand-greets , you have to limit them purely because of space and time , whereas with video products , you don ’ t necessarily have to do that because you ’ re not under the same restraints .” It ’ s also quite possible , Nevalainen adds , that in-person concerts could be livestreamed simultaneously . “ Because a lot of the practices that have been developed in the last 15 months have been tried and perfected , they ’ re pretty easy to deploy live now , especially if you ’ re already touring with a video system .” He continues . “ If you ’ ve already got a multi-camera setup , ultimately all that ’ s left is the encoding , the internet connection , and then how you ’ re going to distribute it through a live platform . So , I do think that there ’ s going to be a couple of opportunities like that coming down the road … We ’ ve definitely talked to a couple of acts about it . There ’ s definitely some interest , but the problem with any of this sort of stuff is that it ’ s new ; people have done some of these sorts of things , but it hasn ’ t been part of the mainstream touring options . How it ’ s going to be deployed is still evolving , so I think that when artists actually start to see it in use , it ’ ll be easier to imagine different ways to use it .”
Poncilius considers the question as well , sharing that he believes that livestreaming is not only here to stay , but could very well change what it means to be a touring audio tech , given the stark differences between mixing for a PA in the room and mixing for broadcast .
“ I do think they ’ re here to stay . I think it ’ s gonna end up becoming just another part of a front of house tech ’ s job in the same kind of way that recording shows is almost an expectation now . I think it ’ s something that ’ ll be added onto a front of house position , or maybe even as a new touring position ,” Poncilius speculates . “ If Bryan Adams is playing Wembley Arena , you could take the left-right mix from the front of house board , but that ’ s in a big , roomy arena and that ’ s going to be a different sounding mix from what people at home are going to want to hear . So , I could definitely see that ; either people ’ s mixing changing a little bit to accommodate more of a broadcast mix , or fully having another tech on the road .”
Looking at it from a tour manager ’ s perspective , Brunton says “ After [ Jann ’ s ] show aired , we did virtual meet-and-greets with about 200 people . Their comments were ‘ That was phenomenal , that was great , it was so well done and beautiful to look at ,’ and then their second comment was , ‘ We can ’ t wait to see it in person .’ But the interesting thing is , with artists that maybe don ’ t have an international career or can ’ t afford to tour overseas , it ’ s a great way to reach fans , pandemic or not , all over the world . I mean , we had people tuning in from Australia , from the U . K ., from the U . S … So , the reach for the expense is definitely worth it , and I think that up-and-coming bands seeing that can really take advantage of using
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that to reach their audience that they probably wouldn ’ t get to on the road .”
When I asked Brunton about how the potential of a hybrid model might change how his camp approach shows altogether , he likened it to treating each gig “ like an award show every night .”
“ That ’ s what we have to do when we go to the Junos or the Grammys ; we mix for the room , but we mix for the truck too ,” he explains . “ So , I think if it ’ s a hybrid experience , I don ’ t know that it would necessarily work to film every show or stream every show , but if you did one or two on a tour and did it right and kept the live audience in mind , as well , so it doesn ’ t take away from their experience , I think it could work for sure . But , you know , when we were filming at Rob ’ s venue , it was very eerie to not have clapping or any sort of applause , so I know that amount of energy is dearly missed . So , it ’ ll be great to get back at it , but I definitely believe there ’ s a time and place for streaming going forward .”
With all of this in mind , it ’ s looking more and more likely that even with the devastating effects of the pandemic on the touring and live performance markets , the adaptability of the industry to stay alive has coincidentally expedited the way we think about shows . As true live music begins to come back , it ’ s fascinating to consider that we could very much be at a tipping point for artists , promoters , venues , techs , tour managers , audiences , and everybody else involved in putting on a show , as livestreaming continues to develop , and pioneering minds continue to push the envelope of the hybrid model . It ’ s also looking like 2022 is going to be a hell of a year for live music , regardless of how you end up taking it in .
Andrew Leyenhorst is a Niagara-based freelance producer , recording engineer , mixer , and the Assistant Editor of Professional Sound .
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