I got very lucky that we had such a mini-
mal set-up – maybe five channels. After I set-
tled in on that tour, I was able to start thinking
more about the acoustics of the different spac-
es we were in. It was the first big realization of
the impact the space could have on your day.
We were also doing our own headline tour at
the time in sheds and theatres, so the differ-
ences became even more apparent.
The first day of rehearsals for that run was
at the Great Hall in Toronto. I wanted to make
things sound really full. These were pop songs
after all, regardless of the fact they were being
conveyed acoustically. I put Shawn’s acoustic
into the subs and his face just lit up. We both
wanted to be able to create something that
sounded as big as possible from very little. We
wanted people to come to the show and be
blown away by the fact we were moving so
much air with so little – in many ways, the Ed
Sheeran concept.
That’s what got me the gig in the begin-
ning. It was either that, or not laughing at
Shawn’s eye allergy relief glasses when we
went outside to get lunch. What a fucking
superstar. It takes a level of maturity as an
engineer to know when what is leaving the
board is great and should not be touched.
Taking a show file through so many different
spaces really reinforces the idea of working on
the system and not the mix.
Toronto. Load-In Day. The Stadium.
I was searching for some great quotes about
stadiums when, believe it or not, I stumbled
across the perfect one from this guy:
“No matter where you play, a stadium or
an arena, when you’re present on stage, it’s
going to feel like a theater.” - Shawn Mendes
Shawn Mendes
at Rogers Centre
By the Numbers
Mains:
16 x Clair CO-12 (per side)
Sides:
18 x Clair CO-12 (per side)
Front Fills:
9 x Clair CP-6
8 x Clair CO-10
Delays:
32 x Clair CO-12 (2 towers w/ T-bars,
each w/ 2 hangs of 8)
Subs:
24 x Clair CP-218
Pretty much the mission objective right there.
The summer-long experience of opening
for Taylor, in addition to a few festival slots in
stadiums, really relaxed me when it came to
Rogers. While the expectations were obviously
world-class, I knew what to anticipate from
the venue. Sadly, it sits at the lower end of
my “great-sounding stadiums” list, but I know
I have a good-sounding mix coming from
the board. The game plan leading up to the
show was very much to get the system side of
things correct.
As is usual on a show of this size, it’s not
as simple as the audio team picking where
we want to hang PA and going for it. Various
things changed from the first PA design to
what we ended up doing on show day. Factors
such as how many seats were being sold,
where we could position delay towers, and
indeed, where FOH would go were all subject
to change.
The system was designed by Paul
Cervenansky from Clair Nashville. Our touring
systems engineer, Jeff Wuerth, worked with
Paul to ensure we were keeping up with the
various changes presented by production. The
goal: to create a powerful system with great
coverage.
We had a full day before the show to work
with virtual soundcheck and the band. We
took our usual arena software template for EQ
and Jeff built in the additional PA elements.
This was our starting point. Paul, Jeff, and I
quite literally walked as many seats, from top
to bottom, as was physically possible within
the time constraints. In reality, we didn’t really
change that much.
By coincidence, Luke Bryan happened to
be in town and his FOH engineer, Frank Sgam-
bellone, stopped by to hang out. Stadiums
can offer up long bass notes that seem like
they will go on forever. It’s remarkable how
quickly the brain will adapt to this in order to
allow you to focus on the source sound, but if
you’re not careful, you can really over-sub the
situation fast and dig yourself into a hole.
Frank suggested that instead of running
the PA full range as we do in arenas, we should
try utilizing a system profile with a low-end
filter at 60 Hz. This, in addition to a little work
on the array shading, really tidied things up.
The final challenge came down to the po-
sition of FOH. Due to the design of the show,
audio and lighting were spilt far house right
and left. Despite this not being ideal, I believe
in the ethos that if there are people watching
the show in that location, then there is no
reason FOH can’t go there. It should sound as
great as possible everywhere. I ended up on
a small riser directly in the middle of the main
and side hang. We made a few EQ tweaks to
get me a little closer to what things sounded
like on axis with the main and with Shawn’s
listening approval, we were off to the races.
I have no shame in admitting that leaving
that night, having mixed that stadium twice
before, I was surprised by how great it sounded.
A massive thank you to Paul, Jeff, Frank, and the
entire Clair crew for killing it on the system front.
Toronto. Show 49. The Stadium.
Sure, Mike’s desk exploded again hours before
doors and sure, my outboard rack died with
minutes ‘til the show started. If it was all plain
sailing, this article wouldn’t exist. We fixed it.
We came out of the gate swinging with all the
energy of a Blue Jays home crowd in 1993.
The intro of the set has been composed
perfectly by Zubin to lure the audience in
softly. Dreamy piano and floating strings tease
what is to come several bars later: the musical
smackdown of guitars and drums to announce
Shawn’s imminent arrival onstage. I have one
hand spread across the VCA faders, the other
hovering over the master volume in Lake,
ready to combat the incredible roar of the fans.
Shawn takes his first steps into a crescendo of
screaming adoration. A small tweak of half a
decibel and I’m trimmed perfectly to deliver
the most anticipated show of the tour.
The top of the set is fast-paced and offers
up rocky hits that are just meant to be played
in a stadium. After a quick walk out to listen,
aware that this is a vast space and I can’t
venture too far from FOH, I begin to relax. It
sounds great, the sub is nicely managed, we’re
at a good volume, and Shawn is clearly having
a blast. After his first scream of “Toronto!”, I can’t
help but grin from ear to ear.
Then we hit it. Song number seven: “Bad
Reputation.”
Shawn filled his lungs, hunting for his next
note with a dedication that would rival an
animal stalking its prey. Focused and prepared
to exhale a melody of pure hellfire. This, the
answer in harmony to the climax of Zubin’s
solo. Shawn leans towards the microphone.
And then… everything.
We came, we saw, and we conquered. Take
that, Achilles.
Originally from the U.K. and now based in Can-
ada, Tom Wood is an in-demand FOH engineer
currently touring the world with Shawn Mendes
on The Tour. He has also worked with Florence
and the Machine, Liam Payne, Protest the Hero,
and many others.
PROFESSIONAL SOUND 33