The Seattle rockers, fronted by Eddie Vedder, possess a FOH team paired on trust and dedication to great live sound. FOH Mixer Greg Nelson and Systems Engineer Andrew Gilchrest are a duo that work in impressive unity.
Greg begins: “Andrew and I have a similar ear; he hears what I hear, and I hear what he hears, so I trust him implicitly to run anywhere around the arena. I don't have to double check.”
“And I’ve learned what he's looking for, what ‘good’ sound is from him,” explains Andrew. “As a system engineer, I spend quite a bit of time walking around the venue making sure Greg’s mix is being translated to the rest of the crowd. It can sometimes be difficult, but I love the challenge and the fact that I can help make sure each audience member has an enjoyable listening experience."
While Pearl Jam shows are catered for by Rat Sound in the US, a decades old collaboration with Britannia Row Productions comes into action for PA delivery further afield.
Greg furthers: “When I started working with the band in 2004, Rat Sound and Britannia Row had already built a relationship, and I'd personally been using Brit Row since the late 90s with different acts, including Incubus. So, I already had a good relationship of my own with them when I came in to mix Pearl Jam. It's been wonderful ever since!”
Supervised by Britannia Row Productions’ Lez Dwight, an L-Acoustics K1/K2 system design was overseen by Event Support Engineer Laurie Fradley and Operations Manager Tim Mole.
Andrew continues: “The production for this tour is completely different to anything the band has done before - the addition of a massive projection screen meant the PA configuration had to be altered. It was moved 15ft further downstage, and Laurie and Tim have been fantastic in helping with adjustments. I just send an L-Acoustics Soundvision file, and they put it together!”
“There's just something about L-Acoustics and how I mix that means I can achieve certain things with Ed's vocal and the guitars that I can't recreate with other PAs,” adds Greg.
“I try to hit the very front row as best I can and achieve a ‘wall of sound’ with a warm, full range, and a crystal clear vocal on top. Pearl Jam are an amazing band, and their fans are passionate and incredibly loyal, so I want them to have the best experience possible. They’re great musicians, and put so much energy into their shows, that I need to do the best job I can.”
Greg delves deeper in to why his best performance is possible with the right rental partner: “Brit Row’s Live Sound Production training program and their personnel are top notch, in my opinion. Everybody who works there is incredibly knowledgeable, with an outstanding work ethic. Anybody can have the gear, so it really comes down to people - and that’s one of the main reasons I use them.”
