06/09/2024
RENEWED FEST WRAPUP - The Morning After
I write this from a dark motel room in Miami, OK. Dark because Melanie is still asleep; I got up and showered (thank You Jesus for showers!) and am relaxing until she is ready to get up.
Yesterday, Neon Pachyderm Sound made its first trip to Columbus, KS, to provide sound, lighting, and production support for the first annual Renewed Fest! My dude Jamie Kucinski from XIII Minutes hooked Cody Bohall and me up, and I was happy to step on board for this amazing event.
I won't go into the details of us even GETTING to the event, but God is good and has always provided for and taken care of us.
I've recently gotten some new equipment to help make shows like this possible, and this was a great chance to break it out and see what it would do. I've had the Peavey subs for awhile, but the Fender subs (from Travis Pettus at The Good Fight), the Behringer XR18 (from John-Marc Edwards), the DriveRack PA manager (from my friends at Extreme Church) and several new-to-me used pieces all performed fabulously. I felt like a rock star, being able to move around and mix remotely from my tablet (Dellilea worked like a champ!)
Key takeaways:
1. Believe it or not, Melanie, I think I need more XLR cables. By the end of the day, I was running short.
2. Next time, I'll probably put the amp/mixer rack closer to the middle of the stage (somewhere near the drums?); this eliminates needing several LONG runs over to the other side. Since the XR18 is controlled remotely and operates as a stage box, it doesn't need to be "in the booth".
3. I need to work with and test the LED moving heads; one stopped entirely and two of them were behaving somewhat erratically near the end of the day. Fortunately, being an outdoor daylight show, lighting was somewhat of an afterthought.
4. Going to need to invest in a new set of subwoofer speaker poles so I can get the speakers UP.
5. Maybe this should be #1, LOL! I am going to have to start doing like DJs doing weddings do, and wear something different for setup, then change for the show. I was wearing my XIII Minutes Exodo Fest shirt and it was soaked through before I even got things all unloaded from the U-Haul.
6. On that note....maybe I should enlist a roadie! Putting wheels on the Peavey subs definitely helped (pro-tip...i just went to Harbor Freight and got two of the 18 x 30 furniture dollies and drilled them into the back of the subs) but it's still clearly not a one-man job. I was so thankful for Carl and Jeremy (sorry, I didn't get their last names) who helped get it set up and get it torn down.
7. It feels good to be appreciated! Cody and others checked on me throughout the event, and acknowledged the work that was being put in. The playing is the "easy" part (no, it's not easy; it's work, but it's not as much physical labor); but getting the sound TO the people takes gear, and gear means weight.
8. I'm gonna get the monitor thing figured out I have one Phenyx Pro IEM unit; I'm going to get probably three more, and mount them in the rack ready to go!
Minor hiccups (Thomas' wireless started cutting out during the set; couldn't get the IEMs figured in time), but no major snafus that could be pinned on me or the equipment.
Big props to Justin Heib of Weathered, who kicked off the show with a great acoustic set, and my dudes John Michael Blount and Kobe J Blount (Big Rev.), Charles and Lauren Kinder (Theody), Jamie Kucinski, Preston Bell, Thomas Wheat and Jerrod Cunningham (XIII Minutes), and Travis McConnell, Logan LA Ellis, and James Stolhammer (Chaotic Resemblance) for tearing it up and rocking out with us all day! We love you guys!
Always great to see Paul Portell, Max Johnson, Jennifer Walter, Trystah Bell, and other great concert friends showing up and showing out for a show. Got to meet Wendel Wright for the first time - i know i'll see him at more shows.
And again, major ups to Cody Bohall for spearheading this thing. I was glad to be involved, and definitely looking forward to next year.
