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As tourists head into Myrtle Beach, they can’t miss the grand columns and sparkling cupola of the majestic Carolina Opry that can be seen from every direction. A majestic palace, the Carolina Opry stands as a showplace on the Grand Strand Carolina beach stretch. It’s been voted as South Carolina’s “Most Outstanding Attraction,” and the only show to win the coveted Governor’s Cup, the state’s highest tourism award. The beginnings date back to 1986, when a young country music singer/songwriter migrated from Nashville to bring a new sound to the beachfront when Calvin Gilmore opened a modest 1,000-seat theater in Surfside Beach. Soon, the shows were constantly selling out. So he started a second show in North Myrtle Beach. Those sold out, too.
Forward to 1993, Gilmore merged the two shows into one when he built the 2,200-seat Carolina Opry. Three sets of stately double doors lead you into grand lobby with 40-foot ceiling featuring custom inset detailing and crystal chandeliers. There’s a grand piano, a historical memorabilia gallery, with twin staircases curving upward to the balcony. As the facility headed into its 25th year of operation, with as many as a dozen shows a week throughout the year, Opry audio manager Mike Cook had been talking with the owners about the need for a new sound system. The existing system dated back to when it first opened. “It was a point source system that was originally designed for coliseum sound and was probably the right solution at the time,” says Cook. Over the years, “as the room has gone through some seating design changes, we recognized there were coverage holes. Plus the system was showing its age.”
As with any venue, ownership questioned the value of a new system. “If I put in a new sound system, will it put more people in the seats?” Cook’s answer, “probably not, but it will give our customers a better experience.” Those memories will bring people back. In consideration of a new system, Cook noted the number one issue they are concerned about is vocal clarity as most shows are family oriented musical theater catering to an older audience. “At the same time, we needed to have the necessary output as we run the shows at 96-98 dB, with select shows such as Time Warp over 100 dB.” Having owned a sound company, Cook was familiar with RCF. “I owned a HDL20 rig, and I would have to bring it in when we were doing national acts such as Kansas, Bill Gaither, America and others.” Those shows required more energy than the family oriented theatrical productions the Opry puts on.
Once RCF introduced the HDL30 line array system, “it was a no brainer,” comments Cook. “With the RDNet control (RCF’s proprietary monitoring and control software), it gave me the capability of running the system from the booth with the ability to grab and do what we want on the fly as needed.” And as the venue runs a variety of productions ranging from the magic and illusion show Pure Magic to the dance and laser Thunder & Lightning to the contemporary Time Warp, Cook has been able to preset performance needs and handle any situation during live shows. “We had planned on installing the system after the first of the year when we were in between productions. Suddenly, two to three weeks into our Christmas show when we are doing a 12-13 shows a week, ownership wanted the new system installed.
Installation
Located in Simpson Bay St Maarten, Lotus is a brand-new concept club created by Caribbean powerhouse duo Manny Almirakis & Fred Bianco, the same team behind Tantra SXM. After Hurricane Irma swept through the island and destroyed the old venue, the team rebuilt the venue. Six months later, Lotus was born. With its state of the art RCF sound system along with all new lighting setup and chic mosaic decor the venue is back as the Caribbean’s number one hot spot.
Event
Calling an event "the festival of good cheer" is a bold statement, but this pop concert lives up to its billing. Thousands have been flocking to the grounds behind Willingen's Sauerland Stern Hotel, a legendary party hotspot, to attend this extravaganza for six years running.
Promoter Horst Schröder may be a local, but his concert is anything but. Unrivalled in Germany, this year's Viva Willingen attracted an audience of 20,000 on a single day. Few, if any, festivals like it can put up those kinds of numbers. The line-up reads like a who's who of the old-school German pop scene: Mickie Krause, Mia Julia, Oli P., Willi Herren and many more. They have all been part of this eleven-hour party marathon for many years. And this promoter goes all out to get the audience in the right mood, as the impressive sound system would attest:
The arsenal included no less than 32 RCF HDL50-A line array modules and 16 RCF Sub 9007-A powered dual 21" subwoofers. Even without delay lines, it delivered big beats across a venue the size of two side-by-side football fields. Two arrays with six RCF TTL33-As each served as side-fills to cover the breadth of this square. Four TTL33-As provided near-fill coverage.
Ten powered RCF TT 25SMA coaxial monitors and six TTL6-A three-way systems were set up on stage, with six TTL6-AS triple 12" bass bins bringing up the bottom end.
Colito Productions, a Neuenmarkt-based event service provider, furnished all the gear. It has been providing end-to-end technical support for the festival for several years now.
Colito Productions' Michael Meister is the technical director tasked to plan and implement this support. Andreas Schöpf, Managing Director of Colito Productions, speaks highly of the organization and the festival: "It's fun to be working with Horst Schröder and his team every year and to see how the festival is constantly growing. We're already looking forward to next year!"
The eye-opening pics taken by a drone and videos posted on Viva Willingen's Facebook page show how big this festival has become. And the fact that next year's Viva Willingen has already been announced for June 22, 2019 with the full line-up shows how successful it continues to be.
All pictures © Mario Kersting Fotografie
