Michael Bublé: The Crazy Love Tour

Very few jazz singers have managed to successfully take the genre to a pop market whilst retaining credibility. Even fewer pop acts have achieved the reverse. But Michael Bublé is a rare commodity — the kind of performer that doesn’t come around too often.

    From the tender age of two, Bublé saw himself as a future star and by the time he’d reached his late teens, he was well on the way to achieving his goal. Now 34, with more than 25 million album sales worldwide, he is a Grammy Award-winning superstar.

    On the stage he is transformed from an everyday guy in a baseball cap into a world class performer, oozing with genuine charisma, bursting with energy, connecting warmly with his multi-generation audience, and possessing a voice that surely would have earned the approval of Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack era contemporaries.

    Although Bublé occasionally sails close to cabaret territory, his delivery is too sharp and dignified to fall into the Vegas lounge trap. Featuring an eight-man horn section, his immaculately drilled 13-piece band simply reek of class and ensure that Bublé always returns quickly from his brief dalliances with pop/rock.

     Bublé’s secret appears to lie in his choice of material. Arrangements of sepia-hued standards such as ‘Mack The Knife’, ‘Georgia On My Mind’ and a James Bond-flavoured reading of ‘Cry Me A River’ are blended with his own self-penned hits — ‘Everything’, ‘Home’ and ‘Haven’t Met You Yet’ among them. The resulting set list drips with pure entertainment.

    Designed by Mark Fisher, the Crazy Love tour began in Orlando on March 10 after a 10-day run of production rehearsals in Jacksonville, Florida. Two months later, it was halfway through the following European leg that TPi caught the first of Bublé’s two sell-out shows at London’s O2 Arena.

    The production team was hand-picked by Randy Berswick from Bublé’s management company, Bruce Allen Talent — the same company behind Bryan Adams. “We hired the best guys in the world to build this show and all our vendors are at the top of their trade.,” he said. “We’ve got something that really works for Michael and his audience.”

    Backstage, one of the many people who feel blessed to work with Bublé is Dean Roney. Formerly the artist’s production manager, Roney came off the road after two album cycles with Bublé to work for Canadian rental company, Solotech. At the O2, he was welcomed back in his role as Solotech’s account manager.

    “When I started with Michael he was touring in theatres and it’s been amazing to watch his popularity grow and grow, to the point where he’s now selling out arenas everywhere,” said Roney, whose previous PM job
is now in the very capable hands of Chris Fussell.

    “Michael’s last tour was a five truck affair and we’re now up to 11, but despite the increase in size, it’s as much of a close family as ever.”

    Based in Montréal with an additional office in Las Vegas, Solotech has steadily been gaining a strong international identity within the touring industry as a one-stop production resource for audio, lighting, video and rigging. Its recent clients include Leonard Cohen, Céline Dion, Britney Spears, Star Wars In Concert and Cirque du Soleil (Viva Elvis and OVO), along with a raft of leading French-Canadian artists.

    Solotech’s assets include one of the largest inventories of Meyer Sound systems in North America with five of them currently on tour. It’s no surprise, therefore, that the Bublé tour is carrying plentiful supplies of Meyer gear, and FOH engineer Craig Doubet has ensured that’s the case.

    “I’ve used Meyer Sound loudspeakers since 1995,” said Doubet. “They really work for me and what I like most is that vocals sound great through them. With the latest rigging kit, their systems go up quickly and easily, and because they are self-powered, they take up less truck space, so they’re very accountant-friendly!

    “With this size of show, there’s isn’t any practical spot to position amp racks other than a very distant corridor, and it would mean another two trunks’ worth of speaker cable, which no one wants.

    “So I’m a great believer in self-powered PAs and with the RMS [Remote Monitoring System] you can easily check on the amplifiers’ status and condition.”

CONFIGURATION
According to audio crew chief and system engineer Louis-Philippe Maziade, the PA deployed at most venues, including the O2, consists of 14 Meyer Milo 90° and two Milo 120° boxes in each of the main left/right hangs, six 700-HP subs flown each side in a cardioid pattern, UPQs and CQ-2s (a pair of each) in a centre cluster, and 12 Micas in each side hang.

    Additionally, there are six M’elodies for frontfills, another six flown per side as sidefills, and a ground row of six M3D-Subs (cardioid).

    The larger arenas require delay speakers and in the case of the O2, two clusters of six Mica boxes were supplied by Canegreen/SSE Audio Group, one of the UK’s biggest Meyer rental sources.

    Loudspeaker management is carried out using three Meyer Galileo 616 systems and Doubet handles most of the PA set-up himself using Meyer SIM 3 and MAPP Online. He explained: “Every morning at a new venue, I physically walk around the room with a measurement device to get all the length and angle data, and then input that information into a MAPP Online 2D mock-up of the room so I can start designing my array. It helps me to understand what I’ll get especially in the critical low-mid area.

    “Using SIM, I tuned a 36-zone PA in about an hour whilst sitting in a chair, and then save that data in SIM and also the Galileo, so that if we return to the same venue, I have a very good starting point for set-up.

    “Here at the O2 Arena, I used my Staples Center file to help me get going because they are very similar venues, and hung the PA very high at 70’ which has got me close to where we were in Los Angeles. It’s the low end that always requires the most attention.

    “We’ve been flying the subs in cardioid mode and it’s a very good method for projecting an even bass without making everybody wince in the front seats, and also keep it off the stage.”
   
CONTROL
Doubet’s FOH console is the Digidesign D-Show Profile, which we must now refer to as an Avid, owing to the recent brand name change. So is Doubet an avid Avid user? “I am, even though that’s an awkward term!” he grinned.

    “I’ve used the Profile since I saw it in January ’07 and it’s perfect for me. The compact frame belies the fact that I just plugged in input number 89, and that includes the mics used by Naturally 7, our support group.

    “The plug-ins are very impressive. I used to carry around devices like the Focusrite Blue series Producer Pack for vocals, but now I have multiples of that, plus GML EQs and Drawmer comps and gates, and they all sound just like the real thing. So far, though, I’ve not found a plug-in that replicates anything from Lexicon which is why the only outboard device I use is a PCM 92.”

    Despite ‘auditioning’ new microphone models before each new tour, Bublé continues to favour the Shure Beta 87C as his main (wired) vocal mic. “It’s what he’s comfortable with,” said Doubet, who is assisted by Marc Depratto and Marc-Olivier Magnan. “He likes the light weight and feel of the barrel, and we get good results, so I don’t see us changing in the foreseeable future.”

    Bublé also uses a Neumann KK104 capsule on a Sennheiser wireless transmitter when performing on the B stage. “We’ve mostly stayed with the same microphone choices — Shure, Sennheiser, Neumann, Audix and Schertler piano pick-ups — although we’ve chosen some new DPA 4099 mics for the horns this time, and they sound excellent.”

    The FOH man uses a Pro Tools HD rig to make reference recordings of every show. Interestingly, the 2009 Grammy award-winning live album, Michael Bublé Meets Madison Square Garden, was recorded with a conventional mobile, but Doubet believes he could have done the job in Pro Tools.

    “That was my argument because the quality is there, it’s very convenient and it’s relatively cheap. What it cost for that mobile studio is roughly what I paid to hire the Pro Tools rig for this whole tour!”

THE MONITOR UNDERWORLD
Positioned under the stage, Craig Brittain has been mixing Bublé’s monitors for the last three tours. He told TPi: “I work closely with the musical director [pianist Alan Chang] and always make myself available to the other band members, because half of what I do is about a psychological relationship.”

    A former in-ear monitoring abstainer, Bublé has finally embraced the technology on this tour. He and one of the guitarists are on Sennheiser 300 G2 wireless systems, while the remaining musicians use a hard-wired Shure P6HW alternative. Everyone onstage is fitted with Westone ES2 custom ear moulds.

    Said Brittain: “It’s been great for me because it’s very hi-fi and I no longer have a cue wedge blasting in my ear all night. As a result I’m more focused than I’ve ever been. So although our Meyer MJF-212 wedges and M’elodie sidefills are part of the show, they’re really more of a back-up these days.

    “Our stage levels are obviously quieter now, but it’s never been too loud. Something I did to take the weight off my shoulders was to incorporate the Aviom A-16R personal mixers for the brass section. They each get 16 channels from which they can tailor their own mix.”

    Brittain’s mixing console of choice is DiGiCo’s SD7. “Please don’t make me use anything else ever again!” he laughed. “I switched to DiGiCo over three years ago with a D5 and its flexibility literally changed my world.

    “I was in the London [Chessington] office one day and they let me take a peek at the prototype SD7. It was a no brainer to upgrade to it for this tour. I’m now running over 60 outputs and at 48kHz, the console is capable of 256 individual signal passes.

    “The functionality is there to do whatever you want and it means that everyone has the luxury of stereo mixes without me getting anxious about running out of options.

    “The FPGA [Field Programmable Gate Array] circuitry inside the SD7 has genuinely revolutionised my perception of what a console should be. A lot of digital desks out there sound great with one or two inputs running, but when you start to sum 18 or 20 inputs into an IEM mix, you hear that digital clutter sound. On the SD7 and D5, it’s not there; it’s still spacious.

    “Michael’s certainly noticed the difference in quality since he went to in-ears, and so have the band. They’re all Julliard standard musicians and very astute when it comes to sound quality.”

    Like many digital console users, Brittain favours the power of onboard processing instead of relying on outboard. “The SD7 has multi-band compression and dynamic/parametic EQ on all channels, and the effects sound 100 times better than on a D5, so I don’t need the outboard reverbs that I used on previous tours.”

THE FISHER/TAIT FACTOR
Officially holding the post of lighting designer, Kurt Wagner’s role is more akin to that of show director. His keen eye has overseen the entire visual landscape and he expressed his delight in working with set design royalty on the Crazy Love tour.

    Said Wagner: “Mark Fisher was technically the production designer and he’s obviously a very busy man so I was grateful for the time he gave us and the experience he shared. He has done a great job of shepherding the various ideas that came from the Bublé team, and from that he put together a technical design that would work on the road.”

    Tait Towers built the main stage, the upstage columns and the automated tracking systems. Measuring 75’ x 32’, the main stage incorporates seven integrated band risers of varying heights and a black gloss deck.

    “When you go underneath the main stage and see the engineering that Tait have done, it’s mind-boggling,” remarked Wagner. “The whole thing is put up in 45 minutes.”

    Also included in the Tait package is a simple B stage structure. In the middle of the show, it’s rolled out in front of the mix position as Bublé shuffles his way through an excitable crowd to perform an intimate version of ‘Home’.

    Standing at just over 31’ tall and weighing 3,063lbs, Tait’s six custom-designed columns each contain 140 1m VersaTubes, 14 Elation LED Opti Tri PARs and eight rings of 20 PAR 20s. The columns track slowly up and downstage within 12 axes. “They’re a big part of the show,” stated Wagner. “They are uniquely designed and I’m incresingly finding that I get more out of them every day.

    “The VersaTubes give the columns a very profound structured look while providing both a lighting and a video source. Our columns also spin around near the end of the show to reveal the LED PARs for a huge wash.”

    Tait also supplied a variety of custom soft goods including scrims and drapes, along with all necessary track truss. The automated main stage curtain is controlled over Ethernet by a software-based variable speed motion system and is hung on 64’ of truss.

    James ‘Winky’ Fairorth, president of Tait Towers, also praised Mark Fisher’s contributions. “The design is an incredible connection of scale and elegance. There are very few people who could’ve pulled that off.”

LIGHTING
Wagner, who joined the Bublé team at the same time as Dean Roney, has a long-standing relationship with Ian Gordon at Canadian lighting rental firm Christie Lites, the supplier of a rig that majors in Martin Professional fixtures.

    “What I like about Christie is that I can go to any shop in North America and if I want a 100 moving lights with Congo or Dark Blue, that’s exactly what I get,” said Wagner.

    “I like the Martin products. They’ve improved a great deal over the years as have many other brands, so to me it’s now all about reliability and not seeing the crew changing lamps regularly.

    “We have 34 of the new MAC III profiles working with 48 MAC 2000 washes, which is a fantastic balance. There’s also 12 MAC 700s plus 28 Martin TW1 tungsten washes which form a ring around the stage and cut through the band nicely.”

    The rig also includes 24 i-Pix BB4 LED fixtures  behind the band, nine ETC Source Four Lekos, and three Lycian 2.5kW truss spots, along with ETC dimmer racks and Le Maitre and DF-50 hazers. Christie’s package included Swing Wing and custom truss, plus over 50 CM motors.

    Previously “a Hog guy”, Wagner is enjoying running his show on a grandMA full-size desk. “With its 27 sub-masters, you can have your cue list on one side and all your video key light on the other, so everything is right there for you.”

    There are three grandMAs at FOH: Wagner’s desk, assistant Denis Lee’s desk that is set up with the VersaTube and video wall information, plus a back-up that tracks the show.

    Clearly, Bublé is an artist with whom Wagner relishes working. “Apart from being a really nice guy, Michael is an outstanding professional who makes my job easy because I don’t have to cover for him. His star burns brighter than my brightest lamp and so I just have to frame him correctly.”

VIDEO
For this tour, the responsibility of supplying the video system was split between Solotech and Nocturne, as Dean Roney explained: “I’m an old friend of Bob Brigham at Nocturne and we decided to team this time, with us supplying the camera package and production unit, and Nocturne providing its V9 LED video wall.”

    “The little tour that could has evolved into a spectacle and we’re entertaining the world!” said Nocturne video director Kevin Carswell, as he sat in front of his FOR-A switcher. “It’s been a great experience to work in partnership with Solotech, and the union of skills has been pretty formidable.”

    Measuring 30’ x 18’, the central V9 wall is split into five independent panels which move up, down and sideways in 15 axes via Tait Towers-supplied, Ethernet-enabled automation tracking system.

    The content created by video designer Olivier Goulet for the main screen and VersaTube columns is controlled independently of Carswell by Denis Lee at FOH, and runs through a Vixen server and Vista Spyder processor.

    It’s largely based around classy, retro graphic textures, some of it abstract, while Bublé’s album cover designs are cleverly referenced at other times.

    The main diversion from this formula is seen in the song ‘Home’, where special footage from each city on the tour itinerary is produced for screening.

    As Kevin Carswell explained: “I had an early start this morning because I went down to Westminster to shoot video for that number. It’s something that Michael likes to include — a nice little personal touch for the local audience that seems to work well.”

    In addition, a seven-camera I-Mag package plays a big part on both the side projection screens (via Christie 18K Roadsters) and on the main video wall where larger-than-life close-ups of the artist and his band members integrate with the graphical content.

    Also touring with Bublé are Zenith Pyrotechnology (providing numerous FX including an opening salvo and confetti cannons), EST (trucking), Phoenix (buses). and Rima (travel). Rock-It Cargo is looking after the global freight mission and, in Europe, Flying Saucers is feeding and watering the entire entourage — thanks for the delicious Chicken Jalfrezi!

    By the time this feature is published, the Crazy Love world tour will have started its second American leg and will return to the UK and Europe in September before heading off to Oz in early 2011.
TPi