English actor and singer Murray Head is a long-time residence of France and somewhat of a national treasure in his adopted homeland where his hit song Say It Ain’t So, Joe has become a national staple. In preparation for an 80th birthday concert on 5 March at the 2,000-seat Olympia Hall in Paris and other dates in France, Murray took his seven-piece band to the Micropolis in the eastern French city of Besançon on 14 February for a gig that also provided the opportunity for two days of pre-tour technical rehearsals.
“I’d already heard about NEXO’s new Alpha+ system which tour sound company Espace Concept suggested we should use for Murray’s shows” reports Front-of-House Engineer Emmanuel Casals.
“Being used today to large array deployments, I must admit I was initially doubtful that a group of two flown cabinets could provide adequate coverage for such a wide venue. With an additional — and ultimately quite small — setup of NEXO P8 front fills and P18 in fills, the result was very satisfying.”
The full system comprised NEXO Alpha+ Main and Bass modules with L20 subs, and supplementary P8 front and P18 in fills. NEXO’s 45N12s were employed as monitors in a system powered by NEXO NXAMPMk2 Powered TD Controllers.
Speaking on behalf of Espace Concept, owner Alain Roy said: “The Alpha+ setup stood out for its great simplicity: the kit can be installed by just two technicians, saving a significant amount of time. In fact, the entire installation and system alignment were completed in just one hour — an impressive level of efficiency for this type of configuration. The audience of more than 1000 enjoyed a captivating two- and half-hour performance full of energy and humour, with a precise, consistent and dynamic sound experience throughout the entire venue. The tonal character and sound pressure were interesting, reminiscent of systems used before the arrival of line arrays. Dynamic headroom was good; the system reacted well at the end of the set during songs requiring higher sound pressure.”
