wateroftyne

The mic that was set up after the photo was taken :-D Both DI & mic, giving options for FOH and DVD mix. Nowt unusual there. The DVD mix is being done a a great local studio. The engineer is fantastic, which is just as well, as doing a mix (and cut, for that matter) of this show is going to be a herculean task. Thank you. Arenas are pretty dull places, so the producers pulled out all the stops to make it a bit of a cut above. There were a lot of raised eyebrows when it was announced that the show was moving from the City Hall, but it's fair to say it's been a huge success. And yes, Joe is an astonishing singer. he also sang 'Time to Say Goodbye' to a track, and took the roof off. Marvellous.

Ha ha.. of course. It's ready when you are :-)

It's incredible. The R-400 became a backup for the weekend. I didn't have much - if any - in my monitor... I just cooked on backline, and the WB-100 was more than capable. Loads of clean volume. When it came to Video Killed the Radio Star, I picked up a plec, hit the bright switch and dug in, and it growled like a beast. On the soulier P-and-flats stuff, it was beautifully round. I honestly would be happy with the R-400, but somehow the WB sounds even bigger and richer, and it feels like a work of art. I'm trying to decide if it's overkill for my needs. But then it's still a one-hand lift. But I haven't got the cash anyway. It's overkill. I think. Isn't it?

Oh, I forgot to mention - The Script are in the Arena today, and needed the hall to be clear by 2am this morning. Our gig finished at 11pm, giving the crew - who'd basically worked non-stop all weekend - about three hours to strike the hall. Three hours to get all that out, including the backstage village and the huge amounts of kit you can't see in the photos. And they managed it. Those lads and lasses are total legends.

Just four thumbscrews. Head removed in 10 seconds.

Thank you :-) Here's another crappy clip with mad edits pinched from YouTube. I absolutely LOVED playing this - it's just a steam train of a song.

Absolutely, but I was referring to the original spec, as per your comment. Why they canxed that design is a complete mystery to me - the sequel didn't really set the world alight.

Ibanez Promethean. Tiny combo, big sound (within the laws of physics), mp3 in, headphone out.. does the lot. And then, when you need another 450w head to use with your big boxes for whatever reason, just undo the four bolts and off you go.

Cheers, folks! Here's another tune pinched from Twitter. It sounded massive.

OK... before I fall asleep, here's the crack. Sorry if I ramble. I was asked to do the gig about three months ago. At that point, no-one really knew what was going to be in the set. Over the following weeks, I was drip-fed some possible tunes, so I just started to do my homework as much as I could. Bear in mind at this point I also had no idea who would be singing any of them, either. I'd heard Ralph McTell was coming along to do 'Streets of London' with a choir, which is a song I love. He rarely - if ever - plays with a band, so I was surprised and pleased when he asked for a bass accompaniment. I guess it might have been because it's a big hall, and wanted something for the choir to lock into. Video Killed the Radio Star was an interesting one... I bloody love the tune. The bass part is mint. So when I heard Trevor was going to be singing it, I immediately prepared myself for the possibility that he'll play bass on it, like he always does live. Sure enough, I got the call to say he'd be playing bass on it. We don't get a chance to rehearse with the stars until the day before the show, so I had to learn the part anyway for band rehearsals the previous week. I was slightly gutted, but I saw it coming. Fast-forward to first day of band rehearsals, and I walked in, cases in hand, and said 'morning!' to our MD. Before I'd even put my cases down, his phone rang... it was Trevor, saying it would be simpler for him if I played the bass. Happy? Hell aye. The band is me, drums, 2 x keys (one being our MD, the other being Alan Clark from Dire Straits.. about to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!), guitar, 4-piece brass and 3 lovely backing vocalists. Rehearsals were hard work, but fun. If we were flagging by the end of the week, we were kicked up a gear when we shifted to the Arena on Friday night. I'm lucky enough to have been involved in some big productions before, but this was another level. Four flown arrays, three massive LCD panels, 22(!) cameras, scores of crew... just a logistical head-scratcher. All the cues and camera positions had to be worked out and rehearsed - the show also features comedy sketches, etc. - so nothing could be missed. We ran though the tunes a few times on Friday night, and all day Saturday (a 12-hour shift). Sunday morning was dedicated to sketch rehearsals (the Auf Wiedersehen Pet cast traditionally reunite for this show, and there were other great artists in there too, including Johnny Vegas, Jason Cook, Vera off the telly, and that). We got a quick line check, and no time to get adjust to the room. We were going in cold! We kicked the show off with (Reach Out) I'll Be There, which sounded massive... and it all went like a dream from there. Along with Trevor and Ralph, we had Jill Halfpenny singing 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now', A great up-tempo blues with local legend Ray Stubbs, Tim Healy sang a great Alan Clark song, Ryan Molloy (Jersey Boys) did 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You', and was then joined by Joe McElderry for an incredible duet on 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me', which took the roof off. We closed the show with a couple of Lindisfarne tunes, 'Clear White Light' and the Tyneside national anthem, 'Run for Home'. Then... we had to kick around for an hour or so, and muster the energy to do it all again! The second show was looser, as you'd probably expect. The evening crowd were a bit more raucous, too. It was fab. So proud to have been a part of this - the show is massive, and so many people have worked incredibly hard on it. It's worth it - it's going to raise thousands and thousands of pounds to help young creative talent on Tyneside. GEARCHAT.. I kept it simple, 'cos that's all I know. A pick (for Video Killed the Radio Star) Fingers (for everything else) LR Baggs Venue DI (used for in-line tuning only) Maruzczyk Jake w/rounds > House DI Limelight '67 Precision w/flats > House DI Handbox WB-100 head (Thread here), and absolute dream of a head I have on loan. I'm considering selling a kidney to buy it. Big, rich and LOUD. My R-400 was under the stage in case I felt like switching to it, but I didn't. TKS S212 cab (best cab ever) > Mic'd ...and that's it. It sounded marvellous. DVD's out in April!

Pinched off Twitter...

Just pinched this off Instagram...

...and I've just played Streets of London with Ralph McTell. Just him, me, and a choir. It was gorgeous.

Here’s a murky shot of playing Video Killed The Radio Star with Trevor Bloody Horn :-D

Second show is ongoing.. I'll tell you later :-D

First show's just finished, and it was bloody great. Evening show starts at 7:30. More details later... or possbily tomorrow. :-)

Aye, Liam's been doing great. He's been with us all week. I just learn it, just like I do any tune. And then it's invariably tweaked during rehearsals. I don't write anything down, other than a setlist and what bass for which tune, 'cos there's zero time for faffing between.

Cheers! Here's a few more I took later yesterday. A shot from my stage position Some flightcase porn (this is only a tiny part of it!) The backstage village (basically, the producer needs all the cast members to be in this area at all times. It has to run like clockwork) One of the millions of camera shooting it. There's cameras everywhere, and GoPros all over the stage Alan Clark, a fantastic keyboard genius who I'm sharing a riser with. In April he's being inducted into the R'n'R hall of fame with the rest of Dire Straits. An today is showday!

I can't think I've ever had a problem with a tuning peg..?

I'm part-way through a big long epic of a day today - more of the stars have arrived, so we're working though the tunes with them at various allotted time-slots. It's a huge production and logistical operation, with a massive crew - the band are just one cog in the wheel. Every song has to be rehearsed for lighting, camera positions, VT cues, walk-on choreography... if one part isn't right, we do it again! Like I say, I can't give anything away, but I've had a couple of OMG moments today... and I get to do it again - for real - tomorrow. Get in :-) Here's some arty shots I took during stolen moments...

Ibanez Promethean.

Well, it's got the nod over the R-400 for this weekend...

Just back from the first soundcheck... so far, so good. Tomorrow's going to be a long shift: 9:30am to 9-30pm... ish.,

You need time for your ears to adjust. It's like drinking tea without sugar for the first tiime. At first, it's like.. 'WTF? I need sugar' After a while, it's... 'mmm... tea is lovely. Sugar just spoiled the taste.'

Yep, pretty much. We don’t want to freak the singers out by changing things too much.. not that they’d need to be changed, anyway.