Danish rock band Volbeat’s recent homecoming show broke records as the largest concert ever played in Denmark by a local act. With a Meyer Sound LEO® linear large-scale sound reinforcement system, the show was heard by more than 37,000 in the Tusindårsskoven forest of Odense.
“I was blown away by the coverage,” reports Mads Mikkelsen, long-time FOH engineer for Volbeat. “It’s great to know that fans in the back hear the same thing as I do when mixing the show. That’s really what I’m aiming for. The band should translate perfectly to every corner of the audience, and the last seat in the house should enjoy the same feeling that I get when I hear the guitars kick in.”
Providing pristine coverage across the 160-meter deep audience area, the main system arrays comprised 14 LEO-M, two LYON-M main, and two LYON-W wide-coverage line array loudspeakers each. Two arrays of 12 LEO-M and two LYON-W loudspeakers each provided out fill. Four delay arrays comprised a total of 16 LEO-M and 20 LYON loudspeakers, while 34 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements were both flown and groundstacked in front of the stage and at delay positions. Eight JM-1P arrayable loudspeakers, four 1100-LFC elements, one 500-HP subwoofer, and 14 MJF-212A stage monitors provided onstage foldback. A Galileo® Callisto™ loudspeaker management system provided system drive and alignment.
Arhus, Denmark-based Victory Tour Production provided full audio, lighting, and staging for the show, led by CEO Jesper Danius Sørensen.
“With LEO, I know exactly what I’m getting before I even turn the system on,” says Mikkelsen. “I don’t hear the system alter character or color when I change volume—it’s always completely transparent and clear.”
Mikkelsen mixed Volbeat through a DiGiCo SD10 digital console equipped with a DiGiGrid server for plug-ins, while monitor engineer Kristoffer Hinrichsen mixed on another SD10 console. All microphones were from Audix.
Led by system tech Theis Romme, the audio crew included PA techs Mads Nørgaard and Nicolaj Biermann Larsen and monitor tech Rasmus Rosenberg. A LEO system was also used for Volbeat’s recent North American tour.
