Live Events

TC Furlong Live Event Group Supports Grand Opening

by Brian Grahn, Sales/Marketing

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On March 28, the Kellogg School of Management cut the ribbon on the new Kellogg Global Hub building at Northwestern University, and the TC Furlong Live Event Group was there to provide full production support, including audio, video and lighting. The newest addition to Northwestern’s campus, the Global Hub was designed by Toronto-based KPMB Architects and is six levels of classrooms, offices and communal creative space.

“When the university approached us, we knew the purpose the event was to show off the space,” says Chris Wintz, who was the Project Manager for the event. “We had to design our production to complement the architecture.” That meant designing an audio, video, and lighting solution that was not only sufficient for the space, but also the smallest visual footprint possible.

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Planning for the event began well before the construction had been completed, so initial production meetings were based only on architectural drawings. The ceremony was set to take place in the center of “Collaboration Plaza,” a beautiful and cavernous space at the center of the Global Hub.

The audio system was designed around Meyer UPA, UPJ and UPM speakers to ensure high intelligibility. A cantilevered yoke design at the top of box truss put the speakers in the correct position while maximizing sightlines to the stage and building. The system was processed and mixed on a Yamaha CL1 with a Rupert Neve 5045 and Shure ULX-D and UHF-R wireless systems.

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Small bands that were located on the balconies of different floors were sub-mixed with Allen & Heath Qu series consoles and sent to be mixed into the main PA with a wireless point-to-point connection. On-stage, Countryman Isomax IV gooseneck microphones with UR3 plug-on transmitters complimented an acrylic lectern for the main presentation.

TC Furlong Inc. also provided and coordinated lighting and video support. Around the building, more than 70 wireless, battery-powered LED lights were used to highlight architectural features, and stage washes were hung on integrated ceiling lighting frames for the main presentation. A Barco PDS-902 digital switcher drove two 90” displays that were on-stage for videos and slides.

“It was excellent to have the opportunity to work with the Kellogg team as they enter a new era,” says Chris Wintz. “We look forward to seeing all they have in store for their beautiful new space.” The Kellogg Global Hub is now open for students and faculty to enjoy.

TC Furlong’s Live Event Group provides complete event solutions for concerts, broadcast originations and special events. Contact Jeff with TC Furlong’s Live Event group next time you have an important function that demands expert planning and flexible execution at 847.367.9588 or jc@tcfurlong.com.

Broadcast News

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TC Furlong’s Live Event division supports a very wide range of events from concerts to corporate meetings, special events to broadcast originations. Over the past couple of months, the Live Events team coordinated audio for three Broadcast events including several HD concert tapings for public television and an MSNBC town hall with Bernie sanders.

The common thread to all of our live events work is the scope of involvement that focuses on comprehensive project management, in-depth design work, complete system solutions and having our staff engineering team onsite.

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“The MSNBC taping came together on relatively short notice,” says TC Furlong’s Chris Wintz who managed the project and was also the reinforcement mixer. The call had come in only five days before taping. “We had to forgo a site survey and instead designed off of a diagram and photos. We worked closely with the MSNBC line producer to make sure the broadcast team was fully supported, as well as making sure every seat in the house had good coverage, without interfering with the live broadcast.”

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In terms of gear, everything was designed with a small visual footprint in mind including Meyer UPM-1P loudspeakers on heavy based mic stands. “Mixing backstage, watching the action on a LED display, getting level notes from my A2 and simultaneously listening to the director and production mixer on intercom is a challenge under any circumstance and even more so in live TV,” Wintz continued. “Working with the MSNBC New York crew and the other many local vendors required that precision advancing and being super-nimble onsite. We’re really good at being flexible.”

Contact Jeff with TC Furlong’s Live Event group next time you have an important function that demands expert planning and flexible execution at 847.367.9588 or jc@tcfurlong.com.

Shocking Information: Electrical Safety Concerns at Live Events

by Jeff Cech, General Manager

THS-DangerHV We’re in the process of building out an additional “Green Kit”—the smaller of the 2 sizes of adapter/tool kits we send to every job we crew. One of the most used and most important tools in the kit is the multimeter.

Managing AC power is at the foundation of almost everything we do as a live sound company. Advancing details for temporary power, determining voltage/amperage specifications, working with power distros and disconnects on show-site, and metering power are everyday occurrences.

Naturally, our foremost consideration is safety of the crew, the venue, and our equipment.

As I started looking for a new meter for the kit, I was reminded of an article from a past issue of PLASA Protocol that described the investigation into a fire and the death of an electrician who was metering power at the switchegear in a commercial building. Tragically, the electrician was using a meter that was not appropriately rated for the task, which resulted in an enormous arc flash.

Standards for voltage meters were established by the IEC with an eye towards rating devices for arc flash (or incident energy) potential. The standard is a four-category (Cat. I-IV) rating system. The closer you are to the power source, the higher the category—and the greater the danger. Here is an article from Fluke’s site about the ratings.

We use Cat. III meters, which we feel are appropriate for metering power at the meter points of our power distros and related branch circuits.

Another article on the Fluke site is a good reminder about safety tips for metering power. One important point of the article is to verify you are using the appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment) for the task at hand—including using the appropriate category of meter.

Working around electricity is inherently dangerous, yet essential to live events. Being armed with information and the correct tools (especially correct category of meter) is the important first step towards a safe show.

Let TC Furlong safely support your next live event. Contact one of our project managers at 847.367.9588.

The Thin White Duke in Chicago

thinwhiteduke-no-text The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago is hosting the only US stop of David Bowie Is—an immersive multi-media exhibit.

The event is co-sponsored by Sennheiser which brought in TC Furlong, Inc. as their local partner.

We were proud to support Sennheiser, the MCA, and the Bowie exhibit by providing theatrical sound design assistance to tailor the equipment and exhibit to the venue.

We also provided technical, logistical, and equipment support for an allied event—a lecture presented by Sennheiser Tonmeister, Gregor Zielinsky, discussing and demonstrating audio elements of the exhibit which incorporate a unique 3-dimensional, 9.1 speaker set-up with a special upmix algorithm.

From the Museum of Contemporary Art Website:

David Bowie Is presents the first retrospective of the extraordinary career of David Bowie—one of the most pioneering and influential performers of our time. More than 400 objects, most from the David Bowie Archive—including handwritten lyrics, original costumes, photography, set designs, album artwork, and rare performance material from the past five decades—are brought together for the first time.

Bowie’s work has both influenced and been influenced by wider movements in art, design, theater, and contemporary culture, and the exhibition subsequently focuses on his creative processes, shifting style, and collaborative work with diverse designers in the fields of fashion, sound, graphics, theater, and film. Multimedia installations incorporating advanced sound technology produced by Sennheiser, original animations, continuous audio accompaniment, and video installations immerse visitors in the sights and sounds of Bowie’s artistic life.David Bowie Is was organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and has embarked on an international tour with the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago as the only US venue.

Organized chronologically, David Bowie Is traces the artist’s evolution from his years as a teenager in the 1950s to the early 2000s when he retired from touring. Before the surprise release of the 2013 album The Next Day, Bowie had not released an album since Reality in 2003. On display are more than sixty stage costumes including the Ziggy Stardust bodysuits (1972), designed by Freddie Burretti; Kansai Yamamoto’s flamboyant creations for the Aladdin Sanetour (1973); and the Union Jack coat designed by Bowie and Alexander McQueen for the Earthling album cover (1997). Bowie’s many personae are amply documented through photography, graphic designs, models of concert sets, visual excerpts from films, and live performances, including his starring role in Nicolas Roeg’s The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) and his appearance onSaturday Night Live (1979), as well as music videos for songs such as “Boys Keep Swinging” (1979) and “Let’s Dance” (1983). Alongside such prominent examples are more personal items such as never-before-seen storyboards, handwritten set lists and lyrics, and some of Bowie’s own sketches, musical scores, and diary entries, which help reveal the evolution of his creative ideas. His chameleonic character transformations throughout the years are central to his contribution to contemporary culture and highly relevant to contemporary artists such as Cindy Sherman, Wu Tsang, Janelle Monae, and Lady Gaga.

The exhibition is accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue edited by Victoria and Albert Museum curators Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh, which includes contributions from leading experts in musicology and cultural history and benefits from its reliance on and full access to the David Bowie Archive.

This exhibition is overseen in Chicago by Michael Darling, James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

The exhibit runs from September 23-January 4.

More information: http://www2.mcachicago.org/exhibition/david-bowie-is/

10 Full Days in Rentals and Live Events

10 FULL DAYS Rental and live events operations at TC Furlong are in constant motion. Here are some highlights of a recent 10 day period:

Gin Blossoms—a full monitor rig including wedges, ears, monitor engineer, and one of our venerable Yamaha PM5D consoles, plus backline for a private function (that also featured Midwest rockers Styx) at McCormick place in Chicago. “The 5D continues to be a workhorse in our console inventory,” stated project manager and Monitor Engineer Chris Wintz, “…and it was a good to work with the Blossoms again.”

Tall Tales Music Festival—a 2-day outdoor festival of American music. We provided a full PA system including Meyer MSL4 arrayed from a Stageline roof, iPad control of QL5, LED lighting, and one of our staff engineers. Hot and steamy with a touch of rain!

Robin Thicke—a sizeable RF support package featuring Shure PSM1000, UHF-R, and Axient systems, an RF technician, and all the gadgets (spectrum analyzer, RF filters ,specialty antennas, etc.) for Robin and his band. We sent the same package (minus the RF technician) for Robin’s appearance at the Illinois State fair. Steve Whittenhall was our project manager and RF tech. “No Miley and no “Blurred Lines” girls at this show, but with over 30 channels of Shure wireless in my coordination, we had our hands full. Wireless Workbench 6 was essential.”

Meet the Team—a full PA system and (2) staff engineers for a special event to introduce Northwestern University’s 2014 wildcat football team.

Digital Console Training—we organized and presented an intensive ½ day hands-on training session for the sound crew of a local University.

Meyer Monitoring—(6) Meyer UPA-1P flown from a circular truss for a recording session for a large local church.

Outdoor Baptism—a complete sound system (self-powered speakers on sticks, digital mixer) delivered and set-up at a mansion on Lake Michigan.

Church Fundraiser—a full sound system (MacPherson M2X, Meyer 650-P, console, wedges, inputs, staff engineers, and a portable generator) for the music stage and a special morning mass. “An already tight production schedule was stretched to the limit when the client-arranged generator didn’t pan out,” Crew Chief, Johnny Dwyer, recalls. “Fortunately, we were able get one of our portable generators from our warehouse just in time for soundcheck.”

College Orientation—another full system (Meyer MSL-4, DS-4P, and UPJ-1P mains, plus Danley wedges, Yamaha QL5 digital console w/Rio, etc.) for a large local college’s annual student orientation events.

Plus dozens of other less notable but equally important jobs.

No matter the size of your event, we have the knowledge and expertise to ensure the technical production is exceptional.

Contact one of our project managers at 847.367.9588 for help with your next event.