I like to research what other interviewers have recently asked an artist and then avoid those questions entirely…or at least rephrase them differently, but mostly avoid.  So I got my questions together, packed up my gear and headed down to the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Once inside the venue, I meet with Jason’s FOH Engineer Ettore “ET” DeDevitiis who had been with Jason for several years now.  ET brought me over to “Guitar World” where my interview with Jason would take place right before their soundcheck. I met several crew members, began setting up my gear and got some quick B-roll video of the mics onstage.  Jason has been loving what the SM86 gives back to him.  He’s very comfortable with its flat front so he can get right on the capsule.  On stage right, there were a cluster of mics set up where later in the show the band members would, one by one, join Jason around a Shure Super 55 and sing acoustic style.

My interview with Jason was great.  We’d met before at a NAMM show where he signed autographs at our booth for an hour.  The line was so long for him we had to turn people away. Look for this interview on our site soon.

After the interview, I went back to FOH to listen to Ettore’s mix.  Of course the arena was all but empty save a few people who were brought in for a special soundcheck party, but ET’s mix was great.  Being a drummer, I honed in on the kick sound and asked if he was using both a Beta 52A and  the new Beta 91A.  He confirmed.  He also mentioned it was a brand new Yamaha kit.  There were Beta 56A’s on the toms, about 4 inches above the heads.  Sounded amazing.

After Jason’s check, I watched a bit of Christina’s soundcheck.  Her voice sounded angelic through her UR2/KSM9 wireless.  I also met her drummer Elmo who had just toured with Skrillex.

Right before showtime, I met my wife and 2 boys out front and we grabbed our seats about 3 songs into Christina’s set. She puts on an energetic show and is so happy to be opening for Jason.  One of her dreams come true!

The arena was about 3/4th’s full and I was happy to see so many people out supporting live music.  Money can be tight for some and the fact that it was that well attended is promising.

Jason puts on a great show and his vocal range is pretty amazing.  He really does invite the audience into his party and they all sing along.  The band is super tight and ET has everything sitting right where it should be in the mix.  At one point in the show, he and percussionist Mona Tavakoli were on stage and performed his new song “You F___in’ Did It.”  When Mona kicked in on her Cajon, the whole crowd went wild. Pretty cool.

This is the kind show I could watch night after night and be content.  It’s great when an engineer finds that gig that they are totally into and they love doing their job every night.  With a great singer and a tight band, how could you not?

I can’t wait for the next time Jason comes back to Nashville.  I may not even wait till then…..ROAD TRIP!!

Ryan

Having been ULX users in the beginning, they were used to the sound quality of those systems. The ULXD takes things up several notches!  They were so interested in the rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries, they went out and bought them.

Endorser Josh Williams was also on site as he received a call the night before.  ”Hey Josh, you want to come join us on stage?”  Josh said “I don’t know any of your material.”  They said ” Well that’s PERFECT.”

I was able to grab a quick picture of Josh and Darrin Vincent together. (I almost had to take 2 shots as Josh towers above Darrin – (insert Darrin’s funny laugh here))

If you have not seen them yet….why?  (Go now!…..yes you….go on…..)

Ryan

The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA

It was time for a road trip….and I knew this one was going to be worth it.  Why?  Because I’ve watched drummer Mike Mangini for years.  He’s been a Shure endorser for over 10 years.  This was the type of band that Mike has worked for, practiced for, and should be in.

So, Mike Farriss from Pearl and myself jumped into the Shure PT Cruiser and headed down south to hang with Mike in his exiting new role as the backbone for Dream Theater.  I have followed this group since the first album and being a drummer, was always amazed at the incredible musicianship behind this  group.  Anyone else who has been following the group knows of the changes that recently occurred and the interesting way the band held auditions to find their new drummer.  Watching the video of Mike playing with the group, you can see why he was picked.  His playing is like the glass slipper that fit perfectly. When Mike got the gig, I was so happy for him and his family.

Upon our arrival at the venue, we walked up the ramp that lead right to his monstrosity of a Pearl kit.  Drums, cymbals, hardware, and mics….was I at a music store?  Considering the group, they have the best of what’s available at a music store.   Mike is using our new Beta 98AMP’s on the bulk of his toms, a Beta 27 on his floor tom, KSM32′s covering  his overheads and then a few Beta 91A’s in the kick drums.  He mentioned that they get tons of compliments on sound after the shows.  Special thanks to Nigel Paul, the bands’ FOH Engineer for that!

Walking around the rest of the stage, guitarist John Petrucci has a pair of SM57′s and a pair of KSM313′s on each guitar cabinet.  He also mentioned that he used the KSM353 to track the album with.  There were also a pair of wired SM86 vocal mics on stage.  One for John and the other for lead singer James LaBrie.

Following sound check, I was able to squeeze in a video interview with Mike Mangini where we discussed his transitioning from being an instructor at Berklee to going back out on the road.  We also discussed his use of several Shure products, both for his many recordings and now live on tour.  Look for that video on our YouTube page soon.

We killed some time between that and show time.  I went downstairs to the merchandise table to see what they had and did something I had not done for many years….purchase a tour book.  It has such great photos and the coolest thing…each member of the group had a page where they list what gear they use on tour!

The other part of the book that I took special note of was the intro letter, written by John Petrucci – specifically a paragraph where he talks about recording with Mike Mangini.

John wrote:  “Recording Mike Mangini was one of the highlights of the album experience for me. Mike’s impeccable preparation and positive spirit were refreshingly infectious and set the mood for the kinds of performances we would capture from everyone on this album.  Between the sheer technical mastery of his instrument and the raw musicality that just oozes from his pores, his performances not only brought all of the songs to life but also infused an intensity and passion into the music that was a sight to behold, a pleasure to listen to and just incredibly inspiring. ”

This was $ 20.00 well spent and I encourage you to get one when you go see them.  Great photography!

The new album is called A Dramatic Turn Of Events.  A very appropriate title because when the group hit the stage, the crowd was ready to see this new super group and to witness firsthand how the groups turn of events has played out.    The show was a musically emotional roller coaster ride.  There are so many time signatures flying around on stage, it’s like being in the middle of the lottery ball machine where all the balls are time signatures instead of digits.  (OK, maybe that’s overdoing it a bit) It’s challenging to keep up with but a joy to watch the musicians do it so well.

About 5 songs in, the crowd was treated to a drum solo “from another galaxy.” If you have ever seen what Mike can do, it is truly jaw dropping.  Not only that, he brings so much intensity and energy that it’s exciting to watch.  When you understand the mechanics behind it, it makes it that much better…but also very depressing, because I know I can’t do that as a drummer.  :)

The rest of the show was great and the crowd loved the new addition the band, signified by a loud applause at the end when James announced Mike’s name again.

If you like progressive metal or if you just want to witness 5 incredibly gifted and creative musicians on stage, you owe it to yourself to find out when they are coming to your town.  If they are not, take a vacation and fly somewhere to go see them or do like I did – ROAD TRIP!

Ryan