Reunited after an 18-year hiatus, Roxy Music embarked on a 50-date, 12-country world tour in June. Mix caught the show at the Chronicle Pavilion, Concord, Calif., where the 10-piece band romped through a score of songs from the band’s eight-album catalog, ranging from art-noise rockers like “Re-make/Re-model” and “Editions of You” to the soulful shimmer of “Avalon” and “Dance Away.” Judging from the rapturous reception at Concord, everyone had A Really Good Time.
Independent monitor engineer Steve May’s credits include stints with Tangerine Dream, Tom Jones and Deep Purple; like FOH engineer Levi Tecofski, May has toured previously with Bryan Ferry. May is mixing a combination of in-ear, wedge and sidefill monitors on two Midas Heritage 3000 consoles. Wedges for singer Ferry and keyboardist Colin Good are L’Acoustic models, while Ferry’s L’Acoustic Arc sidefills are supplemented with D&B C7 subwoofers. All the other bandmembers use in-ear monitors, with wireless feeds provided via Shure PSM700 transmitters. May uses Yamaha MPX-1 and REV 500 models for in-ear reverbs, and controls the in-ear mix dynamics and EQ with XTA’s SIDD units.
FOH engineer Levi Tecofski’s credits include Bryan Ferry, David Bowie, Rickie Lee Jones, Hole and Placebo, among others. The tour is using L’Acoustic’s V-DOSC P.A. systems wherever possible — Eighth Day Sound (Cleveland, Ohio) provided all sound services for the U.S. leg of the tour — and Tecofski relies on certified V-DOSC engineer Mike Hackman to align and tune the sound system, which also includes 12 EAW SB1000 subwoofers per side.
Tecofski mixes on two Midas XL4s and makes extensive use of the boards’ VCAs and automated mute functions, carrying his automation cues across international borders on PCMCI and SRAM cards. For dynamic control, Tecofski assigns tube compressors to Phil Manzanera’s guitar channels and Andy Mackay’s sax and woodwinds subgroup. Bryan Ferry sings into wired Audio-Technica 4054s — Tecofski is using an Avalon 737 compressor and a BSS DPR-901 on Ferry’s vocal.
The Great Paul Thompson’s acoustic drum kit is miked with Shure SM57s on the snare, SM91s on toms and A-T condenser overheads. Guitar mics are A-T 4050 and 4057 models, while the older analog keyboards are picked up via Avalon DIs. The acoustic/MIDI grand piano is miked with Schoeps and AKG 414 condensers.
