Blues/rock artist Tommy Z recently played more than 20 shows over 30 days throughout the Middle East as part of a USO/AFE tour in support of troops stationed in the region.
Tommy Z and his band traveled from event to event with their own equipment—including backline. Because of this, the group needed a system that could pack a punch but was portable. This led the artist to purchase a JBL EON 1500 system. “Traveling with the backline through every airport and on every flight was quite a challenge,” Tommy Z said. “With the EONs being so light, with a rolling speaker bag for each, it made things a great deal easier.”
While the system was concise enough to be easily transported, there was no drop-off in terms of sound quality. “We had to play outside mostly in the desert, in 105 to 120-degree temperatures for many people,” Tommy Z added. “On the JFK [ship], there were 2,500 people on the flight deck and yet there were no complaints of not hearing the band or of quality. The EONs worked great even with a moderate P.A. The whole band was put through it: guitar, bass, keys, drums, sax and four vocals! Yet the output was clean and rich.”
With the release of his latest CD, Universal Love, Tommy Z will be touring even more in the future. In fact, he has already been asked to return to Iraq to play additional events.
More information about Tommy Z is available at his Website: www.tommyzband.com.
