JEFF WAYNE'S MUSICAL VERSION OF THE WAR OF THE WORLDS: 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR 2018

JEFF WAYNE’S MUSICAL VERSION OF THE WAR OF THE WORLDS: 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR 2018

Dubbed as one of the most ground–breaking arena tours of all time, Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of The Worlds returned to UK arenas in late 2018. Jacob Waite was onsite at The O2 Arena, London, to witness the classic sci-fi production’s quadragenarian affair…

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PRODUCTION PROFILE

In 1978, CBS Records released Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of The Worlds. Fast-forward 40 years, and the double album has benefitted from success and critical acclaim across the globe; with over 15 million records sold, spending an incredible 330 weeks in the UK Album Charts (to date). Equally as successful and in veneration of four decades, the soundtrack based on HG Wells’ Victorian prose, took to the stage following its 2016 Farewell Thunder Child Tour, complete with a technologically-advanced production.

THE EVE OF THE WAR The 2018 40th Anniversary incarnation featured a stellar cast with Jeff Wayne returning to the podium to conduct the 9–piece Black Smoke Band and 36–piece ULLAdubULLA Strings, while actor Liam Neeson retained his role in 3D holography as The Journalist. Jason Donovan reprised his role as Parson Nathaniel alongside West End actress Carrie Hope Fletcher as on-stage wife, Beth. Adam Garcia debuted as The Artilleryman, while acclaimed British singer–songwriter Newton Faulkner performed The Sung Thoughts of The Journalist, Inglorious front man Nathan James played The Voice of Humanity, and Anna–Marie Wayne returned to her role as Carrie, The Journalist’s Fiancée.

Production direction was provided by Chromatic Productions’ Steve Nolan, a familiar touring hand with a wealth of experience in the entertainment industry as both a Production Manager and Producer. His suppliers of choice comprised all facets of the live touring circuit, Stufish Entertainment Architects; Brilliant Stages; Quantum Special Effects; PRG XL Video; Universal Pixels; RG Jones Sound Engineering; Popcorn catering; Stage Miracles; TransAm Trucking and Phoenix Bussing.

During the opening sequence - ‘The Eve of the War’, The Journalist

(Neeson) declared that in the late 19th Century, few people had considered the potential existence of advanced beings (a million to one, he said), and yet, planet Earth had in fact long been enviously observed by extraterrestrial life. And so, in keeping with this theme, the brief was an astronomical feat which encompassed a full-blown, musical, multi-media production. A myriad of special effects was depicted onto a white material backdrop which doubled as a projection wall (starring performers, effects and animation), as well as pyrotechnics, an automated bridge, illusions and a 35ft tall, 3-tonne, Martian Fighting Machine that hovered close to the audience, fired flames and landed centre stage.

BRAVE NEW SET CONCEPTS Tasked with devising the aesthetic elements of the show was entertainment architects, Stufish. Having collaborated with Jeff Wayne and Bill Kenwright on the Dominion Theatre run of The War of The Worlds, Stufish joined the reinvented 40th Anniversary version of the arena show. Set Designer, Ric Lipson, explained: “The 2016 West End Dominion Season of 88 shows took a lot of reference from the original arena production but was built on that style and transferred from arena scale into the theatre world. We learned a lot of things doing the theatre production that became interesting when coming back in 2018 to do the national arena show. The main design of the Dominion stage was heavily based on the original larger show but updated with the new aesthetic as well as adding some extra design elements to bring the production into a more immersive environment.”

Lipson described how the idea of the design was formulated. “We wanted to find new ways to immerse the audience in both the spectacular music and video imagery from the show. The production has been reworked to include additional projection elements that bring the

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projections into the room and allow the full audience to feel closer to the filmic and live performer action.”

Stufish created an updated design for the orchestra stands on the main stage with an additional thrust in the centre for performers to get close to the front audience. “The iconic Brave New World scene has been redesigned to bring the scene right into the heart of the audience. With a kinetic bridge that descends over the audience to connect to an additional satellite stage, allowing the Artilleryman to travel and perform into the arena in a more intimate way. Other upgrades to the video content include the 3D hologram projections of Liam Neeson. The video content was developed by AR Media Productions and they have been constantly making and reworking the content for each tour and theatre show in order to evolve and deliver even more depth to the video.”

The sizeable set elements were secured by a series of 10 x 2-tonne CM hoists; 46 x 1-tonne EXE Rise hoists; 26 x 500kg EXE Rise hoists; 8 x 250kg EXE Rise hoists; 12 x Movecat 500kg variable speed hoists and 6 x Movecat 1250kg variable speed hoists. While the various truss elements included 14 x Tomcat Stacking Truss; 42 x Slick Minibeam Truss; 26 x PRG Bat Truss; 13 x James Thomas Engineering 52cm Supertruss and 6 x James Thomas Engineering 76cm Supertruss.

The show elements operated by the VMK S 500 and VMK S 1250 motion hoists consisted of the iconic Martian Fighting Machine which descends onto the stage and a huge arched bridge running through the centre of the arena which was lowered over the audience during the show. This is where the hoist’s SIL3 safety factor, currently the highest on the market, really came into its own.

The Movecat control desk is optimised visually, which makes programming easier and the touchscreen allows to easily select individual motors, for ease of programming and running. Its 3D graphics enabled the team to easily generate and program complicated shapes, such as raking multiple motor trusses, and it can even trigger cues from DMX and timecode.

The 2018 rendition of the tour saw the inclusion of 2 x Movecat I-Motion

Expert consoles for control. PRG Automation Operator, Peter MacDonald said: “We recently added the Movecat Automation System to our inventory at PRG to offer our clients an even wider range of creative and fully integrated solutions. This was its premiere here in the UK. This system is the most recent and safest on the market, motion signals can now be synchronised with video and lighting cues which allow the motion operator, the lighting operator and the video operator to work together seamlessly.” Lipson reflected: “The Brave New World scene is my favourite. This scene captures the combination of performer, magnificent music, striking video content, mixed with the epic lowering of the scenic bridge, over the audience to connect the main stage to the B-stage. This truly immersive moment marks a really dramatic and immersive moment in the show.”

Lipson discussed the trials and tribulations of the feat. “The biggest challenge was the different size of venues, particularly with the length of each arena. This meant that the bridge had to be created in modules so that it could change length between each venue. We wound up with three different lengths that allowed our bridge to fit into all of the different parameters.”

Despite its challenges, the tour was lauded by critics and fans as the “best yet in the history of the arena shows.” Lipson reflected: “Stufish would like to thank Jeff Wayne and his team for bringing us on board. Production Manager, Steve Nolan, for all the support and teamwork through the development and AR Media for their continued collaboration on this version of the show. And finally, thank you to Brilliant Stages for delivering our design.”

THE SPIRIT OF SHOW DESIGN In 2010, award-winning LD, Tim Routledge, assumed the role of TWOTW Lighting Designer and returned for his 5th stint. Eight years ago, he made some radical changes to the previous works; reprogramming the fully timecoded visual feast from scratch.

Despite a busy year this time - which witnessed Routledge adorn TPi’s pages with the likes of Sam Smith’s The Thrill of it All and Florence + the

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Touring Lighting Director, James Scott.

Machine’s High as Hope tours – the LD couldn’t stay away and joined forces with this production for his final gig of 2018.

He picked up the story: “It’s a good two-hour bit of fun. The show is loved by fans of Jeff’s epic score as well as those who just love a spectacular stage show. To be able to underscore such an iconic soundtrack is great. I can remember sitting underneath my duvet listening to the record when I was younger, so to be able to have taken it on in a professional capacity has been incredible. It’s really the music and the video that takes the lead on this show and as a lighting designer, I give the production a sense of dynamic to help the journey along.”

For the latest incarnation, Nolan requested the overhead rig be simplified to incorporate pre-rigged truss, which rolls out quickly. Half of the 2014 lighting rig was also utilised with the corresponding half updated with newer fixtures. In addition, 75% of the programming from the last arena tour was re-purposed, updated and cloned accordingly.

Routledge specified a myriad of Robe lighting fixtures including 6 x Robe BMFLs, 14 x Robe Robin Pointes and 14 x Robe MegaPointes. “The latest additions to the lighting rig were the MegaPointes which were used when portraying the sound effects of the show – affectionately named the ‘wee-oos’ - which also added a green effect and delivering a green stage wash. For over two decades, we’ve used Showtec Dominators, but they don’t really exist anymore and are tired, old bits of kit. For each Dominator we had, we swapped for 3 x Robe MegaPointes to create a similar effect and they work really well. All of the Heat Rays and the big battle scene lasers were also performed by Robe MegaPointes.”

The intricate design also comprised a litany of GLP fixtures. In particular, 32 x GLP impression X4 Bar 20s which were used for backlight and the periphery of the bridge; 15 x GLP impression X4 Bars, 17 x GLP JDC1s and 2 x GLP Volkslicht RGBs, a staple of the Martian Fighting Machine. A huge arched bridge running through the centre of the arena was propelled midset, which brought the action closer to the audience for a captivating and

immersive experience. “We added in a load of GLP XBars to edge the band and the bridge during on this rig, which gave us a bit more flexibility. The GLP JDC1s are a great hybrid fixture, both the wash you can get out of it and the piercing strobe is immense.”

In addition, 24 x Claypaky A.leda B-EYE K20 LED moving lights were fixed on the overhead rig. Two sides of the stage were lit with Philips Vari- Lite VL3500 Washes, (four per side) while 4 x Martin by Harman MAC Viper Performance, 10 x SGM Light Q-7 and 12 x SGM Light P-5s made up the lighting rig.

Routledge specified a MA Lighting grandMA2 lighting console alongside grandMA NPU. Entrusted with the day-to-day lighting operation was Suluko’s James Scott. “James was the perfect person to bring into the fold,” stated Routledge. “We get on really well and he understands what I’m looking for as a lighting designer. We worked on the Rita Ora and Florence + the Machine tours together, and he’s really great with timecode, which is essential in this show because of the number of layers involved. It’s critical to have someone who can timecode onboard because we could not do the show as thousands of effects are being triggered all the time.”

For Scott, the brief included parts that were daunting and exciting. He explained: “I’ve been working with Tim for the best part of a year on a variety of projects and it’s been really fun. “Because we are continuing from the programming of the 2014 tour, he’s given me a bit of free rein to update the show and bring it into 2018 with the new fixtures in the rig. As a preexisting show, I was first introduced to the show during the re-programming and rehearsals,” he said.

“If timecode was to stop for me during this production, I wouldn’t survive because we’ve got the film and visual content in sync with the lighting.”

Despite being a fresh face to the TWOTW touring machine, Scott cut his teeth as an LD in the world of live theatre before finding his feet in rock ‘n’ roll. “It’s been great to work on this tour because it’s got the conventions

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PRG Automation Operator, Peter MacDonald.

of theatre and the fun of rock ’n’ roll. On one hand, there are very theatrical elements but there is also a band and an orchestra that are highlighted on specific sections of the score like guitar and bass solos its very rock ‘n’ rollesque. It’s also a very unique show and you don’t get many like this, so it’s been brilliant.

“The real workhorse of this show is the PRG Best Boy GroundControl followspot [of which there are two] which we have on the front truss.”

Routledge also praised the product. “Traditionally, we’ve used regular followspots. However, this time around, we were able to get PRG Best Boy GroundControl automated followspots in the rig, which was a really great coup and has helped us achieve more with the performers with more of an artistic edge.”

Scott added: “PRG have been great suppliers, this production has a close relationship with them and this has been their gig from the start. They know everything about the show including the essential bits of kit we need. For example, the GLP Volkslicht RGB headlights left and right of the MFM are extremely rare. I don’t think many vendors stock them anymore and they’re essential to portraying the aesthetic of this iconic Martian Fighting Machine. They’re also the only fixtures that fit inside the recesses created many years ago.”

Routledge echoed: “PRG have indeed been excellent. We’ve had the same crew chief and supplier on the tour and they understand what we’re doing because they’ve done it so many times. It’s nice to work with a supplier that understand the nuances, such as where the lights fit and the awkward bits of set. Having PRG onboard just works on this tour and their crew just get it.”

THUNDER CHILD From fire jets shooting out of the floor, epic visuals of the battle sequences and the exploding NASA desk, Quantum Special Effects [QSFX], which celebrates 10 years on the road in April (many of them spent on the TWOTW tour!), provided a series of big looks throughout the production.

As a regular fixture of the show’s last few tours, Steve Nolan sought QSFX to assess the show’s special effects with a primary focus on developing the firing effect for the Martian Fighting Machine. QSFX CEO, Shaun Barnett, commented: “Our primary focus is to highlight the iconic soundtrack. However, from a theatrical perspective, we also mask some exits and create atmospheric effects which tie in with the visuals on the screen content.”

When it came to show design, Jeff Wayne adopted a hands-on approach: “Initially, I sat down with Steve Nolan and Jeff Wayne to go through the narrative to identify any points where they wanted special effects to occur. Jeff Wayne is a true gentleman, we talked through how he wanted to progress the show and what special effects we could bring to the table. He was keen to push a new look and get more effects into the show, which was a great experience.”

As part of the show design, QSFX was brought in to supply and deliver a tailored, tourable package, which featured pyrotechnics, smoke, confetti effects and CO2 jets. In 2016, QSFX introduced a pressurised liquid system to replicate the iconic Heat Ray fire beams, which shot from the Martian Fighting Machine to the downstage edge of the show.

“We’re one of the first companies in the United Kingdom to have liquid systems and we’ve spent a lot of time developing that technology, which initially brought its fair share of challenges. In particular, because there was such a big gap between the 2014 tour and this run, technology has moved on and also our understanding of the system has progressed, so we’ve had to rebuild a brand-new liquid flame system, which has eliminated all of the prior creases.”

For Barnett, health and safety is at the forefront of the QSFX’s deployment. “Traditionally, special effects and orchestras don’t go handin-hand - and nor should they! There are a lot of musicians on stage with expensive instruments which they personally own so it’s a challenging show for us to navigate. It’s integral for us to find the gaps to keep the orchestra, creatives and Jeff Wayne happy. From a production point of

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Sound System Designer, Simon Honywill & System Engineer, Steve Carr; Monitor Engineer, Becky Pell.

view, it needs to be safe and achievable in every venue.

“Thankfully, the whole show is run off timecode, so we just integrated our firing system into the timecode, which contains relevant ‘deadman’ switches. This gives us ultimate control over the effects.”

Supervising QSFX’s involvement was Crew Chief Michael ‘Biscuit’ Morey and operating the show’s visual elements was SFX Technician, Kamal Canalp, who utilised his trustee wireless Galaxis to control the show.

Barnett furthered: “It’s a tried and tested system which makes our lives very easy on the road in terms of load-in and load-out times; we don’t have to run cables anywhere because it’s all wirelessly controlled. We’re continually trying to push the boundaries and come up with a better way of achieving special effects. It’s been a pleasure to play a part in the production and we’d like to thank Steve Nolan and Jeff Wayne for their continued support.”

VISUALS FOR THE END OF THE WORLD Located in the backstage caverns of The O2, TPi located Universal Pixels Video Crew Chief, Robyn Tearle. Having worked on Nickelback, Kylie, and Queen + Adam Lambert tours, Tearle closed the year with some sci-fi action.

“I was brought onto this tour through a longstanding relationship with Paul Wood. We go way back as we had worked together a lot at XL Video productions in the past, which is really helpful because we understand each other’s workflow.”

The wall of projection with two hours of cutting-edge CGI enhanced visual content provided big looks. The sizable white front projection screen surface - 80ft wide x 20ft high – enjoyed high quality projection achieved via 8 x Epson EB-L25000U 25K Laser Projectors; the on stage left and on stage right roller screens (5m wide x 8m high) boasted 2 x Epson EB-L25000U 25K

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Laser Projectors while The Journalist’s on-stage ‘Holonet’ Hologram DSC Gauze Screen (8m high x 8m wide) was made up of 2 x Epson EB-L1755U Laser Projectors.

“Liam Neeson’s character, which provides pre-filmed content is shown on L-R IMAG screens to give a 3D visual effect. His on-stage presence is also projected centre stage using Epson products; as opposed to projecting in 3D, the character is formulated by a thin sheet of fabric.”

Playback was made up of 2 x disguise 2x4 media servers (main and back-up). Framing the content was 2 x Hitachi SK-HD1200 camera channels with Canon XJ76 lenses at FOH, 2 x Agile ARC robocams, with one positioned underneath the Martian Fighting Machine, the other at FOH for stage management POV and an UP 3G block camera onstage covering the conductor, Jeff Wayne

APOCALYPTIC SOUNDSCAPE Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of The Worlds remains one of the most challenging pieces of music to portray accurately in a live setting. From the typography of modern arena spaces to the wealth of musical elements, from the band to orchestra, narration, acting and singing; playback and surround sound effects, over 140 input channels, the show’s audience has become accustomed to an unprecedented level of detail. The show is mixed entirely in surround sound and features original elements of Jeff Wayne’s 1978 score, alongside the live sound mix.

Shouldering the sonic pressure was TPi Award-winning Sound System Designer, Simon Honywill, who was on his fifth tour of duty, having first piloted the apocalyptic soundscape back in 2009. Three years later, Honywill was asked to mix the surround sound track for the concert film of Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of The Worlds, which was released in cinemas in the US and UK in April 2013. He told TPi: “It’s a slightly different audio design compared to the last tour in 2014; the front fills are different and we’re utilising a bit more PA.”

In terms of production, the inordinate amount of inventory provided by sound, lighting, video, pyro and stage / motion control suppliers presented a logistical nightmare for Nolan and his team. Fortunately, sound rental company, RG Jones Sound Engineering, has wide experience of this production. Honywill said: “RG Jones have been great. They’ve invested heavily in some great tour packaging, which has helped a lot. From my point of view, it has been excellent service, great support and it’s really welcoming. We’re like family, really.”

The audio vendor returned the show’s touring fold to utilise its longstanding relationship with manufacturer Martin Audio, and in particular, its MLA system. In late 2014, the show added a sound system design using Martin Audio’s flagship MLA system to create a superior soundscape that the show has enjoyed on its last three outings. Having again selected MLA as his PA of choice, Honywill was eager to extoll its unique virtues. “I wouldn’t do this show with any other PA,” he stated unequivocally. “In fact, I couldn’t do the show. One of the crucial elements is the narration and if the intelligibility is compromised people rightfully complain, as it’s an iconic part of the production. On top of that MLA just sounds awesome.”

Honywill’s primary task was to design a sound system that delivered the requisite power and fidelity and develop methods to accurately and reliably reproduce the complex surround soundscape in a range of challenging

Video Crew Chief Robyn Tearle with the team.

sonic environments. Some arenas seem determined to challenge this, often arced with glazed VIP boxes at the horseshoe end. Honywill acknowledged that this will generate unwanted reflections. “With music you can often get away with it, but it would destroy the intelligibility of the narration [with a conventional PA]. Fortunately, we can mitigate it by using the ‘Hard Avoid’ setting [in the Martin Audio Display software].

“In Nottingham Arena, for instance, it made a massive difference, and enabled us to focus the acoustic energy very effectively and reduce unwanted reflections for a large portion of the audience. It’s an absolutely invaluable technology.” Liverpool Echo was another venue where System Engineer Steve Carr, assisted by Matt Sussex, needed to ‘Hard Avoid’ the concrete wall which runs around the arena between the lower and upper seating tiers.

The design of the Martin Audio system had been slightly modified from the 2014 production with minor changes to the front fills, a bit more ordnance in the PA dept, and the fact that the hangs were pushed further upstage to preserve sightlines meant that bespoke measurements had to be undertaken to ensure accuracy of the optimisation.

In the tour’s 20,000-plus capacity venues, production fielded 20 x MLA elements per side, with 16 x MLA Compact providing outfills. To compensate for the slightly odd position of the main hangs, 8 x MLA Mini elements on each stage wing were focused at the front to keep the energy level off the stage, driven by Martin Audio multi-channel iKON amplifiers, which provided an elegant solution. Martin Audio DD12s covered the extremities of stage left and right front rows to maintain coverage consistency, while under the stage and at the base of the thrust were 16 x MLX subs in a spaced arc array. Towards the rear of the auditorium, there were two surround positions, each comprising eight W8LM Mini line arrays per side.

The quality of the narration - every word of Neeson’s was commentary highly intelligible - and meant it was never fighting through the context of

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a loud rock theatre show. That every word was crystal clear was due in no small part to MLA, and Carr’s programming expertise.

With the PA unusually set 2.5m upstage of the downstage edge, precision with optimisation was vital. “If I were to apply an existing measurement incorrectly, I could end up covering the front edge of the stage with PA. I have arrived at each venue well ahead of the crew, and were lots of benefits to that.

“The vital thing is that the whole stage is pre-rigged on the arena floor and once the lighting rig goes up, the whole monitor riser wheels into position and then generate my optimisation file for EQ and angles, load it into VU-NET [Martin Audio’s control software], and tune and time align each array.” But even then, I needed to remain alert. “There were times when I’ve done optimisations in the morning and then production have said ‘we need to trim the PA 50cm higher’ and I’ve needed to re-optimise it.” The speed that this can be accomplished in a time-critical environment is a measure of Martin Audio’s advanced technology and ability to adapt on the fly.

Honywill controlled his mix on a DiGiCo SD7 with Fader Expansion. With three fully loaded 56-input racks and an input count of 168 channels. As well as the band and 36-piece string orchestra, they alone occupied the majority of two SD racks. The balance of the high input count was made up from surround effects, playback and the six guest artists, each wearing a main and spare RF pack. The playback machines also generated time-code, which played a crucial part in enabling both Honywill and Monitor Engineer Becky Pell to mix the complex soundscape, while Ricky Spiers and Nathan Kennedy supervised stage and radio mics.

“DiGiCo is my console of choice,” Honywill added. “The SD7 extension allows me to have immediate access to more input faders, and the far-left fader bank is the system matrix, so Steve can access it without getting in my way. I also use timecode extensively. It’s easier to do mix changes. You can’t do it any other way on this show. For this tour, I’ve actually factored in less timecode because you can doze off,” he laughed.

A series of microphone brands came into play for the tour, including DPA, Jez Riley French and Shure. Honywill explained: “Sonically, it’s a big powerful show and it’s about making sure the vocals and the narration are up there. It’s not really a rock ’n’ roll show, but it’s rock music and yet

everybody is singing on headsets, so that’s the big challenge alongside the intelligibility of the narration.”

The percussion required a mixture of Shure and DPA microphones. DPA 4099s were specified for violas, cellos and basses; DPA 4061s for violins. For drums, Shure Beta 58s and 91s for kick, DPA 2011s for snare, hi-hat and overheads, while DPA 4099s were specified for toms.

Honywill also deployed microphone manufacturer and sound artist, Jez Riley French C-series Contact Microphones for the Persian tar and harp (which also featured DPA 4061s). French told TPi: “I’ve been designing and building these specialist contact microphones for some years now; their wide frequency range especially in the mid and low ranges allows for a very immersive sound from surfaces and instruments. They’re widely used by sound artists and composers like me, but also play a key role now in the fields of film, TV, games and theatre sound design.”

The guitars and keyboards were all Radial Engineering DIs. On-stage vocals were achieved by DPA 4088 headsets on a Shure Axial RF system. “On top of all that lot there are 48 channels of playback handled 2 x 24-track Fostex 2424 with fully redundant back up which drives the surround sound, which includes the original effects from the 1978 album.”

MONITORING & WIRELESS COMMS Situated stage right was Monitor Engineer, Becky Pell. Yoga therapist, sound engineer, and writer; the touring triple threat walked TPi through monitor world. “Simon and I have been good mates for years and we’ve both worked on Glastonbury each year. I’m a fairly standard rock and pop touring sound engineer so this tour was a step outside my usual arena,” she explained. “However, it’s been really fun, and I have to thank Simon for calling me to ask if I fancied coming to work on Mars!” she joked.

Pell also extended her back catalogue of mixing with the arrival of headworn microphones. “It’s a bit of a new world for me because I’m used to handhelds. This show is a hybrid of progressive rock, theatre and classical so there’s been a bunch of new things for me to work with like the headword mics and people referring to things in bar numbers. I’m setting scenes by bar now, which is very new to me but is essential for this production.”

The rock ‘n’ roll yogi opted for a hardwire IEM system solution for the orchestra. “We had 38 channels of RF because all of the guest artists and the

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band were on radio in-ears and half the band are on radio in-ears, while the guest artists are all on the radio mics. The RF coordination is a job in itself, which I take care of, so it keeps me pretty busy.”

Overseeing the playback and communications, as well as assuming the role of keyboard tech, was Project Engineer, Sam Mannis. The communications specialist was brought into the fold to bring a wealth of experience to the heavily timecoded show. “This arena tour was a really technically demanding and interesting production, I’ve really enjoyed being a part of it. Typically, large matrix communications systems aren’t heavily involved in a rock ‘n’ roll production but because of the scale of this show and as everyone is chasing timecode here, it’s essential.”

The fully redundant playback system was provided by James ‘Brew’ Henry, Breward at Production Audio Solutions. Mannis assumed Brew’s former role on the tour. “I was tasked with distributing the timecode to everybody and that underpinned the entire show and encompassed all departments of the production, so I worked closely with everyone to make sure they got the right numbers at the right time.”

Mannis specified a Riedel Bolero Wireless System, which included up to 6 full-duplex channels along with Riedel Artist Intercom and Clear-Com Helixnet Beltpacks, all supplied by Creative Technology. “This tour marked my first outing with Riedel Bolero, which is absolutely flawless. It is by far the best duplex wireless system I’ve ever used in terms of audio quality and RF performance.

As a DiGiCo pro, Pell opted for an SD7 and utilised the 3 racks (gainshared with FOH) to provide control. “I’m cut and dry DiGiCo. I love any DiGiCo that will do the job, but the SD7 is the Rolls Royce of a mixing desk and I couldn’t do it on anything smaller... I’m at capacity and I’ve filled her up,” Pell enthused.

The entire on-stage ensemble were on in-ear monitors (9 band members, 8 singers, the string orchestra and Jeff Wayne). In particular, Sennheiser G3 radio IEMs and Shure P9HW hardwired IEMs. On the technical

side of the production, for the 40th anniversary of his iconic masterpiece, Jeff Wayne utilised KLANG:technologies Klang:fabrik 3D IEM placement, which in his own words, added an “extra dimension” to the proceedings.

The orchestral conductor was introduced to KLANG - the world’s first truly immersive 3D in-ear mixing technology by Pell, who had previously road-tested its qualities on tour with Anastacia.

Pell recounted the story: “I first encountered KLANG when Karrie Keyes of the Soundgirls organisation asked me if I’d write an article about psychoacoustics, culminating in discussing KLANG’s technology and how it can help monitor engineers and musicians. I was keen to be involved and asked the guys at KLANG if I could take a demo unit out on my tour at the time - Anastacia - to have a play around with and get a feel for it. I was really impressed with the product, both with how it sounded and what it let me create, and also the fact that the space created allowed me to reduce the central element of a mix - i.e. vocal for a singer or click for a drummer - by as much as 6dB. That’s extremely significant in protecting hearing. What I also liked was the fact that it’s a very natural way to listen. KLANG is based on the science of binaural hearing - that is, how we perceive sounds naturally - so it’s far less fatiguing for the brain and ears to listen to than stereo, which is very unnatural. All of these elements led me to think that KLANG would be perfect for Jeff’s mix.”

Pell approached him prior to the tour and suggested that he listen to the KLANG demo and compare its 3D properties to stereo. He was immediately on board with the idea, recognising that the spatial placement on offer would be of great benefit.

She expanded: “The War of The Worlds is a lot more involved than your average rock ‘n’ roll tour - Jeff has created this beautifully produced album and my job is to recreate it as faithfully as possible. When he’s conducting, he wants to hear it in its entirety. It struck me that it’s a lot of information - 168 inputs to get into a stereo mix - and I had the idea that KLANG would help me to create space within all of that... to create depth and width and

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height and just be able to find separation in the midst of all these elements. It’s proved an absolute winner for him.”

The mix for Jeff Wayne represented the full range of his creation, with every aspect clearly audible. The KLANG 3D mix allowed for the placement of what might be described as ‘awareness’ elements - effects and surround sound - lower down and behind or to the side, whilst the more critical elements he is focused on are placed higher and in front. It is clear that he considers KLANG to be a significant step forward: “When I’m conducting, I’ve got a band on one side and a symphonic string orchestra on the other and with the KLANG system, the placement of those elements is very much as I’m seeing them, rather than just having a good general mix. The result is that it’s very much more alive - more 3D. I had a better balance in my head, so the sound quality was at a completely different level now than previously. I’d definitely like to stay with the KLANG system whenever I’m performing with in-ear monitoring.”

In practical terms, KLANG is a straightforward addition, as Pell confirmed: “It’s very user friendly and takes just a few minutes to get set up. Once it’s patched, I’m basically unaware of it. I have the icon on my computer screen showing where everything is, but it doesn’t actually affect the way I mix - it’s just there, set, creating lots of lovely space!”

Jeff Wayne summed up: “The system gives me this extra dimension. When I take into account the spatial placement it provides, it’s hard to see why anyone - bands, solo artists with musical accompaniment or any show - wouldn’t want to enjoy the benefits of KLANG.”

Pell praised the trusted audio vendor. “I used to work for RG Jones many years ago. I started my career there as a youth before going freelance; they’re really great people to work alongside. It’s like going home or seeing your family again. They’ve got a great bunch of people on this tour who know what they’re doing.”

EPILOGUE Celebrating its 40th anniversary, Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of The Worlds showed it has lost none of its momentum or ability to thrill. Constructed around its fire-firing, Martian Fighting Machine against the backdrop of a captivating wall of projection and a myriad of special effects; the production encompassed both trusted and the latest developments in touring technology. Four decades on, the latest chapter of the multimedia spectacular is an apt reflection of the virtuoso’s magnus opus, which has witnessed the project attract waves of devoted followers since its original release.

Evoking generation-after-generation of attendees, TWOTW has acquired critical acclaim along the way in the shape of two prestigious UK Ivor Novello Awards, the US Best Recording in Science Fiction and Fantasy, as well as Jeff Wayne scooping Classic Rock’s ‘Showman of The Year’ Award. He recently concluded on the official TWOTW website: “In June 1978, my original double album was released. I had no idea if it would vanish as quickly as one can say... “ULLAdubULLA!” But here we are today, celebrating its 40th Anniversary and seeing the newly re-mastered original double album sitting on top of the UK vinyl album charts. Bringing The War of The Worlds to life in many of the world’s finest arenas has been the most amazing experience for me over the last twelve years. We’ve achieved more than we ever thought was possible both musically and technologically.”

The tour is a visual and sonic spectacle thanks to the production crew, suppliers and roadies involved. At its core, the high-energy show held the conventions of theatre-come-rock show, but the overriding message is one of enlightenment.

In the 19th Century, the chances of anything coming from Mars were a million to one but in a 21st Century ravaged with uncertainty and artistry at every corner, a Martian Fighting Machine might just be a welcomed alternative. Furthermore, if the alien invasion of Earth does arrive to put us out of our current political misery, let’s hope the production values are just as gratifying. TPi Photos: Jessica Gilbert, Sarah Womack, Stufish & TPi www.thewaroftheworlds.com www.chromatic.co.uk www.timroutledge.co.uk www.suluko.com www.stufish.com www.brilliantstages.com www.q-sfx.com www.prg.com www.unipix.tv www.rgjones.co.uk www.jezrileyfrench.co.uk www.popcorncatering.com www.stagemiracles.com www.transamtrucking.com www.phoenix-bussing.co.uk www.production-audio.co.uk

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