The 18th FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) World Cup got underway at the 66,000-seat Allianz Arena Stadium in Munich, Germany with a colorful, imaginative opening ceremony. A huge multimedia production contrasted contemporary rhythms with contemplative segments. Host nation Germany chose to portray both the traditional and modern aspects of its heritage, as Bavarian folk musicians, hip-hop dancers and rap artists shared the stage with 120 world-beat drummers and percussionists. Sirius Showequipment of Frankfurt provided sound reinforcement services for the global event.
Sirius Showequipment, with supporting equipment and crew from Crystal Sound, was required to pre-stage the entire portable sound system, and craft a logistics and technical plan that would move the entire sound reinforcement system onto and away from the arena field while preserving the condition of the playing field. The solution included a total of 13 mobile carts, each fitted with four VT4889 line array elements. A compact rack with Crown MA-5002VZ amplifiers was coupled to each array.
With minimal time to remove the system prior to the start of the first soccer match, the audio team rehearsed the system setup and takeout on custom carts with the same precision required of performing artists in the complex, choreographed ceremony. Representatives from JBL and Showequipment report that the entire production went off without a hitch, bringing high-quality audio befitting the importance of the event.
For more information, visit www.sirius-ag.net and www.jblpro.com.
