Birmingham, UK (April 22, 2024)—Easter Monday was a big day in Birmingham, as one of biggest acts ever to come out of the city, UB40, played a concert at St. Andrews @ Knighthead Park stadium at the end of the day’s match, using the opportunity to not only entertain but also announce a new album, UB45, and kick off a world tour. On-hand to make it all happen in under 15 minutes was UK audio provider 22live, which went well beyond using the house system.
22live leader Paul Timmins explained, “I always wanted to do this really unique event with the Martin Audio option. Over the years, I’ve put out many perimeter pitch-side systems, delivered half-time shows, and presented playback gigs at sports events … but there has been nothing quite like this.”
Adding to the pressure, 25,000 people came out for the game and show, a sizable bump up from the typical 19,000 that attend the team’s matches.
A two-tier stage was built in a block of empty seating used to separate home and away fans. “The seats were removed, and the staging company built a two-tiered stage because of the raking—set high up to avoid obscuring sightlines,” said Timmins. “Although big LED screens and lighting were able to be flown from the roof, in view of weight loading, audio was always going to be a pitch side perimeter speaker system.”
UK’s 22live Partners with Martin Audio
Each audience stand in the stadium required its own audio approach when it came to covering it with Martin Audio P.A. stacks on carts, he added: “The Main Stand is quite shallow and didn’t need as much power as the Kop side, so I chose WPS, four stacks high. On the Kop stand, I used WPCs, four high because I needed more power. At the Tilton End, I used WPC, three high, because I knew I could get away with less, with just two stacks WPS four high required on the Gil Merrick stage end—because coverage was only required on either side of the large center section.”
Each stack was supported by an SXH218 sub; additionally, TORUS T1230 speakers filled dead spots in corners between the Gil Merrick and the Kop stands, and T1230s and an SX118 subwoofer provided reference sound at the FOH mix position, which was located underneath the stands.
When the game ended—with the home team ending a losing streak and winning, no less—fans used the break to hit the bars, but the sun came out during set-up, and 20,000 returned to catch the hour-long show. Summing up, Timmins said, “It was one of those days where everything worked. To have the P.A. rig built and deployed in just 12 minutes from the final whistle was remarkable.”
