Rock for your Rights Sydney Cricket Ground

Australia is headed for a Federal election this year, and the battle lines have been drawn over the Howard Government’s contentious Industrial Relations laws. The Trade Union movement has been mobilizing against the laws with large rallies and events in the run-up to the election with a rally and march from Hyde Park to the Sydney Cricket Ground on 22 April 2007.

A huge line up of performers provided entertainment for the 40,000 crowd at the SCG.

Johnston Audio was engaged to provide an audio system that would meet the artist’s requirements as well as providing complete ground coverage with full clarity for the various speeches delivered during the event.

Bruce Johnston designed a V-Dosc system to cover the audience area which included the hallowed turf of the SCG and Members, Ladies, Brewongle and Churchill Grandstands.

The left & right main system arrays each consisted of 12 V-Dosc and 3 dV-Dosc cabinets. The 24 Wayloud dual 18” subs were arrayed per side in a main block of 9 and an additional side block of 3.

Two delay towers each with 8 V-Dosc cabinets provided coverage to the back of the grandstands. The in-fill system comprised 12 x ARCS cabinets.

Bruce Johnston decided that the best way to attack the sound was to have the main system 50m (160ft) apart and cover the inside with the ARCS cabinets. “With only 2 main hangs at the front I felt it was best to run the system as wide as I could. I’ve done this many times with the Oasis stadium shows with great results. The sound was amazing and the stereo field was even more so. All the engineers commented on how good the sound was”.

With 16 bands, 2 songs per act and 5 minute changeovers presenting an interesting logistical challenge, Stage Manager Stephen Zagami and his team of 4 stage hands kept it all running smoothly and on time. Johnston Audio provided 4 of their new Checker Deck rolling risers for the stage.

Performers included Screaming Jets, Hoodoo Gurus, Something for Kate, Missy Higgins, Mark Seymour, Beasts of Bourbon, Kev Carmody, Richard Clapton, You Am I. MC for the event was former Midnight Oil lead singer – and now Member of Parliament – Peter Garrett.

Crew

FOH Design and Mix - Bruce Johnston
Monitor Operator & Crew Chief - Paul “Kenno” Kennedy
FOH Rigger - Nicholas Brunney
V-Dosc System Tech - Peter “Spud” O’Leary
Delay Rigger & Audio Hand - Matt “Boz” Boaro
Monitor Rigger - Scott Barry

System

40 x L’Acoustics V-Dosc cabinets
6 x L’Acoustics dV-Dosc cabinets
24 x Wayloud Dual 18” subs
40 x Lab Gruppen amplifiers
16 x Crown VZ5000 amplifers

Consoles

Midas XL4 - FOH
Midas H3000 – monitors

Monitors

14 x Nexo PS15 wedges
4 x Nexo Alpha- e side fill

Staging

3 x Checker Deck rolling riser systems