Enough Already - This Time The SoundMan Is Taking Names

It's a rare event that SoundMan gets to attend a concert as a patron and one such event was just a little over a week ago. To celebrate the occasion he has consented to giving us the following review.

Johnny Winter - Cyril Lance - The Flying Anvil - Greensboro, NC

Writing a review feels strange to me. I'm asked all the time what my favorite band is and my response is always the same - all of the ones that pay me. After all I am a SoundMan by profession and it's bad business to tick-off your clients. It's best to keep your opinions to yourself and work with the artist to make them sound like the stars that they are. Not that I don't have any opinions. Just hang around with me on my down time and you'll discover that I have an opinion on EVERYTHING and I'm more than willing to share them. But what the heck - it's gloves off time.

First a couple of disclaimers. The electric guitar is not SoundMan's favorite instrument (personally I liked Edgar Winter better) and I was there as a representative of the Eastern Music Festival but was not the sound-dude for the show.

I like geezer shows if they haven't lost their chops (after all SoundMan is getting to be a bit of a geezer himself some say) and Johnny Winter has not lost his chops - hearing definitely - but not his chops. Unfortunately a lot of geezers need to steep aside and let the new generation have their turn. I would rather shake their hand and get an autograph than witness another humiliating performance of a once great artist, but like I said, Johnny was on his game that night.

Unfortunately, I can best sum up the show with the following picture of the sound preasure level as measured on the night of the show for Johnny Winter's set.

It's one of the SoundMan's worst nightmares, dueling guitars fighting a death mach for dominance in a small cement room and both of those guitar amps were for the same Legendary guitarist.

Now don't get me wrong, SoundMan likes his sound BIG, but there is big and then there is painful and 113 db SPL of screaming guitar for over an hour was more big than the SoundMan could stand. I would have given anything to have borrowed the 'cone of silence' from the TV show Get Smart for the night (OK -so I'm giving away my age with that reference). Now just in case you were one of those that blamed the house sound-guy for the carnage to your ears, think again. The only channels turned on in the PA during Johnny's set was his and the drummers vocal microphone when they sang or spoke. The only name on the nuisance complaint should read JOHNNY WINTER. Believe me, the PA in that club is not able to compete with that much guitar. You could have just left. There was no one blocking your exit.

As for the opening act - I'm sure they were good - I just can't remember much about them after Johnny performed. Dain bramage I'm afraid.

Now for the morel to the story - I saw no one leave until after the concert but that does not mean it wasn't painfully loud, it just means that the audience was willing to be assaulted with sound to SEE Johnny Winter perform. There were plenty of complaints to go around AFTER the show. If your band is not Johnny Winter and you want anybody to stay to see you play other than a few deaf friends and family members then keep the level on that guitar rig turned down. When you are playing a small room use a small amp or put it outside with a mic on it and if you are lucky enough to play the coliseum I'm sure Johnny will let you borrow his rig.


The Flying Anvil - You were great hosts, really, and the SoundMan applaudes your vision, but even though you did not have control of Johnny's guitar level, the News and Record is already calling you the Boom Boom Room or something like that. If the rumors are true and the big corporate entertainment machine, RX International, swoops in and takes over the N Club and Sky Bar you might want to squash the noise NOW and fix the room acoustics.