JBL Presents The Who: Pro Sound Comes Home™
JBL sponsorship of The Who’s 2002 tour.
JBL and The Who – A Legendary Combination.
JBL, the leader in professional, home and automotive sound, is the official sponsor of the U.S. summer tour of The Who, one of the most influential bands in rock-music history. Music professionals who record, mix and master sound rely on JBL loudspeakers at every step.
Members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and creators of the first rock opera, Tommy, The Who has electrified listeners since the sixties’ pop music “British Invasion.” The Who has left an indelible mark on the music world with its thrilling recordings and live performances, including a recent appearance at The Concert for New York City, benefiting the heroes of last September 11th.
1960s JBL introduces Legendary 4320
Paul Bente, President, JBL Consumer Products, noted: “JBL could not be more proud and excited to be the sponsor of the upcoming Who tour. The Who and JBL are an ideal combination; The Who is one of the legendary bands of rock and roll – and JBL loudspeakers are legendary for their exceptional sound quality in the concert hall and at home. In fact, The Who and JBL were there at the original Woodstock in 1969 – and, today, The Who and JBL are rocking the world more than ever!”
Gallery
Pete Townshend on JBL and the Upcoming Tour.
Interview by Guitar Center.
JBL. The first memory I have is of an audition with our post-school band The Detours. We were hoping to get a summer season with Butlins, a holiday camp circuit in the UK. On the auditions were The Tremeloes with Fender guitars and amplifiers they hauled on stage quickly and played expertly. They would get a job. We didn’t, we were just kids really. But afterwards I spoke to them and asked about the amps – The Shadows used Vox amps. They told me that these amps – one of them was a big Bassman combo – had JBL speakers; that’s why the sound travelled so well.
A few years later I bought my own first Fender amp – a Fender Pro with a 15″ JBL. John McLaughlin sold it to me. I was a Steve Cropper fan, and getting his sound was my main aim. JBL’s then were legendary. There were other good speakers, but JBLs looked good, and sounded extraordinary. The treble penetration was what was so good.
At The Who’s first studio – Ramport (where we recorded Quadrophenia) – I used 12 JBL 4350 speakers set up in 6 pairs for a kind of 5.1 sound (long before 5.1 sound was invented). They were devastatingly loud, and great. Playbacks at Ramport were orgasmic.
Today I use JBL speakers everywhere in my life, at home and studio. I still have several sets of 4311s, and lots of smaller speakers I like to use rather than those funny Yamaha things everyone loves. I use big modern JBLs for my cinema set up at home. (I use the cinema rig as a test bed for my 5.1 mixes as well.)
- What were the motivations behind doing this tour?
Friendship, keeping our hand in, keeping Roger from going nuts, keeping John supplied with houses, keeping me supplied with JBL speakers.
- Are there any differences between this time out and last?
We will play a wider range of stuff. We want to include difficult songs like “I Can See For Miles”, “Listening to You I Get the Music”, “Eminence Front” and “Love Reign O’er Me”.
- How’s your hearing situation and does it affect what you’ll be doing live this time?
My ears are just fine. I stopped early enough to prevent trouble. Remember, I stopped touring in 1982 with The Who. Since then, and I’ve had to accept a lot of sneers because of this, I’ve been very careful to slowly work up to where I think I am safe to play live again.
- What instruments will you be playing on tour? What about amplification?
I play Fender electrics and Gibson acoustics. I use Fender amps now. Mixed speakers. 3 x 10-Inch JBLs in the top box, 2 x 12-inch JBLs in the bottom.
- What are your plans for recording (in October)? Are you writing material yet for those sessions?
I am not sure yet how it’s going to work out. I am not writing yet, no. I think we have to be very careful not to set ourselves up here – we need to make a good record, but I do not personally have time to f--- around making a record we may not put out. So I won’t waste my time with too much experimentation.
- Do you have a home studio or demo studio that you use to record or write? What’s in it and what do you think about the equipment you have?
I have a home studio, yes. I have an 8-track Studer 820 1-inch analog machine. An old Neve board and some valve compressors made in 1967 by a friend. I can still get my old sound. Since 1985 I’ve been using Synclavier and I still love it. But I also use RADAR and sometimes a Mac running Digital Performer (DP3), for when I work with outsiders.
When I record people in my studio they weep with frustration that they can’t just live and work in there for life like I can. I’m good. My kit is good. And I feel so lucky to have enough space for such great – but space-greedy – equipment.
I also have a big studio with several rooms. That has the last remaining old Focusrite board in the world, 48-track RADAR and analog machines. I have a video post-pro suite with a Sony DMX mixer, RADAR and Mac stuff for 5.1 mixing. I also have a Mac mastering room using SPARK XL, and an editing suite for video using a Mac with Final Cut Pro and a Matrox card.
I still like to fiddle around making films too – so the studio is rigged for low-end MiniDV video shooting. It’s fun from start to finish. I really hope I work with studio kit in the next life; I never get bored with it.
Music, though, I wouldn’t mind leaving behind sometimes. Just can’t get it out of my head.
JBL Presents The Who – Schedule Dates.
Come on out and spend some time with us on the tour. Who knows, you could go home with free JBL apparel or gear! The dates and locations for The Who’s U.S. summer tour are as follows (subject to change):
- Las Vegas, NV, The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
June 28
- Irvine, CA, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
June 29
- Los Angeles, CA, Hollywood Bowl
July 1
- Mountain View, CA, Shoreline Amphitheatre
July 3
- Marysville, CA, Autowest Amphitheatre
July 4
- George, WA, Gorge Amphitheatre
July 6
- Mansfield, MA, Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
July 26
- Camden, NJ, Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
July 27
- Hershey, PA, Hershey Park Stadium
July 29
- New York, NY, Madison Square Garden
July 31
- New York, NY, Madison Square Garden
August 1
- New York, NY, Madison Square Garden
August 3
- New York, NY, Madison Square Garden
August 4
- Auburn Hills, MI, Palace of Auburn Hills
August 23
- Tinley Park, IL, Tweeter Center
August 24
- Noblesville, IN, Verizon Wireless Music Center
August 25
- Grand Rapids, MI, Van Andel Arena
August 27
- Columbus, OH, Polaris Amphitheater
August 28
- Holmdel, NJ, PNC Bank Arts Center
August 30
- Wantagh, NY, Jones Beach Amphitheatre
August 31 Please note: JBL does not sell tickets. For ticket information, please visit Ticket Master.
JBL Presents The Who – Equipment.
Sound services for the tour will be provided by Clair Bros. Audio (Lititz, PA), one of the world’s leading rental-system providers. Clair Bros., which has relied on JBL loudspeakers for more than 30 years, will supply The Who with a concert audio system having in excess of 120,000 watts of amplifier power. The custom systems used by Clair Bros. feature JBL drivers and components, chosen by the company for their sonic performance, high-power-handling capability and long-term reliability.
Michael MacDonald, President, JBL Professional, added, “The Who will truly be heard at its best, thanks to Clair Bros.’ state-of-the-art concert sound system, which utilizes JBL’s latest and most advanced drivers, components and technologies to deliver remarkably clear, powerful and articulate sound quality, even at rock-concert levels.”
Bill Curbishley, The Who’s longtime manager, said: “We are extremely pleased that JBL is sponsoring The Who tour this summer. It’s the perfect partnership – JBL, the world’s most respected name in concert and recording studio sound, supporting the incredible power and energy of The Who in live performance. Thanks to JBL’s marketing and promotion efforts and the unsurpassed sonic impact of JBL live-sound reinforcement, show-goers will experience the most exciting Who concert tour ever this summer.”
JBL Presents The Who – Links.
Pro Sound Comes Home™! Listen to The Who on JBL loudspeakers in your home or your car.
Just like the professionals use.
The official site for news, history and projects for Pete Townshend.
The unofficial site for The Who, with pics and more.
Artist interviews and just about everything else for musicians and music lovers alike.
For ticket prices, information and seating charts.
