Adamson Provides the Total Package for New Kids on the Block

	PA tech Mark Phillips; system engineer/audio crew chief Kyle Walsh; FOH engineer Kevin Elson; monitor engineer/RF tech John Eline; monitor tech Nathan Fenchak; PA tech Marty Tarle

Nostalgia sounds mighty sweet on New Kids on the Block's Total Package tour thanks in large part to a high-performance audio system comprised of Adamson Systems Engineering's E-Series and S-Series loudspeakers, supplied by Cleveland, Ohio's Eighth Day Sound.

The Total Package tour finds the beloved five-piece boy band hitting major arenas alongside Paula Abdul and Boyz II Men, bringing their energetic and dance-heavy performances to '90s nostalgia seekers and new fans alike. Considering the range of styles represented by the three acts, a dynamic and consistent loudspeaker system was critical.

"I chose the Adamson E15s for this tour after testing them out side-by-side with some other high-end boxes," comments New Kids' front-of-house engineer, Kevin Elson. "I'd read earlier reviews of the system from FOH engineers I have a lot of respect for, and they were all loving its sound and performance."

The system for the Total Package tour features main hangs of 15 Adamson E15 three-way, true line source enclosures, and three E12s as downfills per side. The side hangs feature 12 E15s and 3 E12s per side, and when required, arrays of 12 S10 two-way, full-range compact boxes are flown as 270-degree fills.

"I've been working with Adamson products since Eighth Day Sound first became a partner," comments Eighth Day system engineer and audio crew chief Kyle Walsh. "First off, it's a great box to rig, and the sound is powerful and consistent across the board, with no audible transition between the E15s and S10s when walking around the venue."

With ground space at a premium considering the elaborate stage set-up, the crew opted to fly the Adamson E119 subwoofers in arrays of eight per side and have been more than pleased with their performance.

"The marriage of the subs to the full-range boxes is very, very smooth," Elson notes about the system. "Overall, everything has been great, even in some challenging arenas. It's very detailed from top to bottom and the vocals are very present, which is obviously critical to a group like New Kids on the Block. It feels like I'm working with a high-SPL reference studio monitor that enables me to reproduce our vision of the sound into detailed reality."

Elson also praises his partners from Eighth Day Sound, noting that the unique stage set-up necessitated plenty of advanced collaboration for speaker placement and alignment.

"Eighth Day has been very supportive with any and all needs that have come up on the tour," he says. "The Adamson education and support team has also been very helpful, and I appreciate having that depth of support to go with such a great sounding system."