Bad sound makes a bad concert experience

A f riend went to see Emmylou Harris last week at the Tivoli Theatre. He had good seats in the balcony and enjoyed the concert as a whole.

But there was a major problem.

“She gave a great concert, but the sound engineering was terrible. It was so over- amplified and distorted I couldn’t understand the vocals. I have been to concerts and musicals since the ’60s, including the Tivoli, and don’t remember any sound problems that bad. I was in a party of seven and they all had the same opinion.”

Outside of an artist giving a by- the- numbers, lifeless performance or coming out too drunk or messed up to play ( I’ve seen a couple of shows like that), bad sound is one of the worst experiences you can have at a concert, especially for acts whose lyrics are key to the enjoyment.

I went to see the Turnpike Troubadours a couple of weeks ago at the Walker Theatre and experienced the same problem. Lead singer Evan Felker was a muddy mess most of the night.

The Troubadours’ lyrics are a huge element of their music, one of the best things about them. I know all the words and still had trouble understanding them— although the incredibly raucous crowd still sang along at the proper times, apparently unconcerned with the sound quality.

Most acts carry a sound man with them, knowing that musical clari ty is a key to an enjoyable s h ow. S o meti mes a sound man is just plain lousy but, unless it’s a Shawn Ryan band member’s brother-in-law or good buddy, most acts will jettison a bad sound man. The job is too important.

Sometimes an act doesn’t get a sound check before the show, which can be seriously detrimental. Oddities and quirks in each venue must be taken into account.

Still, even bands that you expect the vocals to be a bit obscured can do a good job sound- wise. I saw AC/ DC four times and the vocals always were audible, even though Angus Young’s guitar was front and center.

Same is true for Ozzy Osbourne when he was in Black Sabbath back in the ’70s. A storm of thunder from the band, but you could still hear him (although the 1975 concert as a whole was one of the worst I’ve ever seen).

Dylan mumbles so much it’s hard to understand him, but his sound — vocals and band — is usually clear.

The point is that vocals, even for artists whose lyrics are bone-dumb (AC/DC anyone?), should be prominent in the sound mix. Otherwise, you are missing an integral part of the music.