Hard of hearing Sir Elton fans get personal remixes on farewell tour
HARD of hearing Elton John fans attending his farewell tour will be able to use an app to help them better hear his music.
Sir Elton will provide audience members with a device that can control the volume of instruments in real time, making the music more accessible for those with hearing problems.
A full 48 years after he released Tiny Dancer, Sir Elton’s ageing fan base can now control the volume of his vocals, guitar, keyboard, drums and bass by wearing headphones and using an app.
The 72-year-old artist said the technology would “revolutionise the way fans listen to live music”.
The app is the result of a collaboration between the singer and PEEX, a company he worked with for four years prior to the start of the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.
In a video to announce the technology, Sir Elton said he was “passionate about giving my fans my best possible performance and making sure they get the best possible experience.”
He added that throughout his 50year career, “playing live has always been so important to me” and that “nothing quite beats the sound of a live concert”.
Patrick Vosgimorukian, the PEEX chief executive, said there was no limit to how many people could use the technology.
He told the BBC: “For people who are hard of hearing, which essentially you do have locations in the concert hall where they can come and hear, this allows them actually to be anywhere in the concert hall.”
Concertgoers can choose to hire a device, which is worn around their neck and connects to headphones.
A digital audio signal is sent from the instruments to radio receivers worn around fans’ necks, syncing this with the sound of music from the speakers.
The device is then connected to an app that allows the user to turn the volume up or down on five different channels. The ability to personalise sound has been praised by charities representing the hard of hearing.
Jesal Vishnuram, the technology manager at Action on Hearing Loss, said: “This is a great example of how technology enabling people to personalise the sound to their own unique preference can help those living with hearing loss. As everyone’s hearing is different, this allows each person to adjust the sounds they can and can’t hear to enhance their listening experience.”
She added that “lyrics are often lost” when listening to music, meaning the ability to “turn down lower frequency sounds” would allow people with hearing loss “the opportunity to enjoy music again”.
Sir Elton’s tour, which has consisted of more than 300 shows across five continents, will come to the UK next month, starting with the O2 in London on Nov 2.