The Sound of Procol Harum at Aarhus

Niels Mikkelsen • 16 March 2013

Wonderful concert with Procol Harum, but spoiled by unintelligent and deaf sound engineers

We were there. With the symphony orchestra and choir, and Gary Brooker and Procol Harum fit for the fight!

We got the great numbers - including In Held 'Twas In I. Great, and Gary Brooker's voice is still great and beautiful and in excellent shape. Great musicians and great synergy with orchestra and choir.

But – despite the fact that the concert hall has really fine acoustics the apparently untalented and deaf audio engineers managed to destroy the large and beautiful sound. Much too loud sound pressure. All instruments fed through a simple right/left stereo- image and through monstrous amplifiers in a primitive left/right PA sound. Canned  “loudspeaker-sound”  rather than living PH music. It’s a pity and a shame.

Our ears howled and screamed in the loud passages. The trumpets, timpani, violins and flutes of the orchestra disappeared into a porridge of 120 dB ear-saturated sound pressure in the rather small (but very fine!) concert hall (1,600 seats)

Why let ignorance destroy such a great experience and unique opportunity. Deaf and untalented sound engineers is becoming more and more a serious problem

So – all friends rebel! – against this infamous tyranny and let the music play instead!. Let the drums be drums and let the guitar run on its own Marshall perhaps with a little assistance from the PA system. Let the acoustic symphony-orchestra be acoustic,  perhaps with a little assistance from the PA system. But try! and you will hear how good it might sound. Kick the ash on the stupid engineers and let the music play instead.  

Please – dear PH fans. Tell Gary next time you meet him. I have waited forty years for In Held 'Twas In I, and I lost it due to ignorance and stupidity. Go now!  And make a revolution against deaf and bad sound engineers.

Procol dates in 2013