Moers Festival 2009 with contour as technical general contractor

Whitsunday in Moers has become a fixed date for contour. The legendary avantgarde festival in the lower rhine region offered four days of finest live music from all over the world to music lovers and crew.

The stage concept
Alongside to strict guidelines for a maximum sound level the time schedules are to maintained to the minute. Only the first band of the day has the opportunity to do a sound check and the stage time for each band, including a line check, is fixed in the schedule. To comply these guidelines technically means to have a well-rehearsed stage crew on the job, which needs to know their job to master the very short change-over times. Oliver Müller, Sebastian Wendt and Björn Wiesehöfer form the stage crew's backbone since three years and were supported by Manuel Knorr and Jan Ralf Stürkat this year. A sophisticated rolling riser-logistic on a roudabout-basis, drawing curtain systems in the ducts, triple microphone sets with accessories as well as prepared snapshots on the DiGiCo desks pose the optimal preparation. The first show day ended on the spot at 11 o'clock p.m., as expected... "I love it when a plan works", project manager Frank Kasper rejoices.

 

Artist's portraits with friendly permission from Oliver Heisch - Eventfotograph


The sound concept
Sound engineer and "Jazzpert" Martin Pohl as well as system expert Björn Wiesehöfer installed a creamy sound system setup for this year.
The for this 6-mast-tent proven Meyer Sound M'elodie line array was supported in 2009 by the new UPQ-1P in a flown center position, and one flown UPA-1P per side supplied the outfill area left and right of the stage. Six UPM-1P worked as nearfill in front of the stage and two arrays of three M'elodie were flown 8m away from FoH as delay. The main system ended before the tent's rear wall in order to avoid unwanted reflections.
The special part in the sound setup was formed by the new V-SUB array in the stage center. Two "endfired" quadruple Meyer Sound 600HP, arranged in 90° to each other, form an acoustic cardoid which matches perfectly to the audience arrangement. An optimal sound distribution with equable levels for the audience together with an ideal cancellation on the rear stage.

The light concept
What does the matching light concept for a festival with over 20 bands, presenting individual Jazz from all parts of our world, look like? Which light moods support the music and how can a lighting crew prepare for such a task ideally?
Martin Conradt, being set as light designer and operator since 2008, caused enthusiasm amongst artists, technicians and promoters last year with his motto "Let the Music In". On-the-spot placements of impressive athmospheres and perfect timing at firing numerous dynamic effects showed an extremely soulful use of the art and energy that is on stage for eight hours a day.
"Well done", the art director Reiner Michalke commended the lighting designer after the first festival day 2009 and his beaming face showed much more enthusiasm than the words only could tell.
Together with Francesco Resch, who began his job as lighting system engineer by creating clear CAD plans and took care of material planning in the office and the installation on the site as well as adjusting the lights teamed with Martin, both impress by their verve for light and colours. "You can only do this job, if you are on it with passion, or else you better let it be", Francesco says about his task, and whoever knows him realizes why contour so enormously appreciates his services for quite a while.