A two-year project representing an investment of $375m, the 20,000-seat Arena will host over 100 events a year including sports ranging from UFC, boxing, hockey and basketball to concerts and awards shows. A special concert featuring Nicki Minaj with special guest Ariana Grande followed the opening night with an upcoming schedule of shows that includes the Guns N' Roses reunion tour, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Billy Joel and more.
The MLA system, supplied by the Arena's preferred audio provider and MLA partner 3G Productions, was used for the opening show featuring the Killers and the Nicki Minaj-Ariana Grande concert that followed. It consisted of 16 MLA and 2 MLD cabinets per side for the main hang, 20 MLA Compact a side for out-fills along with 32 MLX subs (12 ground-stacked and four flown per side).
The crew for the event included Bryan Bazilsky (project manager), Kenny Kaiser (FOH engineer), Marty Beath (monitor engineer), Makoto Araki/Manny Perez (audio system techs), Craig Robertson (FOH tech), Jimmy Girard (monitor tech), Fumi Okazaki (Audio stage Tech) and Arturo Acosta (opening act monitor engineer).
Describing the event's planning, Delicate's Smoother Smyth said, "Due to our workload, it made sense to bring in the MLA system from 3G who are based in Las Vegas. They installed the PA a week before the Killers show for a 'soft opening' with Martina McBride, an event to ensure the ticketing systems, concession stands and security were all in place and operating efficiently prior to the opening night concert.
"As it turned out, there were no acoustic issues other than to say that the MLA system handled the 20,000-seat venue perfectly. This event had been looming on the horizon for quite some time and the show flow was much discussed. Thanks to a flawless performance everyone within the Killers camp was in great spirits by the end of the evening."
(Jim Evans)
