How to resolve AdBlock issue? Shure at the 65th GRAMMY Awards
Live from Los Angeles’s Crypto.com Arena, the 65th GRAMMY Awards featured heart-warming tributes, a fair share of surprise twists, and many jaw-dropping performances supported by Shure wireless audio technology. For another year, Shure Axient® Digital wireless microphones were relied on by the show’s highly skilled production teams and the world’s most iconic musicians and celebrities, including the evening’s host, Trevor Noah. Nearly every performance of the night implemented Shure PSM® 1000 in-ear monitoring systems, totaling 28 channels with 160 Shure P10R bodypacks. Overall, this year’s GRAMMY Awards relied on 59 channels of Shure wireless.
The entire broadcast was helmed by a team of veteran audio engineers and sound technicians, including audio producer, Michael Abbott, production mixer, Tom Holmes, and music mixers, John Harris and Eric Schilling. Front of house was overseen by production mixer, Jeff Peterson and FOH music engineers, Ron Reeves and Mike Parker. Monitor engineers included Tom Pesa and Andres Arango. “Shure’s PSM 1000 was a staple of this year’s GRAMMY Awards. We relied on more channels of PSM than any other year before,” said Arango.
"Having just completed the 65th annual Grammy Awards, I always rely on Shure microphones in creating the sound for the broadcast music mix,” shared Schilling. “Shure mics are used in several areas of our music performances, including featured performers. This year I was able to use the Shure KSM11 head on Mary J. Blige and Lizzo with great results."
Music’s biggest night was taken to “Higher Ground” with a performance of the classic Motown song from legend Stevie Wonder. Joined by Chris Stapleton, Stevie’s spirited vocal performance was captured by a Shure KSM11 cardioid condenser vocal microphone paired with a Shure Axient Digital wireless transmitter. The KSM11, which was released last year and has revolutionized the production of live vocal performance, was also used by Smokey Robinson, one of MusiCares’ most recent Persons Of The Year, who joined Stevie for a rendition of his song, “Tears Of A Clown.”
Before receiving her monumental award recognition for Record of the Year, Lizzo took to the stage with a gospel choir, plenty of optimism, and a Shure KSM11. Lizzo empowered audiences around the world with her hit, “Special.” Lizzo’s monitor engineer, Rico Gonzalez, diligently oversaw the performance, trusting Shure Axient Digital to flawlessly capture the magic. "The KSM11 is a new standard. The clarity helps Lizzo’s vocals stay in front of the mix with little effort," said Gonzales.
The GRAMMY Awards continued with an iconic performance from Mary J. Blige, who gave the audience a stunning vocal presentation of her single “Good Morning Gorgeous.” The singer touted a custom gold KSM11 capsule and Axient Digital transmitter that matched her striking outfit and brought her stellar voice to audiences tuning in to the show around the world.
Honoring the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop, a multitude of storied artists paid tribute to their history with renditions of classic tracks. As part of the celebration, LL Cool J performed a segment of “I Can’t Live Without My Radio” on a custom gold Shure transmitter. Later, Busta Rhymes traded verses of “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See” and “Look At Me Now” on the legendary SM58® wireless microphone.
Taking to the stage for the first time at the GRAMMY Awards, country artist Luke Combs also trusted Shure, singing his recent hit, “Going, Going, Gone.” While he admitted to being nervous ahead of the performance, Combs’s vocals shined on a classic SM58 capsule / AD transmitter combination.
Each of these performances were made possible with Shure Axient Digital wireless technology, supplied by ATK Audiotek and Soundtronics. ATK Audiotek provided the sound system design and implementation for the entire awards show.
As with every GRAMMY Awards, frequency coordination played a crucial role in managing the staggering amount of wireless used throughout the show. Steve Vaughn, Soundtronic’s RF Coordinator, managed this task expertly with the support of Axient Digital and, for monitoring, Wireless Workbench®.
“Whether the GRAMMYs are hosted in Vegas or LA, I can trust Shure digital wireless to provide reliable support in the world’s most challenging RF environments,” said Vaughn. “Wireless Workbench gives me the control and flexibility these large-scale events demand.”
Shure Artist and Entertainment Relations Specialist Jenn Liang-Chaboud shares, “As always, we’re proud to have Shure gear play such an important role in this event. Hats off to the team of engineers, technicians, and musicians who make the GRAMMY Awards shine each year.”