When I returned the headset I wore to tune into an in-theater wireless soundboard feed during last week’s Umphrey’s McGee show at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre, the guy working behind UM’s merch table summed up the lure of the headsets simply. And accurately, as it turned out:
“Blocks out all the bullshit,” he told me.
Plus, they sound amazing.
If you’re a concert junkie who spends most of your disposable income on shows and prefer a distraction-free experience — zoning into the music being performed on stage in front of you — I’d recommend giving these headphones a listen at your next Umphrey’s show.
Who hasn’t found himself irritated, uncomfortably standing next to a group of clueless, self-absorbed, cell phone-texting gabbers at a show whom you just want to slap in the face as you erupt into a Bob Weir-inspired “STFU?”
(Unfortunately, the headphones can’t do magic — they wouldn’t allow me to unsee the dude wearing a skintight pastel tie-dyed onesie with a fanny pack wrapped around his waist during this Halloween eve show.)
Another draw is taking the concert with you wherever you go at the venue. You can duck out of the theater and into the lobby, merge into a crowded beer line and still not miss a note.
“It’s kind of a trip taking a whiz and listening to the show at the same time,” joked Umphrey’s McGee manager Kevin Browning, the originator of this unique concert experience.
Actually, it’s no joke. I did that too. A couple times.
All this said, I was admittedly skeptical about this concept when Umphrey’s started promoting a “groundbreaking live experience” the band is calling “Headphones and Snowcones,” named after an Umphrey’s song title.
It’s an in-concert rental of “high-fidelity Audio-Technica headphones, allowing fans to experience the sonics of UM in absolutely unparallelled quality,” the band’s promo said.
It meant laying down an extra $40 on top of a ticket price for something that seemed so unnatural.
That payment includes a free soundboard download of the show, which I would have bought anyway, for $12.95.
The band puts a $500 hold on your credit card in that unlikely event you get a little too destructive in the pit and break the headset, some wookie douses it with beer and shorts it out or you depart the show in a different stratosphere and forget to return it.
The thought of toting a headset around at a show also struck me as a clunky inconvenience. But, hell, I figured it was the night before Halloween. I’d just rent the headphones and arrive as a deejay.
I wrapped the headphones around my neck before the show and stuck the receiver in my back pocket.
Another factor I weighed was the Kirby’s sound system, which I’ve always considered excellent among most Pennsylvania venues.
I removed the headset a few times during the show to find out how different the soundboard feed sounded from the house audio was. The headset actually made the Kirby’s house speakers sound muffled.
It was like listening to a live download of the show in real time. I could zone in on each of the band’s players and hear each one crisply, down to drummer Kris Myers crashing cymbals.
Ever feel left out when you can’t quite make out a band’s between-song banter with the crowd?
With the headphones, I felt like I was having a conversation with Brendan Bayliss as he spotted someone in the audience wearing a Gumby costume and randomly noted, “Gumby, you’re freaking me out man!”
I could also clearly hear the “Woo-hooing” and other cliché shouts of fans below the stage. At one point, some dude near the front row shouted, “Yo homey, can I get a setlist?”
After taking all this in, I’m frankly surprised other bands haven’t thought of cashing in on this technology sooner. It’s an innovative revenue generator for bands at a time when people just don’t buy actual albums.
I suspect more bands will be following Umphrey’s lead and offering the same experience at shows sooner, rather than later.
I should also mention I saw a couple friends at the show who were tempted to try the headsets yet reluctant, worried about taking some sort of ear fungus home with them.
Rest assured, Browning said, the headphones are thoroughly scrubbed down and sanitized by the road crew after each and every show.
UM now offers 40 pairs of headsets at each show. The band rented all 40 at both its Boston shows in back-to-back nights in recent weeks, Browning said.
Browning said he’s not aware of any other band that offers a direct soundboard feed at its shows.
“Back when I used to do engineering and recording for the band, I used to put my headphones on my family and friends around the soundboard,” said the Chicago-based Browning.
“I remember their faces lighting up. They would say, ‘I never heard this kind of music with this kind of fidelity.’ Over the years, I had the idea to do this, but I never had the ability to execute it.”
Until he graduated to the position of band manager a few years ago.
Browning has been with the band since its inception — about 17 years ago. He met them while attending Notre Dame, where he studied history and government. He learned all the techie stuff while touring with the band.
“The idea is using radio frequencies to broadcast a signal that’s being transmitted and received via the headsets,” Browning explained. “Ultimately, it was the ability to share a very intimate, high-fidelity experience with the fans.”
“Even in a great sounding room, there’s only a few exceptions where you’re not adding a level of clarity. You take all the artificial and environmental factors out of it. You’re really able to hone in on the nuance and detail.
“It’s not meant to replace the concert experience. As you know, it’s an addition to it. It’s not for everybody every night. It’s meant to be an add-on for when you really want to immerse yourself in the music.”
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