Shure microphones help make “Rockin’1000 – That’s Live” reality

Well over 220 Shure wired and wireless microphones, including the Shure SM58 and SM57 as well as ULX-D wireless microphone systems, were amongst the live gear making the dream of over a thousand volunteer musicians a reality on July 24th, 2016 in Cesena, Italy.

In May 2015, a small band of fans of the US rock group the Foo Fighters from Cesena, in the central Italian state of Romagna, decided that they were fed up with travelling long distances to see their favourite band every time they toured. The Foo Fighters hadn't played in Romagna since 1997, and had no plans to return. Led by Fabio Zaffagnini, the friends decided to stage a live performance of the Foo Fighters song 'Learn To Fly'. The plan was to have 1000 musicians playing simultaneously, film the performance, and send the video to the band in a bid to convince them to add Cesena to their next tour. As Zaffagnini explained: "If you really want something, you have to be ready to beg. It works better if there's 1000 people behind you." The project succeeded beyond everyone's wildest dreams: the video of the performance, which was entirely crowdfunded and carried out by volunteers, received over 30 million views on YouTube and went viral. Within days, Dave Grohl, the Foo Fighters' lead singer, had responded on-line, and in November 2015, the Foo Fighters opened their next European tour in Cesena's Carisport stadium. The 1000 musicians who participated in the original Rockin'1000 video were allowed in for free.

Inspired by this success, Fabio Zaffagnini decided to repeat the experience and build on it, organising Rockin'1000 — That's Live, an entire concert of rock music played by another mega-group of over 1000 volunteer musicians. Again, what began as a crazy concept became a huge success, with over 1200 musicians performing on July 24th at Cesena's Dino Manuzzi Stadium to a crowd of over 14,000 onlookers.

The concert featured 250 drummers, 250 guitarists, 250 bassists, 30 keyboard players, 30 violinists and even 30 bagpipe players, all playing a selection of hits by David Bowie, AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, the Beatles, the Clash, the White Stripes, and Led Zeppelin, forming what may have been the biggest rock band of all time. To get a sense of the power of the band in action, check out this clip of 'the 1200' performing David Bowie's Rebel Rebel:

Microphones and amplification for this groundbreaking concert were supplied by Italian technical services company Roadie Music Service, supported by Shure's Italian distributor Prase Media Technologies.

Following weeks of technical preparation and planning, Shure microphones were used throughout the event, by all of the musicians, the conductor Maestreo Sabiu, the leaders of the individual groups of the musicians, and the technical support staff. Over 170 wired mics were deployed, including Shure SM58, SM57, Beta 52, SM81 and Beta 98 A/C, but because many of the musicians were mobile during the concert, wireless microphones were also used, including 56 channels of Shure ULX-D digital wireless system. The Shure AXT600 Axient spectrum manager was used to analyse and monitor the wireless frequencies being used in the stadium during the concert.

Following the runaway success of Rockin'1000 — That's Live, rumours are swirling that Fabio Zaffagnini and the Rockin'1000 team are already planning future volunteer-based events on a similarly grand scale. More information will no doubt be made available at www.rockin1000.com in good time.

About Shure Incorporated

Founded in 1925, Shure Incorporated is widely acknowledged as the world's leading manufacturer of microphones and audio electronics. Over the years, the Company has designed and produced many high-quality professional and consumer audio products that have become legendary for performance, reliability, and value. Shure’s diverse product line includes world-class wired microphones, wireless microphone systems, in-ear personal monitoring systems, conferencing and discussion systems, networked audio systems, award-winning earphones and headphones, and top-rated phonograph cartridges. Today, Shure products are the first choice whenever audio performance is a top priority.

Shure Incorporated is headquartered in Niles, Illinois, in the United States. The Company also has regional sales and marketing headquarters in Eppingen, Germany, and Hong Kong, China, with more than 30 additional manufacturing facilities and regional sales offices throughout the Americas, EMEA, and Asia.

About Shure Europe GmbH

Shure Europe is a wholly owned subsidiary of Shure Incorporated. Established in Eppingen, Germany, the Company’s regional headquarters provides sales, marketing and technical support for its distribution and channel partners within Europe, the Middle East and Africa.