The recent Trilogy Tour has been confirmed to have selected a complete JBL VTX A Series arena sound reinforcement solution provided by Sound Image / Clair Global to power headline performances by Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull in arenas across North America.
In 2023, three iconic artists Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull teamed up for the North American Trilogy Tour, with three distinct headline performances each evening. The 2023 leg of the tour kicked off on October 14 in DC and included stops in New York, Miami, Houston, Las Vegas and more and wrapped up December 16 in Vancouver. The 2024 leg kicked off on January 30 in Fresno and included stops in Denver, Austin, Toronto, Nashville, Atlanta and more, before wrapping up on March 10 in Tampa.
In order to deliver arena-ready mixes with balanced coverage, detailed clarity and maximum impact, Enrique Iglesias’s FOH Mix Engineer Brad Divens collaborated with Pitbull’s FOH mix engineer Will Madera and Ricky Martin’s FOH mix engineer Jorge Frontera to specify a complete JBL VTX tour sound reinforcement system.
“I was introduced to VTX on a previous tour with Brad and Enrique Iglesias, and for the last 6 or 7 years VTX has been on our rider,” said Madera. “The first time I listened to it I fell in love with it. It translates my mix very well. I love the low end and the definition of the mids and highs. It has that pop rock sound that I like very much. It was a unanimous decision to go with JBL VTX on this tour, and it was definitely the right choice.”
The Trilogy Tour’s JBL VTX sound system featured a total of 96 VTX A12 with a main hang of 20 boxes per side and side hangs of 16 boxes per side, and auxiliary hangs of 14 speakers. To deliver a strong and controlled bass presence, the team specified 42 VTX B28 subwoofers, with 24 subs flown with the main array, and 16 subs on the ground in front of the stage. The crew also included 12 VTX A8 speakers stacked on top of the ground subs to deliver front fill coverage.
“The coverage and impact from that system is incredible,” said Brad Divens, FOH mix engineer, Enrique Iglesias. “I like the punch, the clarity, I especially like the top end, it’s so smooth and airy and very present. The vocal quality is great coming out of it. Everything seems to sit right where you expect it to be. It’s right in your face but not aggressive. There’s no downside to the VTX system. It goes up quickly, it’s efficient, and powerful. The system is at 100% and it can do anything. I’ve mixed on every single possible rig. JBL VTX is the rig I choose. I’d put it up against any other rig.”
Both Madera and Divens praised the quality of work by Bill Chase, the tour’s systems engineer, and expressed that they had total faith in the JBL VTX sound system’s ability to translate their mixes consistently night in night out in different arenas on tour.
“Bill Chase is our system tech, and he’s really good at making it sound the exact same every day in every different room – which is the hardest thing to do,” said Madera. “The JBL system performed consistently on this tour, which makes our jobs easier. It’s been one of my best experiences touring yet, no complaints whatsoever. It’s great to be able to hang out with incredible engineers like Jorgito and Brad. I look up to their mixes, they’re incredible at what they do. It was a great learning experience.”
