Anne Wilson, celebrated as a new voice of soulful inspiration in the contemporary music scene, has warmed the hearts of countless fans. Her breakthrough 2021 hit, "My Jesus," mixes her message of faith with moving vocals and dynamic lyrics and perfectly embodies her voice in the industry. The music video for “My Jesus” reached over 7 million views within its first week and since then, the single has gone platinum, forever putting her mark on the Christian music industry. Behind the scenes of this powerhouse artist is a crew dedicated to ensuring each live performance goes off without a hitch. Ann Wilson's front-of-house engineer and production manager, Aaron Padilla, is one of these backstage heroes.
Aaron’s desire to pursue audio and touring came early in life, “I was always watching all the awards shows, especially to see how they did the stage transitions…” He was enamored with the behind-the-scenes aspect of live productions. He quickly got plugged into his local church working with AV. As he honed his skills, he eventually decided to grow even more as a student at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Immediately upon graduating, he hit the road full-time. As many in this world can relate, myself included, in 2011, it was time to take a break from a life of touring: “I stopped for a while, I was gone 200 or so days a year, I needed a change, which led to a job at a church out in California.” Aaron explained that after staying on staff for over 10 years, he is back on the road and still impacting people and churches with each stop.
I was excited to catch up with Aaron when I did, as he and the crew had just wrapped up Anne’s own headlining tour, “The My Jesus Tour.” He was responsible for various responsibilities, including advancing the date, managing the stage setup, mixing FOH and monitors, as well as coordinating with the lighting director and systems engineer to ensure a cohesive performance.
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…after staying on staff for over 10 years, Padilla is back on the road and still impacting people and churches with each stop.
They traveled with a Yamaha PM3 console, managing 10 channels of Shure PSM-1000 in-ear monitors and 10 channels of Shure Axient Wireless mics and packs. “Anne uses a KSM-11 capsule on her mic, and the rest are simply Beta-58 microphones,” Aaron revealed. FOH and monitors are mixed from the PM3, with all inputs double-patched. This involves working with 110 inputs, including auxiliary channels and talkbacks. I had to ask if this was overwhelming for him, “the band's not super needy, they're very professional, and once things have been dialed in, it’s like a "set it and forget it" type thing.” Aaron continues, “I have a couple of different changes during this set when some of the guys switch positions, and they don't take their mic with them. I just have that on a user-defined and hit one button, and their mics switch for them.”
According to Padilla, “Anne uses a Shure KSM-11 capsule on her mic, and the rest are simply Beta-58 microphones."
For PA, they are carrying JBL VTXA8 --- eight boxes per side over three JBL VTX B28 subs per side provided by CTS AVL in Brentwood, Tennessee. He carries four additional A8 boxes for side fills that he can hang when needed or use as front fills on the stage. Lighting involves tying into the venue’s system for front lights and then they travel with (18) Elation Fuse washes, (12) Chauvet Colorado Batten 72s, (20) Chauvet Color Strikes and (12) Ayrton Beam fixtures. For this tour, the crew includes Aaron, a lighting director, a systems tech, and a backline tech. They also utilize Propresenter for video and lyrics, redundant Ableton systems for tracks, and all things then sync up via SMPTE and MIDI.
A typical day on the tour was busy; once the bus trailer and semi-trailer were unloaded at each stop, it took the crew about three and a half hours to get it all set up - thanks to experienced volunteers and local crew members who were hired as needed. After lunch, the crew focused on final touches, system checks, and tuning before a backline check, followed by the band’s arrival for a sound check. Load out was completed by midnight most evenings, just in time to move to the next stop.
Amid all the chaos, Aaron has found immense fulfillment back on the road. Embracing the daily challenges of having to modify their setup each night to the dimensions of the stage. “we have pictures sent for every room, which has helped a bunch to know better what we're going to walk it into.” He explains, “But then there are some venues where you and you're like, wait a second. Something doesn't look right. You found out they used a wide-angle lens or panoramic view when taking the photo.” Another hurdle he has faced is churches without someone in a production or technical director position on staff. He said, “I have had to make calls to the integrators, asking how was this set up and what is the best way we can tie in?”
As a former church TD, he knows the struggles we face and advises those in the church world to "Take care of your volunteers, and they will bend over backward for you. It's less about the production and more about the people." He emphasizes that volunteers are indispensable, and play a crucial role for them, and can make or break the tour's success.
… they head out with country music artist Scotty McCreery in the first part of 2024.
With this tour wrapped, they will finish 2023 with a few one-off dates and conferences. Then, they head out with country music artist Scotty McCreery in the first part of 2024. Beyond the hustle and bustle of touring and the challenges associated with working in varied venues, Aaron’s story is a testament to the dedication and passion of the people who work behind the scenes to deliver a seamless performance every time the countdown hits zero and the lights dim.
