Melanie Martinez’s world tour integrates a trio of ethereal narratives—her albums Cry Baby, K–12, and Portals, into one memorable performance naturally titled “The Trilogy Tour.” From North America to the UK and continental Europe, the alternative pop star brought to life the culmination of a ten-year vision with a Cohesion audio system in support, prior to a previously announced multi-year hiatus.
The technology on “Trilogy” needed to match Martinez’s expectations of an elevated, surreal fantasy production, and the audio was no exception. To help submerge the crowd fully into the highly theatrical performance, the PA would need to have a small, streamlined form factor and blend into the aesthetic of the otherworldly two-hour show. Finally, the audio system should produce full, consistent coverage to each seating area in every arena on a multi-continental tour.
A Cohesion PA was selected by FOH Engineer James “Mo” Butts, who has worked with Cohesion since 2015. He collaborated with award-winning Production Manager Paul “Arlo” Guthrie to ensure the audio system worked beautifully alongside the intricate lighting, staging, pyro, and many other elements of the imaginative show. The CO12 comprised the main, side, and rear hangs, and their low end extension permitted only a dozen CP218 II+ subwoofers to supplement. A series of CO8 along the edge of the stage helped bring the imaging down for the first few rows.
Fans crowded sold-out arenas from California to Cardiff, packing the 300 levels with dancing and singing along to crystal-clear vocals. The dynamic PA covered the full range of the show, from softly spoken lyrics to layered, ethereal wind noise and tree frogs atop alternative pop beats. From a central CO8 fill speaker hidden among fake moss and foliage to CO12 arrays flown as high as possible to disappear in the blackness above the stage, the audience’s suspended disbelief was upheld throughout Martinez’s awe-inducing set.
“This is the only PA that should be on her tours. It’s infinite with the amount of detail you can create. It doesn’t limit you in any way. It’s also infinitely dynamic. This PA can do anything you want it to. It’s so efficient, so precise, and so clearly what I want a PA to do.”
