Called “one of the greatest Latin artists of all time” by Billboard, as well as heralded as “the face of modern Reggaeton” by Pitchfork, Colombian singer J Balvin is at the top of his craft and only getting better. Having sold more than 35 million records worldwide and garnered dozens of accolades from the Latin Grammy Awards, Latin American Music Awards, Billboard Latin Music Awards, and MTV Video Music Awards, the Medellín-born música urbana superstar recently treated excited fans across North America to his 27-date Back to the Rayo tour in support of his latest studio album, Rayo.

Although Balvin first returned to post-pandemic touring last year with a European and UK run, his latest tour, with its Back to the Future homage promos, notably marked the artist’s first proper US and Canada trek in six years. PRG served as the audio, lighting, and camera provider for the two-month leg, which kicked off at State Farm Arena in Atlanta and wrapped at Portland’s Moda Center. For sound reinforcement, an L-Acoustics concert sound system was the first, final, and only choice according to FOH Engineer Joe Spitzer and System Engineer Eric Rogers, who were both touring with Balvin for the first time on this run.

“Joe [Spitzer] and I first met JB [Production Manager Jean-Baptiste Blot] and the Motion Music team on ODESZA’s A Moment Apart Tour back in 2017 and we’ve had a great working relationship with them ever since,” says Rogers. “When we were approached about doing sound for José [Balvin], management’s request was for us to design a PA that would provide ‘the best sounding reggaeton tour in the world.’ After taking L-Acoustics K Series systems out on a couple of ODESZA tours, we were confident it would be the right choice for this artist as well. Nothing beats K1 and its perfect complement, KS28, for sheer horsepower and fidelity.”

For most of the North American Back to the Rayo dates, PRG deployed main L-Acoustics arrays of 12 K1 over eight K2 per side, each backed by a hang of 12 KS28 subs in cardioid mode and flanked by out-fill hangs of 20 K2. To properly accommodate the show’s ample low-end, 18 additional KS28 were end-stacked in cardioid trios across the main stage face – each topped by a Kara II front-fill – plus eight more Kara II surrounding the stage thrust. For rear upper bowl coverage, PRG also flew an LCR setup of three pairs of L2 enclosures for delay. The stage PA was powered by 52 LA12X amplified controllers, with six LA7.16 for the L2 delays, and the entire system was driven off of two L-Acoustics P1 processors plus one DirectOut PRODIGY.MP in a redundant Milan-AVB loop.

“Full system coverage and response was pretty incredible for this tour,” Spitzer shares. “The majority of these rooms were A-market arenas with very tall 300 sections and deep corners that are always hard to cover with traditional arena deployments. Our box count and delay package allowed for a lot of flexibility, and the consistency in this system’s response definitely translated to the crowd, allowing José to connect night after night with all of his fans. It was a sight to see the upper sections jump just as high as the floor, and we all know they wouldn’t be doing so if the audio quality up there wasn’t 100 percent.”

Tight system directivity and articulation for a show like Balvin’s is imperative, and L-Acoustics Panflex came in quite handy. “For me, having eight K2 downs per side on the main K1 hangs was very beneficial for gain-before-feedback,” he notes. “We configured the K2 in a 90-degree pattern, steering HF away from the 60-foot thrust. José spends nearly the entire show on that thrust, in addition to time on a B stage located at front of house, and having the ability to manually steer energy away from the thrust was incredibly helpful and necessary.”

Up in the “nose-bleed” seats on the far end of the arenas, the tour’s deployment of PRG’s newly-acquired L Series enclosures was equally effective in getting the show’s sound where it was needed. “Adding delays to our touring rig was implemented very early on in the design process,” Rogers recalls. “The decision to use L Series for that was quick and unanimous. Their size and weight, along with their incredibly expeditious deployment, made them a ‘no-brainer.’ And, in use, the performance of L2 delays with their cardioid directivity absolutely surpassed our expectations. They ensured that the audiences in the upper sections had a coherent and intelligible experience similar to those in the front row.”

With reggaeton, bass is a huge element of the genre, and the combination of flown and ground-stacked KS28 subs reportedly delivered the goods. “The KS28 were a perfect fit for the gig; we had plenty of low end every night,” says Spitzer. “It wasn’t just about moving air; the subs were able to make sure the bass notes were heard in addition to being felt, which is incredibly important to me. It’s one thing to experience low end for the sake of air pressure, but another to couple that with bass notes you might not experience on other systems. Paired with the overall power, punch, and musicality that K1 and K2 both offer, this whole system absolutely knocked it out of the park each night. And, as always, the support from the L-Acoustics team was unmatched. That’s the cherry on top of a fantastic range of products!”