Sennheiser Rocks With Prince At Superbowl XLI

Sennheiser helped Prince reign with an electrifying performance at Superbowl XLI.
Conditions were not ideal for any electronic equipment, but the most critical item, Prince's chrome-plated Sennheiser wireless vocal microphone with a Neumann capsule, took the rough weather and the singer's rough handling in stride.
"My big worry was that Prince's mic was going to get soaked and quit working," said James Stoffo, who has been in charge of wireless systems for the musical entertainment segments of the Super Bowl for many years.
"Although there was a spare standing by, the vocal microphone, which pairs a chrome-plated handheld Sennheiser SKM 5200 wireless transmitter with a Neumann KK 105-S capsule, never stopped working, even after getting knocked around and thrown to the stage by Prince. "It worked the whole time, even though he was slamming it around and throwing it around in the rain," said Stoffo.
Kicking off with a rousing chorus of Queen's "We Will Rock You" that neatly segued into, "Let's Go Crazy," the opening track from the "Purple Rain" album, the no-frills halftime performance highlighted Prince's often-underestimated guitar playing. Florida A&M University's Marching 100 stormed the field to the strains of the intro to "1999" before joining Prince for "Baby I'm A Star," followed by a series of covers - Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary," Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," and the Foo Fighters' "The Best of You" - before the grand finale, the rather apposite "Purple Rain."
Performance sound equipment supplier AudioTek Corp. of California brought in Sennheiser 3000 series RF receivers for the event, notes Stoffo, which he installed in the rehearsal space for Prince and his band. A Sennheiser EM 1046 receiver rack, shipped from Professional Wireless Systems, ensured rock-solid reception of Prince's vocal mic.
Prince makes use of three chrome-plated Sennheiser/Neumann hybrid handheld wireless vocal mics at his 3121 Club, where he performs several nights a week at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas.
The quality of the RF at Dolphin Stadium during the halftime festivities is a fitting tribute to launch Sennheiser's 50th anniversary year of wireless technology.
(DS/SP)