2005 NFL Season Kickoff Game

The NFL has had a long tradition of making its season ending championship game, the Super Bowl, one of the world’s largest media and entertainment events. Amidst the clamor and action there is a game that finally gets played. In the weeks leading up to those last few hours of football there is much planning, installation and rehearsal of a major broadcast production. In the past few years the National Football League has focused on the beginning of its season as well, with the NFL Kickoff game.

Since 1998, ATK Audiotek has provided the NFL with sound reinforcement for the Super Bowl that is second to none. The depth of that task reaches beyond the confines of the stadium as ATK has equipment and personnel positioned at press, media events and rehearsals during the weeks leading up to the big game. In the case of the Kickoff game, ATK had to reshape its focus to what it is more traditionally accustomed to, which is a one night, live television broadcast seen around the world. The show was staged at the home of last years Super Bowl champs, The New England Patriots, in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Working as a vendor for the production company (Wild Cherry Productions), the job was to supply a sound system solely for the pre game show. As with Super Bowl, the sound system had to retain its rapid mobility. For this, ATK chose to use its “Super Bowl” audio carts, each supporting a cluster of JBL PA cabinets. The carts then ringed the playing field supplying uninterrupted sound coverage for the entire stadium. As soon as the show was over, the carts are quickly moved out of the way for the game to commence.

Entertainment for this year’s Kickoff game included Santana with Michelle Branch, Green Day and Ozzy Osbourne. Perched high atop the stadium, and one thousand feet away from the nearest audio mix position, Trisha Yearwood sang a live rendition of our National Anthem. Green Day performed entirely live, positioned at the stadium’s North end. As all of these performances during the show unfold, what is not seen is the miles of cable, stacks of equipment and teams of technicians and audio mixers that keep pace with the live event. The Santana performance stage assembled from over twenty mobile pieces during a short commercial break. Monitor speakers and microphones included, appearing like magic to the viewer at home.

ATK is no stranger to this level of production. The planning requires a custom approach of creating a system that fits the event. After all of the intricate planning, the end result was evident as thousands in the stadium, and millions around the world, witnessed a flawless string of performances packed into one short hour.

As entertainment becomes more intense at these large events and producers wish to trump the year before, ATK keeps its edge by staying one step ahead in planning, implementing and performing when it counts. And, as any NFL team will agree, every win counts.