This just came up on FB posted by
https://www.facebook.com/WoodstockElders1969 There's a photo if you want to see what his kit looks like.
"For this tour – Zak has arranged an all-electronic drum kit. It LOOKS normal, as it’s a custom-build gold DW drum set. But if you look closely at photos from rehearsals or our other shows, it has black drum heads and black cymbals. Black and gold – a cool look! – but these are actually Roland V-drums and cymbals triggering a set of acoustic drum samples. The sound is fairly accurate – it has dynamics and he can play different parts of the cymbal and get different sounds, just like “real ones.” In our case, we gained a few MAJOR things: controllable volume – we can have his levels adjusted for each other person (like Roger’s in-ear monitors, and Pete’s floor “wedge” speakers.) In addition – no microphones, so our sound guys have a lot less to set up and worry about. Also – no Plexiglas/Perspex. Zak is clearly seen and can talk back/forth to people without needing a microphone.
Yes, it’s still different to a real drum set. We now have some benefits, like consistency, control of the sound, and less drum tuning and changing of heads. Zak’s drum technician (Laurie Jenkins) has designed and implemented the setup, and is doing a major job keeping it all working and sounding good. I doubt most people would ever realize these are not “real” drums during a concert, it’s not that obvious. Were we not on an orchestral tour, I have no doubt they’ll go back to the acoustic drum set. It’s nice to be able to take advantage of recent improvements in technology, while keeping a firm foot in what’s good about the past."
