By Brian Grahn, Regional Sales Manager, Clear-Com
The 2026 NAMM Show is a wrap! I’ve had the privilege of working the past few years with the talented technicians and producers who make the Yamaha Grand Plaza stage production possible, and this year’s intercom deployment was bigger and better than ever for NAMM’s 125th anniversary celebration. Our system was a small but critical part of the production workflow, helping teams coordinate the three days of live performances, including the Yamaha Night of Worship and the Yamaha All-Star Concert.
For some background, I’ve been with Clear-Com for a little over 3 years, supporting customers in live events and broadcast productions of all sizes across the Southwest US as a Regional Sales Manager. I lean heavily on my many years of live production experience from mixing FOH on large festivals, to working RF coordination at sporting events, to project management and technical direction for large corporate events. This experience helps me understand what teams need on both the technical and operational sides of setup.
The performances this year featured a mix of rising and established artists, including The War and Treaty, Alana Springsteen, Sheléa, and Ethan Bortnick. What makes this show technically interesting is the need to balance the festival style turnover of several bands playing one after another during the day with more of a corporate-style concert presentation later in the evening. All of the production systems require the flexibility and reliability to run for 10+ hours a day, and change configuration on a dime with a moment’s notice in a high-pressure environment.
At the center of this year’s Clear-Com system was the Arcadia Central Station, managing streamlined configuration and interconnectivity across our wired and wireless platforms. We opted to use FreeSpeak Icon and FreeSpeak II beltpacks in the 1.9GHz frequency band for reliable and robust wireless connection across teams. The HelixNet digital wired platform allowed us to drop beltpacks and speaker stations for stationary positions, and V-Series IrisX panels gave Lighting Designers and Stage Managers ample keysets for flexible control over multiple channels at once.
We also integrated remote clients using Gen-IC Virtual Intercom in the cloud connected through our LQ Series interfaces on-premise. This let offsite team members participate in real time, extending the intercom system beyond the physical venue.
During setup and show days, the intercom system supported a wide cross-section of the production team, including technical artists from audio, lighting, and video disciplines, plus stage management, prompter operators, and show producers. Having everyone on comms from load-in through strike was critical, especially given the pace of the show and the number of moving parts involved across multiple performances.
There were short windows of changeover between performances during the day, so communication was crucial to keep the train on the tracks. The intercom system allowed teams to coordinate patching changes, efficiently line check instruments, and discuss lighting needs and video direction calls, without slowing down the overall schedule. In many cases, it was the glue holding together the many disciplines of production on-site.
The flexibility needed for this show became even more crucial when Stevie Wonder made a surprise appearance, adding an unexpected layer of complexity to an already tightly scheduled show. With minimal notice, the production team relied on Clear-Com systems to quickly align stage management, audio, and technical crews, ensuring everyone was on the same page for cues, transitions, and timing. Being able to adjust communication workflows on the fly helped the team support a surprise VIP customer without disrupting the overall production.
Outside of show execution, NAMM also provides valuable opportunities to connect with Partners and users on site. It’s always a pleasure to talk through real-world workflows with customers, observe how teams are actively using systems in a live environment, and share feedback informed directly by the demands of the show. Those conversations help reinforce how communication solutions fit into broader production ecosystems.
Here are a few things I take away from this setup that apply to any large live show:
Working this event reinforced how important powerful and flexible communication systems are for complex live shows. Clear-Com solutions allowed the teams on-site to operate efficiently and stay connected across all aspects of the production.
Every year at NAMM I learn something new about live-event communication. The lessons from 2026 will guide how we support other shows, helping production teams work confidently and keeping operations running smoothly.