They made the Line 6 Spider Sound GOOD?!

A band using a pair of Line 6 Spider Stacks taught me a valuable lesson. Despite a lot of other musicians bashing the electric guitar amps, the way this band used them really impressed me and opened up a whole new world of stereo possibilities. Don't fall into the trap of being a gear snob! You might miss out on the bigger picture.
This situation taught me a bit about sound reinforcement, and introduced me to the idea of stereo imaging on stage in live sound applications for guitar. This technique made their band sound really big, while keeping it all tight and together. It also showed me that you might not need tube amps to create an impressive result. I was really big into tube amps (still am) but this was one of the first situations where saw a digital solution upstage a classic analog solution. Nowadays, a LOT of guitarists and bands have moved to digital amplication for live sound, and the glory days of tube amps seems to be fading. A lot of my favourite artists are using Kempers for live shows; such as All Time Low, Atreyu, Trivium, Architects, Mark Hoppus from Blink 182, and SO MANY MORE. A lot of guitarists for major pop acts use the Kemper as well. It's not all young muscians going this route either, some legacy bands like Tears for Fears use Kempers for live shows.
There has been a big shift happening in live sound over the past decade, and we’re seeing a lot of big acts ditching their tube amps, and using more digital systems like Kemper, Axe FX, Neural DSP Quad Cortex, Line 6 Helix, Headrush Pedalboard, Boss GT-1000, the list goes on.
Line 6 was one of the brands that pioneered this digital guitar amplification revolution. We laughed back then. But who's laughing now?
What do YOU Think of this? Would you run your band's cabs in stereo in this way?
I’d love to hear your perspective in the comments below.

[@codykilpatrick5091]

A good EQ can make anything sound good - understanding how to mix in a band setting is invaluable! At the end of the day its all airwaves baby.

[@Levisrad]

That’s the big thing I’ve been learning lately. I used to think “if the gear is expensive it must sound good” but it really depends on how its used & if that person knows how to use it in a mix well.
Tone is in the… brain?!

[@BandolierMusic]

Brilliant and creative solution! Using their gear to its full extent. 😊
I've been personally hesitant to move away from tube amps, but you can't argue with the results of digital solutions in large stadium shows. (As an audience member!)
I've only heard a Kemper in person once (that I know of) at The Palomino in Calgary. I had high hopes as I saw them setting it up as I had heard so many good things about them, but ultimately I was underwhelmed. It sounded just as fake as digital amps from my youth... It was probably a bad setup on the part of the guitarist and not indicative of the true potential of the amp though.
Great video, as always!

[@Levisrad]

Thanks!
Interesting to hear that about the kemper! I still haven’t tried one yet, but its high on my list. Its been mind blowing to me to see so many artists go that route. Makes me think there’s something to that.
I too have been hesitant to go more digital, and I think a lot of guitarists will be hesitant as well.
They say “don’t fix it if it ain’t broken” so for a lot of musicians the tube amps will still likely be the best tool for the situations they’re in for years to come.
For night time practice with headphones, I have to use digital, so that’s been the best tool for that situation. Its taken a lot of fiddling but I’ve finally gotten pretty happy with the sounds I can get using Bias Amp 2 which is a digital plug in.
Thanks for the detailed & constructive feedback! Definitely cool to hear your experience with it!