I get into the venues in Manchester for free as a friend is involved with local production,during one sound check I commented on how dry the sound was,the engineer told me that it was the monitor mix,once the arena was filled with 16,000 mobile baffles that would warm up the sound.
He also told me regarding the "feel of the bass" it is in fact a form of the Heimlich manoeuve as your lungs are a hollow void the LFE slightly collapses the lungs forcing up your diaphragm.
Bass players cannot often hear what they are playing they go off feel,as an example Geddy Lee has used bass cabs suspended under the stage and Mani from The Stone Roses/Primal Scream leans on his bass cabs.
I cannot comment on other venues around the world but in Manchester the venues provide their own in-house engineers these set up the sound as they have intimate knowledge the rooms acoustics,an offer is then made to assist during the show,the touring bands' bean counter may or may not take up the offer,in the latter case the bands soundman is left on his own to juggle a sound in an unfamiliar room.
