In our band we break the cardinal rule and have the pole mounted PA cabs slightly behind our 'ears line' and therefore the mic line. Careful setup is necessary to avoid feedback but it works for us in terms of overall foldback.
Like all of us here I guess we try and moderate levels to the needs of the gig (much louder if there's a lot of soft furnishings and closeup people, etc.) but err on the louder side so we keep people's attention and the level of 'excitement' up. Also, a large Mackie sub helps.

John


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