A new reinforcement system based around Meyer Sound PANTHER large-format linear line arrays has landed for a summer residence at the Cadence Bank Amphitheatre in North Atlanta’s Chastain Park, where the summer concert series is promoted by Live Nation and Music Matters Productions was again selected to be the audio supplier for the season.
“We supply the ‘stacks and racks’ of the system, while most touring acts bring their own front end and monitor packages,” notes Music Matters senior account manager David Lowell. “All acts are required to use our house system, so our new PANTHER rig will be up for every show until the summer series ends in October.”
The 2023 summer shows kicked off in early May with a performance by Jill Scott, but no other Live Nation shows were scheduled until singer-songwriter Charlie Puth on May 28. In the interim, Music Matters’ new PANTHER system traveled to the University of Georgia at Athens for commencement ceremonies at Sanford Stadium on May 12. Later, the rig was deployed at the Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Alpharetta for back-to-back concerts, first with Hank Williams, Jr. and the following evening with the Atlanta Symphony performing the works of John Williams.
One reason for selecting PANTHER line arrays for Atlanta’s Chastain Park venue, according to Lowell, is the touchy issue of noise control in a largely residential area. “It’s a delicate balance, getting enough level for rock and R&B acts while containing most of the sound inside the venue,” he says. “The precise pattern control was a big selling point for PANTHER. We’ve only done a few shows so far, but at this point, everybody is pleased with the results.”
Music Matters committed to an investment in PANTHER even though, at the decision point, the company principals had yet to hear a system. “We had a tight deadline to meet, having ordered the boxes in February and with a show the first week of May. But they arrived on May 1, we flew them on May 3, and everything went up and tuned perfectly. We were ready to go.”
As configured for the Cadence Bank Amphitheatre, the system comprises left and right main arrays of eight-each PANTHER loudspeakers with two LEOPARD compact linear line array loudspeakers per side. For center coverage, they are using two short arrays of three each LEOPARD loudspeakers flown with four LEOPARD loudspeakers being used as front fill. Deep bass is augmented by four flown 1100‑LFC low-frequency control elements per side. The loudspeakers are driven and processed by two Meyer Sound Galileo GALAXY 816 processors via the AVB Milan protocol.
For the events at the larger Ameris Bank Amphitheatre and at Sanford Stadium, the system was expanded to 12 per side PANTHER arrays and, for the music shows, 12 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements. Prior to the opening shows at Cadence Bank Amphitheatre, Meyer Sound tech support came on-site to assist in initial system tuning. “That’s one thing I love about Meyer,” says Lowell. “You don’t have to beg them. You know they will come in and be there for the first gig to make sure everything is right from the start.”
The new PANTHER system represents the fifth generation of Meyer Sound loudspeakers used to support concerts at the Chastain Park venue since the early 1980s, according to Lowell. Provided by Music Matters since 2018 and other regional Meyer Sound partners before then, the prior systems were based on MSL-3 and MSL-4 loudspeakers followed by MILO and LYON line arrays.
A cross-section of other concerts scheduled for the Cadence Bank Amphitheatre in 2023 includes The Indigo Girls, Barenaked Ladies, John Fogerty, Jason Mraz, The National, Sting, and Chicago. First opened in 1944 as the North Fulton Park Amphitheater, the 6,900-capacity venue is owned by the City of Atlanta and has been known as Cadence Bank Amphitheatre since 2019.
Music Matters Productions, with offices in Atlanta and Salt Lake City, is a supplier of event production services and technologies, including audio, video, lighting, and staging as well as creative conceptualization and permanent installations.
