San Francisco, CA (October 4, 2023)—Since they were first introduced last year, Meyer Sound Panther loudspeaker systems have been touring the world with stadium acts like Ed Sheeran and Metallica, but now they’re going to also be heard by audiences a little closer to the Bay Area manufacturer’s home. UltraSound, another company with deep roots in the rich history of San Francisco’s post-1960s music scene, recently installed the first Panther club system at The Fillmore, a mainstay of the city’s music scene since the days when Classic Rock was merely Rock.
Operated by Live Nation since 2007, the 1,200-capacity Fillmore has had Meyer Sound systems for nearly 30 years, and the team there was ready to keep that going forward. Matt Lawsky, on The Fillmore staff since 1999 and principal production manager since 2011, explained, “We had first looked at a Leopard solution, but the timing worked out perfectly because, just when Live Nation gave us the green light, Panther had come out. UltraSound recommended it, and the cost was a wash because with Panther we need only seven boxes per side whereas Leopard would require 10 or more. So, we went with the very latest Meyer Sound technology. Off-the-shelf solutions don’t work here. We have bespoke demands, and I’m grateful for the way that Meyer Sound, UltraSound, and our crew from IATSE Local 16 have worked hard to tailor this solution to our needs.”
San Francisco’s Outside Lands Festival Marks 15th Anniversary
In addition to the seven-each Panther arrays, the new system also includes two Ultra-X40 compact loudspeakers as front corner infills plus a third Ultra‑X40 for overhead center fill. Interim bass power is supplied by six 1100‑LFC low-frequency control elements, pending replacement by the newly introduced 2100-LFC elements later this year. Artist foldback is courtesy of ten MJF-210 high-power stage monitors.
The Fillmore’s status as a rock mecca is inescapable, but Lawsky is focused on delivering an amazing experience at every show. “This is not the ‘Fillmore Museum.’ This is here, this is now. We are a working rock’n’roll dive that just happens to be exceptionally famous.”
For Meyer Sound founders John and Helen Meyer, the new system is just part of a long tradition of supporting the region’s arts scene. “We came to shows here in the Sixties, so this is special,” Helen Meyer recalled at the system’s inauguration ceremony.
