Folk balladeer Passenger crafts delicate songs that tell stories. In his trademark
raspy warble, he sings in vignettes, delivering lyrical beacons of truth within
immersive narratives. Known off-stage as Michael David Rosenberg, the English
musician began writing songs at around age 14, leaving school at the age of 16 to
pursue a music career by busking in the streets of England and Australia. Passenger
was initially the name of Rosenberg’s band, but when it dissolved in 2009, he kept
the name for his solo work.

In 2012, his career took off with worldwide hit single “Let Her Go,’ a bittersweet
ode to moving on from a relationship. In addition, Passenger began touring with
good friend and fellow English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. With seven albums
under his belt, Passenger released an eighth this fall, titled Young as the Morning,
Old as the Sea.

Now on tour in support of his new album, Passenger is relying on support from a
Meyer Sound LEO Family reinforcement system provided by UK audio hire company
Major Tom Ltd. The majority of shows are in large auditoriums and smaller arenas,
where the system employs main hangs of 34 LEOPARD line array loudspeakers with
bass support from eight 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements.

For the largest venue of the tour, Amsterdam’s 17,000-capacity Ziggo Dome, the
main hangs comprised 12 LEO and six LYON line array loudspeakers, with the
LEOPARD loudspeakers re-configured as side hangs. Completing the Meyer Sound
roster are four M’elodie line array loudspeakers, four JM-1P arrayable loudspeakers,
four UPA-1P loudspeakers, and two Galileo processors.

FOH Engineer and Production Manager Simon Kemp, who has worked with
Passenger for the past two years, chose LEOPARD in part because of its attention to
detail. “My show is all about hearing every phrase Passenger sings. His fans are
there to hear his storytelling and anything short of perfect clarity won’t be
accepted,’ he explained. In addition, LEOPARD provided him with the necessary
sonic impact while still being a manageable size.

In fact, LEOPARD seems to be up to just about any task Kemp and the rest of the
sound crew, including System Technician Ian Hamilton and Monitor Engineer Charlie
Bryson, put it to. “Every time we throw a new challenge at LEOPARD it just sucks it
up and we move on to the next one,’ said Kemp. “You really have to hear it to
believe it.’

Hamilton has found the system to be consistently easy and quick to rig and fly.
“Due to its compact size and weight, we have been able to fly more elements, more
often, which has meant the coverage has been spectacular,’ he said. “We’ve been
consistently impressed with its power and ability to reach the far corners of the
venues. It has certainly lived up to its “fierce’ reputation. I love working with this
system.’