Machine Head @ Mayhem Fest

California-grown Machine Head brought the powder kegs and the fire in their performance at Mayhem Fest. Headlining the Jägermeister stage, the heavy metal four-piece ripped into their set with an intensity matched only by their ferocious fan base.

Photographer’s Notes:

This was the second and last outdoor set that I photographed at Mayhem Fest, having just come from Underoath on the Hot Topic stage next door.

Compared to Mastodon’s set on the main stage, the satellite stages were both much lower, coming in at around four-feet, without another foot added by the monitors. These speakers kept the action back somewhat, forming a solid line along the edge of the stage, but also provided a convenient footrest for members of the band, particularly guitarist Phil Demmel.

Thanks to the rather intimate stage, the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 and Nikon 24-70mm were more than enough for this gig.

I photographed the first three songs of Machine Head’s performance, though from that short time, I can say that I would have loved to photograph the rest of their set. Aside from the band, the fans for this gig were practically foaming at the mouth during this show and made for great subjects!

About the author: Todd Owyoung is an internationally published music photographer specializing in concert photography and band portraits. He also grills a mean steak.

Contact Todd for image licensing and assignments wherever the rock show lives. You can also get in touch with Todd via Twitter.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 at 10:11 pm and is filed under Music Photography and tagged with 2008, Adam Duce, Dave McClain, fest, festival, heavy metal, images, mayhem, metal, Music Photography, Phil Demmel, photography, Robb Flynn, show, tour. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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9 Responses to “Machine Head @ Mayhem Fest”

1. Chris says:

   July 29, 2008 at 11:59 pm

   Man! That first shot is ridiculous! 14-24?! Better watch out for the frontal, bulbous element — it’s gonna get shattered! Keith told me about how someone spit on it during the show and you just looked at him like, “Ah… man.” Haha. Great energy from the crowd — that is always something great to see, and usually isn’t photographed. It’s nice to see, though — adds some spice. I’m also finding myself liking tighter shots like number 3 — just really enjoy them up close with the mic like that. Although, you can’t really beat number 4 with a slamming head that shows the real mayhem. And that last shot of the girl crowd-surfing is pretty rockin, what a cool photo. Although, I guess I should mention this last one, because it has tons of great elements: two guitarists, a drummer, a hand in the air, a 14-24, and KEITH (with his what, 17-55 and hood?). Nice set!

   Can’t wait to hit up some shows myself! (I neeeeed it, I haven’t done it in so long!)

   Reply
2. Todd says:

   July 30, 2008 at 12:01 am

   Hey Chris,

   Thanks so much for the detailed comments. That first shot of the crowd was with the 14-24mm, definitely. Needless to say, the crowd for Machine Head was fantastic and threw up the horns and brutal claws on command.

   Yes, I think Keith was using the 17-55mm on the D300 the whole time. I don’t think I saw him twist on the 80-200mm once during Mayhem Fest, actually.

   Reply
3. Celso says:

   July 30, 2008 at 12:02 am

   Swwwwweeeeeeet! Love the fourth shot of the guitar player head-bangin! Guess you got lucky with sun position eh?

   Oh and I loved the crowd portraits, and that last one looks anything but a Machine Head Hardcore Fan, and still she surfs that crowd, sweet!

   I was just thinking, today Todd should put some stuff up, and bang the google reader notifier showed up! Guess I can go off to sleep now!

   Best Regards!

   Reply
4. Todd says:

   July 30, 2008 at 7:11 am

   Hey Celso,

   Thanks! I hope that as a fan of this band, the images meet with your approval.

   The sun was setting behind the stage as Machine Head was playing, so that wasn’t a problem. Also, they played on a stage that didn’t have an open back or sides, so they were pretty well shaded.

   Thanks again for the comments!

   Reply
5. Keath says:

   July 30, 2008 at 8:16 am

   LOVE the crowd shots you got in this set Todd – really adds to the overall feel when looking at the complete gallery.

   Reply
6. Todd says:

   July 30, 2008 at 9:13 pm

   Hey Keath, thanks for the feedback. Seems the crowd shots are popular! Machine Head’s performance was actually one of the only ones at Mayhem where I went out of my way to photograph the crowd, but I’m glad it paid off.

   Reply
7. ww says:

   July 31, 2008 at 2:17 pm

   Todd, you got the whole band in shot 6. Nice composition!

   Reply
8. Todd says:

   July 31, 2008 at 2:42 pm

   Serendipity! Thanks for the comment.

   Reply
9. Brooke says:

   January 18, 2009 at 9:08 pm

   Heyy Todd,

   Great pics!!!! I came across your site while i was looking for robb flynn photo’s.
   I really enjoyed looking at your mayhem collection. Just something i wanted to ask- how’d you get yourself into the photographers pit? do you have to apply for some sort of pass? whats the deal?? And another quick one, what equipment do you use?

   Thanks
   Brooke

   Reply