October 30, 2008 – Storming the stage in a blisteringly energetic performance that that had the floor buzzing from the opening bars until the last, The Academy Is… threw down for 75 minutes as if to say one thing: if you’ve saving something for the encore, you’re doing it all wrong.
The ever-electric William Beckett led the charge with an impressively gymnastic display of showmanship, bringing an encyclopedic exhibition of rock star moves to set with flawless execution. The singer dominated the mic stand, flipping it around the stage like a pencil, all while hitting his vocal cues with effortless grace.
On Beckett’s right, Michael Guy Chislett rocked his Fender and Gretsch guitars with pure finesse, while Michael Carden on the left brought up the other half of the twin-guitar assault, with a small army of effects pedals between them.
At the back of the stage, Adam Siska on bass and Andy “The Butcher” Mrotek on drums brought up the rhythm section, propelling the band’s tight, bouncing sound throughout the set.
When Beckett let the mic drop for the first time, it was also the last, followed by a sincere thank you to the audience and a quick exit off-stage. The Academy Is… would not be coming back – their job was done; there was nothing left to give.
Closing out Rocktober in style, The Academy Is… performed with support from We The Kings, Hey Monday, and Carolina Liar. The band is currently touring for their third studio album, Fast Times at Barrington High, which was released in August of this year.
Photographer’s Notes:
Even seeing The Academy Is.. at Warped Tour earlier this year didn’t fully prepare me for the spectacle that was going to take place on stage during.
At the risk of sounding like a 13-year old girl, William Beckett is pretty damn magnetic on stage, and it took every ounce of strength to point my D3 at something else during TAI’s set. From the singer’s acrobatics with his microphone and mic stand to his agility on stage, Beckett is the kind of subject that captivates audiences and photographers alike.
Luckily for me, the rest of the band was equally bad ass in all their respective parts. I found Michael Guy Chislett’s performance stage right particularly fun to photograph, as the guitarist frequently went up to the edge of the stage to rock out.
Of course, all this action on stage also made for a good challenge. Beckett was basically bouncing from floor to ceiling from start to finish, ever the moving target.
For lighting, I had the stage effects to work with as well as three speedlights, which added a bit more consistency and reliability to the set. Once again, the Nikon SB-900 was a great commander unit and made changing the power of the remotes a breeze.
For this set, I shot with the Nikon 24-70mm and 14-24mm for most of these images, with just a few frames with the 70-200mm thrown into the mix.
End Notes:
Big thanks to the band’s tour manager, Tony, for helping get everything set up, as well as to Brock with regards to the flash. Also, a shout out to Jack the Camera Guy, a fine individual, TAITV mastermind, and fellow Nikon shooter. We rocked the CLS.
Last but not least, a big hats off the the guys. Respect for such a tight set. I’m with you – multi-minute standing-ovations aside, encores mean you didn’t sweat enough while you had the proper chance.
This entry was posted on Monday, November 10th, 2008 at 10:43 pm and is filed under Music Photography and tagged with 2008, Adam T. Siska, Andy Mrotek, jack the camera guy, Michael Carden, Michael Guy Chislett, Music Photography, photographer, tai, The Academy Is..., tour, william beckett. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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“The singer dominated the mic stand, flipping it around the stage like a pencil, all while hitting his vocal cues with effortless grace.”
i really like this.
“At the risk of sounding like a 13-year old girl, William Beckett is pretty damn magnetic on stage, and it took every ounce of strength to point my D3 at something else during TAI’s set.”
and this just makes me smile.
okay onto the photos, it looks like you shot the entire set. you captured how much William loves the stage, with him in different poses and interact with Sisky. and the mic stand shots are ridiculously cute, the expression on his face, too. and it’s pretty funny because in videos it’s always one smooth motion when he does his mic stand tricks, and you captured right that instant when he is focusing on pulling the mic back. and the distorted Michael Guy Chislett shot is pretty cool. MGC’s hair looks fun in all your shots of him haha. Aaah, William, so pretty. lastly i really like this
great job, as usual.
(ugh, i can’t believe i’m missing their show.)
Hey Jessie,
Thanks for the comment, glad to hear you enjoyed a few bits of the write-up!
Also, thanks for the comments on the image set. Yes, I did photograph the band’s full set.
When I saw William going for one of his mic stand tricks, I laid down on the shutter, so there are 3-4 frames in that sequence, I think. I thought that the two that were included showed it off best, though.
Michael was always rocking out, so there were a lot of shots of him doing hair flips and whatnot.
Thanks for the picks. Sorry to hear you’re missing their gig!
Hey Todd,
This set of pictures if amazing!!!
Out of your comments, one can totally “hear” that you really enjoyed shooting “The Academy Is…”!
I have to admit that I didn’t know the band before, but your pictures as well as yor comments make me want to discover them!
Great job!
Hey Dan,
Thanks very much for the comments. I did enjoy photographing this set, there was a lot of energy, which always adds to covering a show.
Hey Todd.
I’ve always loved your pictures, and your live shots are the best. I wish you had hi-res ones that you can make wallpapers out of, haha.
Kidding aside, keep those pictures coming. I love The Academy Is… and seeing them like this through your lens captures their vivacity perfectly.
Hi Sheeka, glad to hear you enjoy the work. I’d love to have wallpapers for the fans, but unfortunately those higher resolutions also make it a little too dangerous to distribute!
Glad to hear these images capture the band for you, that means a lot to me. Thanks for the feedback!
It’s heartwrenching seeing so many lights not in use!
But awesome set, as expected – I’m really feeling the wide angle shots. The flash works especially well, and is really tempting me to get my first speedlite.
SS
Do you mean the array of cans at the back of the stage? Since the band brought their own set-up, I don’t think they used the back house lights at all, except for one acoustic song when there was a hot light on the singer.
I think flash can definitely have it’s place for concert photography when it’s allowed. I’m still trying out different things, but I think I’m slowly learning what works for me. Thanks for the comment!
Fabulous shots! And your review makes me want to see them live sometime (and even inspired me to turn them on on my iPod, haha). They sound fun, yet a challenge to capture. You did a great job.
Hey Tanya, thanks very much for the comment, that’s great to hear that this set made you want to listen to them!
The band was a challenge to photograph, but also a lot of to shoot.
These photos were amazing, thanks for posting them. Also, I have seen them live and I think they are amazing live. So, don’t be afraid, to see them live, because I don’t think you be disappointed.
Hey Dana, thanks very much. These guys do put on a great show – no disappointments!
Todd-
I just wanted to compliment your photographs. They’re amazing, and capture so much of the guys personalities. Especially William. I smiled the whole time I sifted through your photos, being able to feel the electricity from the actual concert through what you’ve captured. From one photographer to another, kudos.
PS> I really think it’s awesome the way you gave a shot out to the whole crew. It’s really uplifting to know every single person on that crew is a stellar person.
Hi Saundra,
I’m glad to hear that these shots capture the personality of the guys for you! I have to say, William was the most difficult subject, as he never stopped for a moment.
All the guys I talked to in the crew were really great, especially Jack. We nerded out over camera stuff, since he shoots Nikon as well. He even jumped in for some of the wireless flash action!
I love the blue one of William pointing to the stars, because pointing is truly what rock stars do! As always, great job of capturing the energy of the show!
(PS. I’m really glad you posted this set first :))
More amazing photos (& a mini review) by @toddowyoung! Taken at Pop’s in Sauget, IL on 10/30. http://tinyurl.com/6qkza3
Hey Tasha, thanks for your feedback and the pick. William is 100% rock star on stage, no doubt.
Just posted the Underoath shots, too, so now everyone should be happy!
Well… he is pretty dreamy, isn’t he? The accent lighting in these photos are great.
5, 7, 9, 12, 16, 21, 24. Rock em up, brotha. I especially like how he’s lookin at you in 24 – such a great glance.
And what was up with no encore?
TAI don’t need no stinkin’ encore.
Yes, William Beckett is very pretty.
In #24, I think he looks a little caught off guard. Or maybe just surprised. Thanks for the picks.
[...] caught up with indie/pop rockers The Academy Is… on their headlining tour with We The Kings and Hey Monday for a quick portrait session before their [...]
the picture of him pointing to the sky, that’s the only part I looked at him for Everything We Had. I was too busy crying my eys out! Beautiful shots.
Damn, not only that you shoot amazing photos, you also have a way with words!! Impressive!
Hey Molly! Thanks for the comment, glad you like the shot, and I’m glad I got a shot of when you looked at William during Everything We Had.
Hi Lenchen, thank you. I wish I had more time to spend on the write-ups, but I so often don’t. :)
Did you take any pictures of the crowd? DJ Swanson told my friend Rachel you got a picture of us, yes?no?maybeso?
These are SO amazing, it should be illegal. TAI are such a kickass band, constantly pushing themselves as far as possible for every show, and have never disappointed.
Speaking of illegality, Bill looks like he violated Sisky and the mic stand a few times…..
Hi Sarah, thanks for the comment, glad to hear you like the shots.