James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett of Metallica, performing after their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
April 4, 2009 – I just got back from the 2009 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. In a word? Extraordinary.
It’s been a wild weekend. Friday night started off with shooting dance-punk duo the Ting Tings, but that was the the warmup. First thing on Saturday, I flew out to Cleveland on assignment to photograph the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony for 2009.
This year’s event honored music legends Metallica, Jeff Beck, and Run DMC, among others. The list of presenters included Eminem, Flea, Jimmy Page, and Ron Wood among an all-star cast of musicians, many of whom performed on stage during the event.
As I’m working through the edit of the performances, it’s a little hard not to grin at these iconic performers having a blast on stage. I’ll be doing a full write-up of the event, so stay tuned.
This entry was posted on Monday, April 6th, 2009 at 1:45 pm and is filed under Music Photography and tagged with 2009, awards, hall of fame, images, induction ceremony, metallica, photographer, photos, rock and roll. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Awe.Some.
Look at that smoky goodness.
Hey Tasha! Yeah, they really kicked up the haze toward the end of the event. Thanks for the comment.
I just love the ESP Mummy! Looking forward for the rest of the shots, Todd.
Cheers,
Daniel
Hey Daniel, thanks for the comment.
Yeah, it’s a great guitar – Kirk was playing this on the World Magnetic Tour, too.
It’s probably my favorite ESP … and that shot is making me jealous ;)
Waiting anxiously for the write-up and the rest of the shots.
Cheers,
Daniel
Actually, I take that back – on my date, Kirk was playing his Dracula ESP. Either way, both have great graphics, and he makes them sing.
You are a rocker Todd.
I love it! Can’t wait for the whole story!
Thanks, Jeff. The whole story is coming up! I will say that right now, my quads are killing me for shooting in a crouched position and dodging TV cameras for 4 hours.
For me it’s the Mummy all the way :D Too bad ESP doesn’t sell it to the public, otherwise I’d definitely get one. Even though I’m not exactly an ESP guy, but that baby rocks \o/
Cheers,
Daniel
I do like the look of the ESP headstocks. They look sharp enough to cut.
Big. Time.
I’m working on it.
A sneak peak from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony – Hetfield and Hammett, loving it: http://snurl.com/fcu71
And I thought I had a good gig last weekend. Looking forward to seeing the full write up and pics.
Hey Craig, thanks for the comment. Just finishing editing the set now (about 110 images in the final selection), will try to post later this week, early next week at the latest.
This looks sweet! The Metallica guys look relaxed and like they’re just having fun. I don’t think I’ve ever seen James Hetfield smile sincerely like that. When he smiles, he usually just looks diabolical :-)
The smoke catching the round spot is great! And it sounds like you had a great time shooting this too!
I’m also looking forward to the full set.
Hey Thomas, thanks very much. These guys did seem pretty relaxed – they were just having a great time on stage and rocking out.
James Hetfield usually is doing a more menacing smile in a lot of the shots I had from the World Magnetic Tour, you’re right.
The full set is coming up, just processed the proofs last night.
What, no name drop?
Are you happy now?
Hey Todd! This is, for lack of a better word, pure awesomeness in my book. At first when i saw your twitter post on flying to Cleveland I was a bit confused, then two brain cells fused together a few seconds later :P
Wonderful capture of James’ expression and lighting. Is it just me or should Metallica have made it into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame much sooner? Either way, I can’t wait to see the full write up. I can imagine as a photographer myself that must’ve been infectious fun shooting a set of performers like this! Did you have a favorite performance from the ceremony?
Hey Jane, thanks for the comment. For me, I was most looking forward to Metallica’s performance, and the band did not disappoint. The vibe seemed a little more laid back in some respects than the World Magnetic date that I covered, but it was great to see the band in such good spirits, especially during the finale.
Fantastic! I’m anxious to see the rest!
Thanks, Lisa. Should be posting the rest next week, the next few days are going to be packed!
Can’t wait to see these shots, Todd. Looks like the hazers were in full effect?
Hey Todd, can’t wait to see the full set. Who was the assignment for?
Hi Gene, thanks. I was on assignment for one of the sponsors of the event.
Favorite band ever….I really cant wait to see the rest of your shots.
todd!!!
metallica is one of my favorite groups to shoot.. getting to shoot them again when they go to Indy in the fall.
did you shoot for Getty?
can’t wait to see more!
Hey Janet, thanks for the comment, great to hear from you. Metallica is such a blast to shoot – this was my second time photographing the band, I’d love to shoot them again. So fun.
This was shot for one of the event’s sponsors. Should be posting the rest of the images soon. Thanks again!
Todd,
I have been a HUGE fan of yours for quite sometime. Your shots are just plain amazing. I also attended the RRHOF Ceremony, as I am also a HUGE fan of Metallica. It was an awesome evening and that final jam was just EPIC! Can’t wait to read your write up and check out the rest of your shots.
-Iz
Hey Iz! Thanks for the kind words, as well as for the reminder that I need to post these shots – I’ve been sitting on them too long already.
And yes, the final jam was epic – Metallica is well enough, but add to that Flea, Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, Ron Wood, and Jeff Beck all rocking out, too? Game over.
Yeah, man. I was sitting there with my jaw on the floor! Kirk was so happy! He looked like a kid in a candy store. Was it just me or was Cleveland super clean? I was kind of shocked, since I live in L.A. and our downtown looks like crap.
On point: I’m been shooting mostly tribute bands and my first “real” act was Mantic Ritual at the Key Club at the end of March. Went pretty well. My primary lens is the 50mm/f1.4. I’m thinking of trying the 85mm/f1.8 soon.
Hey Iz,
It’s funny you mention Cleveland looking clean, I thought the exact same thing when I was downtown for the gig. With 4,000 fans and plenty of rock stars coming in, I’m sure the city tidied up.
The 50mm f/1.4 is a great concert lens – hard to beat f/1.4 in low light. I like my 85mm, but don’t use it (or primes in general) that much anymore.
Yeah, man, they definitely tidied up. I’m saving up to get a 70-200mm/f2.8 right now, so until then, my 50mm & 85mm will have to do.