April 15, 2009 – Performing on the Bamboozle Road Show, Dallas power-pop outfit Forever The Sickest Kids delivered a hyper-kinetic show for the masses. Led by the charismatic Jonathan Cook rocking the gold-plated mic at the front of the stage, the six-piece hit the stage with an infectious liveliness that had the pit bouncing from start to finish.
Photographer’s Notes:
After experiencing FTSK’s live show when they opened for Cobra Starship, I was really looking forward to their Bamboozle Road Show set.
Compared to that show at Pop’s, their performance at the Pageant was a much different kind of gig with an overall much bigger feel. Though I love the Pageant, the venue’s high stage and cavernous feel made me miss the divey and intimate character of Pop’s just a bit.
Still, this performance was a lot of fun to photograph in spite of the challenges, as the guys of FTSK delivered an energetic set on the big stage.
I shot this gig with the Nikon D3, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 and Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8. I also pulled out the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 for the obligatory shot of Kyle on drums – can’t forget the drummer.
To supplement the stage lighting, I shot with the Nikon SB-900 as commander and one Nikon SB-600 as a remote on stage.
End Notes:
BIG thanks to Robi R. for hooking me up and coming through for this gig, as well as to the great guys of FTSK.
This entry was posted on Thursday, April 30th, 2009 at 6:07 pm and is filed under Music Photography and tagged with 2009, bamboozle, forever the sickest kids, ftsk, live, music, Music Photography, nikon d3, photographer, photography, road show, tour. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Sometimes stage lighting needs a little help — Wireless flash did the trick for Forever the Sickest Kids: http://is.gd/vJi8
I dig the one with JCook putting the mic up! That motion/light blur thing is really cool.
And you caught Kyle and that drumstick! I love it.
Hey Jessie, thanks for the comment. When Kyle did a flip or two with the drumsticks, I knew I had to try to make that shot.
Sometimes stage lighting needs a little help — Wireless flash did the trick for Forever the Sickest Kids: http://is.gd/vJi8
I had a photo pass to this show at the HOB in orlando, but I couldnt make it out last minute.
Looks like they are a fun group to shoot! Hope I get another chance soon!
Hey Alexis,
Yup, FTSK is a lot of fun to photograph, but the light better be good, because they move around like crazy on stage – constant motion. So, it’s either high shutter speeds, flash, or a lot of luck. They’re all great subjects, but frontman Jonathan Cook is at the front of the stage and up on the monitors so much that the camera loves him.
Oh, and I really like the photo of the lead singer holding up his mic stand.
Thanks for mention of that mic shot. It was a great moment, I knew I had to try for something.
Pretty soon I am going to have to invest in a flash. I have tried compensating recently at shows by shooting with higher ISO.. but I am not really liking the way the shots are turning out.
Oh geez! Hahaha. I’m pretty sure that I am going to see them at Warped this summer, and these photos just made me even more stoked for that! You really captured their energy! Hahaha. Wow, I am so looking forward to that FTSK mic stand. Hopefully, they’ll bring it along. Hahaha, trust only FTSK to have a mic stand like that.
xo.
P.S. To be honest, I think you have the hardest job ever. I have no clue how you can go to a gig and shoot the show without dropping your camera and just going straight for the pit. (Yes, it’s kind of obvious that I have no self-control. Pffft.)
I didn’t catch FTSK on Warped last year, but I’m pretty sure they’ll have it. Either way, very fun band – and with daylight, it’s going to be a little easier to catch the action.
I’m a model of self-restraint, Nicole. The one rule I have for concert photography is this: there is no dancing in the photo pit. ;)
Oh goodness, when i shot the AP tour there was a girl who was going insane dancing in the photo pit… It made shooting a little bit difficult trying to get around her!
I mean, you gotta do what you gotta do. But for me, the photo pit is a place to get work done. And I love to dance.
How do you go about getting special permission to use flash? And you also got permission to shoot the whole set?
And when you get that permission, don’t you have trouble with bouncers trying to boot you out that don’t know you are allowed to shoot past three songs?
Hey, where are the shots from the parking lot of The Pageant when you let the fans surround them? My little sister was the girl with the pink flamingo. You gave my dad a card to look for the pictures but I can’t seem to find them.
Hi Kayla, I never posted that shot from the parking lot, but you can see the portrait set here:
http://ishootshows.com/2009/04/26/portraits-forever-the-sickest-kids/