Photos: Sleeper Agent @ The Pageant
Reunited with pals Cage The Elephant for their late 2011 tour, Sleeper Agent kicked off the night properly – and photogenically. Lots of lush atmosphere during their set made this a fun shoot despite a wall of monitors along the front of the stage. The fact that singer Alex Kandel often put a boot up on [...]
Photos: Dillinger Escape Plan @ Pop’s
The Dillinger Escape Plan are one of my favorite bands to photograph. Show after show, they prove themselves on the stage as one of the best live acts on the planet. And not through an elaborate stage production, but seemingly through a force of will to pretty much annihilate themselves on stage every single night. [...]
Primes vs Zooms For Event Photography
The eternal dichotomies. Good vs Evil. Night vs Day. Nikon vs Canon. Primes vs Zooms. When it comes to available light event photography, the photographer is often pulled between constraints – the two biggest of which are limited access and limited lighting. As a result, we’re also often split between the solutions to these problems [...]
Preview: Florence + The Machine @ The Pageant
Quick preview from tonight’s show with Florence + The Machine at the Pageant. Some shows are eye candy for fans, and while this was true, Florence Welch was pure photo candy for music photographers like me. Such a pleasure to shoot.
Photos: Hollywood Undead @ Pointfest
Call them the rap-metal Slipknot, but I will say this: Hollywood Undead and their masks are a fun shoot. Between the theatricality of the masks to the group dynamics with different members taking center stage at any given moment, their set was never dull. Only dimly lit.
Photos: Papa Roach @ Pointfest
Whether you’re a fan of their music or not, I have to say that Papa Roach are undeniably fun to shoot. Big moves, hard rock, and pit-heaving screams made this one a highlight of Pointfest and a nice warm-up for Korn.
Photos: Travie McCoy @ The Bamboozle
Travie McCoy always puts on a great show. This has been true with Gym Class Heroes, and it’s certainly true of Travie as a solo artist. When I saw that he was going to be on the bill for Bamboozle 2011, I knew it would be a good performance. The only thing I didn’t count [...]
Preview: The Bamboozle 2011
A full day after the end of Bamboozle, and I think I still have a festival “hangover.” With three days of live music, there was plenty to shoot. Some of the highlight acts of the weekend were A Day To Remember, Dashboard Confessional, Travie McCoy, New Found Glory, Bruno Mars, and a surprise guest appearance [...]
Photos: The National @ Scottrade Center
Opening for Arcade Fire on The Suburbs Tour, The National put on a fantastic set of their signature smoldering brand of indie rock. The highlight of the set occurred near the end of the band’s set, when singer Matt Berninger jumped down from the stage – mic in hand – crossed the entire arena floor, [...]
Photos: Nicki Minaj, I Am Still Music Tour
Nicki Minaj is arguably the most visually exciting act on Lil Wayne’s I Am Still Music Tour. With an outrageous wig, a screaming constume, and fantastically bright lights, I have to say that it may be well worth photographing this show just for Minaj’s stage antics. Which, I should say, are considerable.
Preview: Arcade Fire, The Suburbs Tour 2011
Just a few images from last night’s big, arena-filling performance by The Arcade Fire. From Grammy underdog to a band proving it has the chops to play big, big venues, the Arcade Fire is a band that definitely convinced this live music photographer last night. As Win Butler said, “We’re still getting used to this [...]
Photos: Queens of the Stone Age @ The Pageant
After an opening set by the Dough Rollers, Queens of the Stone Age pummeled the sold-out crowd of the Pageant with heavy riffs and an explosive lighting treatment. As one fan tweeted after the show, “‘Scorched’ is the most accurate way to describe what just happened.”
Photos: All Time Low @ The Pageant
Returning to the Pageant, pop punk princes All Time Low rocked a sold out house with support from Yellowcard and Hey Monday on the Dirty Work Tour 2011.
Photos: Reel Big Fish @ The Pageant
Taking the stage after Suburban Legends and The Aquabats, Reel Big Fish closed down the Pageant with a infectiously fun set. With plenty of mugging, general goofiness, and the entire venue singing along, this was an undeniably live set.
How to Photograph Drummers
As I’ve mentioned before, one of the very first pieces of music photography advice I ever received was simply, “Don’t forget the drummer.” It came not from another photographer, but from a guitarist in a band I’d befriended when I first started shooting concerts. I was hanging out with the band in their dressing room before [...]
Photos: Aquabats @ The Pageant
Opening up for Reel Big Fish, your favorite costumed third-wave ska heroes The Aquabats ripped through their characteristically high-energy set with pelvic thrusts, karate kicks, and lots of blue spandex.
Preview: Tiësto @ The Pageant
I have to admit – the energy & vibe for Tiësto’s show at the Pageant could go toe to toe with any arena rock show. Here’s a preview from tonight’s show.
Photos: Legends of Hip Hop Tour 2011
The Legends of Hip Hop Tour 2011 rolled through the Chaifetz Arena along with some of hip hop’s earliest and most influential artists, including Kool Moe Dee, Doug E. Fresh, Salt ‘n Pepa, Biz Markie, Kurtis Blow, and MC Lyte.
Photos: Flogging Molly @ The Pageant
Simply put, Flogging Molly probably put on one of the most entertaining live shows around, in no small part due to the seemingly limitless energy of singer Dave King. I’ve photographed Flogging Molly a couple times over the last few years, and every time it’s been a joy. As mentioned previously, Dave King is [...]
Photos: Dropkick Murphys @ The Pageant
If you want a band that keeps you on your toes, look no farther than Dropkick Murphys. I’m surprised singer Al Barr didn’t wear a groove in the stage from his constant pacing at the front to a packed house of four-thousand raised fists. The energy of Dropkick Murphys is a real force, both in [...]
Photos: Against Me @ The Pageant
When Against Me took the stage at the Pageant and the big beautiful white lights came up, you should have seen the look on my face.
Preview: Dropkick Murphys @ The Pageant
Quick preview of the Dropkick Murphy’s incendiary frontman, Al Barr, in the band’s extremely sold out show at the Pageant.
Photos: Valient Thorr @ Pop’s
I’d heard good things about Valient Thorr – some people chiming in that they were in fact the more fun to shoot than both Motörhead and Clutch. Bold, bold words. And yet, true.
Photos: Clutch @ Pop’s
Opening for Motörhead, Clutch brought their blues-tinged hard rock down like a sledgehammer on an extremely sold-out crowd. Somewhat surprisingly, Clutch also had the most photogenic lighting of the night with just the right amount of haze and big, bold splashes of backlighting.
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