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Last night, I had the privilege of shooting The Band CAMINO, along with Hastings and flor at The Observatory in Santa Ana. Hastings. flor. The Band CAMINO.
This was, by far, my favorite show to cover. Not because of who was on stage, but because of who I was covering the show with. Noelle Simeon. A wonderful writer and extraordinary friend since we were about 12 years old. This was her first live show review and I couldn't have been more excited for her.
Also, The Shrine does, in fact, sell hot dogs. Please take a few moments and read her review here. , DragonForce!!!!
OMG!!! You guys!! This was a rollercoaster of emotions here. I'm still recovering days later. So, I started out by trying to track down their publicist, but they don't actually have one. So, the next person to try is their manager. I didn't hear back from them, which is not unusual as it is not actually their job to handle such things. Not being one to give up, especially since I was dying for this show, I used every weapon in my arsenal. I asked John, of Darwen's Theory, to get me a pass through Herman Li. (Fun Fact: John and Herman play on Twitch together. I don't know what that actually means, but I knew John would be handling Herman's Twitch live stream for this show.) And he came through! Oh, man, did he come through. (If you don't know Darwen's Theory by now, you are really missing out on some great metal.) Once I had confirmation from their people via email, I felt like I could really breath again. For a moment. Until the next show. It's a vicious cycle. I get to the venue and check with will call for my ticket and credentials, and was told by the very nice young man behind the glass, that the pass list has not been given yet. My heart sank. Ok, not a problem, there's time. I text John, who was with the band, that the will call doesn't have the list yet. He told me to keep checking. It only took another 10 minutes for the list to arrive and I got the BEST surprise....on top of getting the ticket and photo pass, Herman had hooked me up with a backstage pass. The nice young man behind the glass really enjoyed how happy and excited I was. It was probably a nice change from the several people who got all pissy over not getting a paper ticket. Yes, you read that correctly. I witnessed several people get angry at HIM over only getting a digital ticket, and not a collectable paper one. As if that's his fault. What an incredibly awful thing to be yelled at by strangers over. You're awesome, young man behind the glass. Never let anyone make you feel that you're not. So, I'm thrilled, and I could not hide my excitement. I thanked him several times, while doing a little happy dance, and took all my passes -of of which was pink!-and headed over to the backstage security gate...because I could! The security guard who inspected my bag and all that was so incredibly nice. The first person I saw was Herman. He was everywhere! He did everything. I decided to play a game with John called "I found a Herman." If I wasn't near John, I would take a photo and send it to him with the caption "I found a Herman." This went on all night. I hung out with John and the band before the show started, and then I went to work. The photo pit was so tight that we could all only stand in a single line. At one point I tried to move to a different side of the stage and I tripped...onto the only other female in the pit...and I am pretty sure my hand went right where it should not have gone. I was mortified. I tried to apologize, but it was so loud and I forgot I had a mask on. I found her after the set had finished and she could hear me and I explained that I tripped and I was very sorry. She understood and told me not to worry about it. She was very nice about the incident. It was time for DragonForce. We weren't allowed back into the pit until the security guards gave us the okay. The band had cannons set up to shoot confetti bombs and they didn't want any of us to get hurt. They were so nice about it. The show was incredible. I can't even describe it. I tried in my review here. Also, the band...the nicest people EVER. Seriously. I hope I get to shoot them again. Everything about them, as musicians, as human beings, draws you in and makes you want to be around them. So. Incredibly. Nice. And awesome. You can find Herman Li's Twitch account here. He is very active on his account and live streams all their shows. So, I did something super insane. I signed up for a two day workshop. All day. 10-7 both days. AND I had Manchester Orchestra to shoot Saturday night for Aesthetic with a deadline of Sunday at noon. After already shooting 3 other shows that week. WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?! It took three days to recuperate from that level of exhaustion...and insanity.
This was my first time at the Hollywood Palladium. First times at venues are a little stressful because, even though a lot of things are similar, every venue requires something different. I stood in line with everyone else to show proof of vaccination and then go through the metal detectors. Once I got to the front of the line, the security guard asked me to open my bag. She saw my camera and asked to see my pass. That was surprising. I was confused by her request. It took me a second to realize that she might not know the protocol. I politely informed her that I do not yet have my pass because it is at the Will Call booth that is accessible only after you go through the metal detectors. She started to argue, but then held her thoughts back and simply asked one of the other guards to call over their supervisor. I suspect that she was exhausted, and forgot the protocol for a second, even though I had watched her go through this with another guy only a few people ahead of me. Her supervisor came over and escorted me to Will Call. She stayed by my side and was ready to escort me out if my name was not on the list. It was. I thanked her and she left. I waited outside the venue for the press escort. I explained to her that I had never shot at the venue before and she was more than happy to answer all of my questions. She was very kind and patient. After I shot the first three songs for each band, I had to check my camera bag in. I was not allowed to carry the bag in the venue. That's okay. They had a snack stand to keep my mind occupied. No hot dogs, for whatever reason, but I enjoyed a hot pretzel. The show was incredible. If you ever have the opportunity to see them perform...do it. My Aesthetic Magazine photo gallery here. I had never heard of Mild Orange before I accepted this assignment. I had never shot at The Roxy, either. I had never been to The Roxy. Weird, right? It's next door to The Whisky, which I have been to a thousand times, but never The Roxy.
The band was fantastic, but it was far too cramped for me. I was overwhelmed from all the bodies all around me, none of which were willing to move for anyone. I was being pushed from behind all the time, I was actually shocked that I got even one in focus shot considering how much people were making me move. But, I did. I could only stand at the front of the stage for one song before being forced out by the crowd behind me. I don't know why, I don't take up much space. Then, I couldn't get anyone to move so I could leave the floor by the stage. That didn't make sense, either. I was trying to give them more space. I had to frantically gesture at people that I was leaving before anyone would allow me to. Even then, it took almost a whole song because they just wouldn't move. I felt trapped and I began to hyperventilate. Only a little, though. A security guard saw me. There wasn't anything she could do to get me out of the crowd, but she allowed me to catch my breath next to her for a moment in the "do not stop here" section. She didn't say anything, she didn't make me feel helpless, or ashamed, she just simply let me stand in a clear area for a moment. I had a mask on so I couldn't even mouth "thank you." I simply nodded and she nodded back. It was a real kindness that meant so much to me. I spent the rest of the night in the back, where it was a little clear so I wouldn't feel that again. Apparently, everyone was trying to stand in the one section by the stage, and completely ignored the other two areas that were on platforms that had better views and less people. My review can be found here. I had the choice, shoot Chicago in a theater too small for a band like Chicago that's only 10 minutes from my house now, or wait a few months and shoot them at the Forum, or Staples Center or some venue like that. I chose to stay close to home to make things easier on myself. Either way, I absolutely HAD to shoot Chicago.
There was nothing complicated or challenging about this shoot. Parking was super easy on site. I had to go through metal detectors and all that, but that's not unusual as most venues have them now. Even The Whisky has their bouncers run a hand held metal detector over your body. Not a big deal. I shot from the sound box thing (I am so sleep deprived I can't remember the actual name) at the back of the venue. I was not informed ahead of time. Good thing I brought my 70-200mm lens. This was just a simple, and thoroughly enjoyable show to shoot. You can read my full review here. Darwen's Theory took the stage at The Whisky and I was there for it. If you weren't, you missed out on an amazing show.
Ok, so a lot happened before I was able to get to this show. Let's start at the beginning.
There is no single way to get a photo pass for a concert. Yes, the one rule is that you must be shooting on behalf of a publication, but as far as making contact, everyone is different. Some publicists will get you on the list a week or two out, some will do it a day or two out. There is no way of knowing who will do what unless you have worked with them before. So, my method is I start contact two weeks out, check in a week out, and again two days out. My contact for this show was Amy-who is awesome. I couldn't have asked for a better contact. Unfortunately, she is not the final say, and I began to slip through the cracks. Tours are an insane amount of work and everyone involved is putting in long hours. It happens. I get it. I ain't even mad at it. Normally, that's not a huge deal, I can always go through the company producing the show or show up to the venue and talk to the onsite contact. However! This show was several hours away from home requiring me to have to rent a hotel room for the night. My little anxiety monster was starting to take over as the show date was quickly approaching. I decided I would take the chance and book the room. At best, it all works out the way I wanted. At worst, I spend a night by myself in the middle of nowhere. I win either way. I managed to get the last room in the hotel I booked. Yay for me. The day of, I get to the hotel minutes before check in starts. Wonderful. I unpack and immediately head out to find some food. This particular place, Twenty-Nine Palms, is pretty much a one street town. Just drive down this one street and everything they have is there, on this one street. Super easy. After I eat, I email Amy and ask if everything has been resolved. Not yet. The time for me to leave for the show came quickly, and I still had not received word that my pass has been secured. What do I do? Do I wait in the warm room for the email, or do I go to the venue and take my chances? Well, this venue is in a place called Pioneertown, an actual working, functioning western movie/TV set built so that actors could have a place to live and play while they work. I HAD to see it! The sun was setting and I was loosing my chance, so...I went. It never occurred to me that there might not be any cell service at this place. I found out the hard way that there was not. None. Zero. No. Cell. Service. Anywhere. I was completely unable to receive any emails from Amy confirming my pass. The word "stressed" lost all meaning for me that night. The sun had set and I was very quickly reminded how cold it gets in the desert. Very, very cold. Good thing I always keep gloves in my camera bag and extra sweaters in my car. I was covered. Or, so I thought. I was very grateful that we are currently living in a time where masks are an acceptable choice because that mask kept my face super warm. The line to get it was wrapped around the venue when I finally got in it. It didn't take long to get to the entrance. When I asked about my pass...nope. They did not have my name on their list. I swear, I was about to cry. I was told to talk to a lovely young woman who was clearly also stressed, but so kind. I showed her my previous emails with Amy to prove that I should have been on the list and that I'm not a random person who just showed up. She would have been justified in turning me away, however, she decided to sort this out for me. She brought out the big guns....the tour manager. I explained to him who I was, why I was there, who I was shooting for, and showed him the emails with Amy. He couldn't have been nicer. I actually miss him. We should be BFFs. So, he looks at me, reads the emails, and then I hand him my card and say "here's my card so you know I'm super legit." He laughed and told me he will be right back with my pass and that they LOVE the press and photographers. He came back, gave me my pass, and told me the golden rule: First Three/No Flash. I was in! Yes! I thanked him, and then found the young woman who made this happen and I thanked her. Besides the cold, I loved this venue. In addition to several bars, they had several bbq pits up and running with burgers and hot dogs. Anyone who has ever met me knows that I love hot dogs. They also had....wait for it...coffee! Hot dogs and coffee! How is this not standard in every single venue in the world?????????? The stress just melted away upon smelling the hot dogs and coffee. I would happily shoot at this venue again. Anyway, I had my pass, I made friends with the other photographer there, and someone in the audience went crazy over my camera bag-it's black with pretty pink flowers all over it. The show was amazing. I love Coheed and Cambria. You can read my full review here. It was all worth it. It is very difficult to know all the music all the time. I had never heard of Zachary Williams when I accepted this assignment. By the time his show was over, I was a fan.
There aren't too many ways I can describe him, him music, his performance. I think I covered it pretty well here. |
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