Eels @ Den Atelier
I have to say that I was amazed when I saw that the venue was sold out. Especially on a Sunday night with a big Music Festival and the yearly fair going on at a few km away. I guess that speaks for the Eels popularity around here.
I was however to be hugely disappointed (not musically) by the Eels. I was told (as were all the other photographers) that we had our regular 3 songs no flash routine, but we were thrown out of the pit after a minute or so into the show. And that for no apparent reason. On the way out of the pit somebody from their crew told us that we could take a few more pictures from within the crowd though if we wanted.
Now I do and always did respect the rules that management has laid out for us, sometimes it’s one song only, sometimes it’s from an elevated spot in the back of the venue, sometimes it’s even from the side of the stage and I don’t mind, the rules are the rules. But I don’t understand why photographers are allowed into the pit only to be asked to leave before their allocated time is over?
What happened then? Well by the time we were back in the crowd the second song was nearly over, I looked around took one picture and to be honest at that point I thought, well if they don’t want us in the pit they don’t want their pictures taken and I left (first time I’ve done that). Especially since there were ans who paid to be there who saw a bunch of photographers blocking their view.
The few pictures I was able to get can be seen in the flickr slideshow below:
Reamonn @ The Rockhal
What a nice way to start the season…….. I photographed Reamonn before at a festival. When I heard they were coming back I knew I wanted to see and photograph their show again. The Irish-German band played for the first time in 1999 and became famous with their hit single: Supergirl.
Photographically it was quite tough for a start. I was only allowed to photograph two songs and the light was varying from very bright to very dark. I used the 28-75 F2.8 only as I felt with only two songs I did not want to wast time switching objectives.
You can see the rest of the pictures below in the flickr gallery or by clicking here.
Summer Break
Well we’re here, ….. the summer break. Concert planning is running at it’s slowest pace here in Luxembourg. The last three weeks were mental, non stop concerts, long hours of waiting for the bands to start, photographing the support acts, editing the pictures, facing picture theft and so on. It was a tough time but I enjoyed every single minute of it. It was very rewarding in terms of publications, contacts and public exposure in general.
The video below is Pale Obsession’s CD release trailer, made with various photographs from our photo session (post to follow).
That being said now it’s time to take it easy for a while and spend some quality time with family and friends. Leaving on a trip pretty soon and looking forward to snap some shots of things a bit different than performing artists. Although I am still wondering how to fix a D-Lite4 with it’s Battery Pack in the middle of a “Via Ferrata” without killing myself or anybody else in the process……….. If somebody’s done it before and is reading this, … any piece of advice is welcome
I’ll also spend a tiny amount of time on some other projects with InFocus. We were quite busy getting everything up and running in the new studio. But after the first two or three sessions in there I think I can say that we’re there. Lately requests have been increasing exponentially which is nice but it also takes it’s toll
The Kooks @ Den Atelier
The Kooks performed before a packed Atelier last night. The indie rock band from Brighton made it to Luxembourg once more to the delight of their fans.
The show started off with stroboscopic effects, I was a bit afraid that it set the tone for what was to come. But it was only for a few seconds. The light was actually very nice, a lot of variation in colors, brights and darks. The pit was packed with photographers so movement was very restricted. I’ve photographed the whole 3 songs with the 28-75mm F2.8.
The rest of the pictures in the gallery here or in the slideshow below.
Pink Martini @ The Rockhal
Pink Martini performed in a nearly sold out Rockhal (Club) last night. I was surprised by the stage when I got in the pit. Every square meter was used for some kind of instrument. Thomas Lauderdale won the crowd from the start by talking in Luxembourgish (yes we have our own language). China Forbes has a captivating charm that didn’t leave the fans unimpressed.
Photographically the concert was very “bright”. I dialled down to ISO 1000 for most of the pictures. The only issue was that the light was so bright on China Forbes that the background often plunged into dark blacks. Some of the band members were hidden behind instruments which made it impossible to get a proper photograph of them. The size and disposition of the stage made for some very nice Fisheye shots. I shot the whole three songs with the 70-200mm F2.8, 28-75mmF2.8 and Fisheye 15mm F2.8.
The rest of the pictures here or below.
Slash @ The Rockhal
Wow, …… what more can I say? Sometimes I find myself in the pit and tell myself: What a great job to do …. If someone would have told me 5 years ago that I would be photographing Slash at a concert I would have laughed out loud, but secretly I would be wishing it was true. Slash was terrific, he delivered a performance that will be remembered amongst those who attended for a very long time. Not to be missed is Myles Kennedy as the lead singer who delivered a very solid performance as well.
Photographically it was really hard to focus…. Myles and Slash both gave us a lot to photograph. Lighting was very variable but nice. The only really dark moments were when they ran to the edge of the stage on the left or right. I used the 28-75mm F2.8 only as it was not very easy to get a good composition with the 70-200mm F2.8 due to the monitors on stage that were blocking the view.
Enjoy the rest of the pics in the gallery or in the slideshow below.
Porn Queen @ The Rockhal
Porn Queen is a local band that performed as a support act last night to Slash. I was really impressed by the bands performance. They were really all over the stage and musically rocking it. I think Slash couldn’t have chosen a better opening act. While exiting the pit I was asked twice if I knew who the band was.
The light consisted of spots mainly. Very often the background went really dark which often results in a “black hole” effect on pictures. I’m not really fond of that. The trouble is that if you try to bring up the back you tend to overexpose the front quite fast. I shot this one with the 28-75mm F2.8 and 70-200mm F2.8.
The rest of the pics in the gallery here. Or in the slideshow below.
Anthem of the Sun @ KuFa
Anthem of the Sun is a young Luxembourgish band that has a lot of potential. They won a contest that allowed them to perform at the Rockhal this year. Their performances was quite impressive considering their stage experience. One of the members is using an electric violin which gave a really different feel to the sound. I had not seen one before on stage.
Photographically it was tough to get a nice exposure on all the band members. There wasn’t much light on the drummer or the guy behind the keyboard. I used the 15mm F2.8 Fisheye, 28-75mm F2.8 and 70-200mm F2.8 for this show.
The rest of the pics in the gallery here. Or in the slideshow below.
Bullet for my Valentine @ The Rockhal
It’s not the first time the welsh metalcore band stops in Luxembourg for their show. Their fans are numerous as the Rockhal was sold out for the event. The band has quite some history that goes back all the way to 1998. As I stated in a previous blog I am not a metalcore fan but I must say I kinda liked Bullet for my Valentine.
The light was good and diverse on this one. The stage was quite big and empty which made it tough for group compositions. The pit was quite narrow which made it difficult to move and the left part of the stage was not reachable for most of the three songs. I shot the show with the 70-200mm F2.8 and the 28-75mm F2.8.
The rest of the pics here, or in the slideshow below.
Versus You @ Den Atelier
Versus You is a local band that is doing very well for itself. They were playing here as a support act for Rise Against. They did a nice job of warming up the crowd for Rise Against. Here’s their MySpace page, have a listen to their music.
The light was actually great on this one. A bit of red but white light was dominant. It’s a welcome change for me. The pictures were taken with the 28-75mm F2.8
The rest of the pics in the gallery here, or below in the flickr slideshow.
Rise Against @ Den Atelier
Rise Against kicked ass last night @ Den Atelier. The venue was sold out for weeks now and fans were eager to see Tim McIlrath and his guys from Chicago. They were fantastic on stage. By the time the played “Long forgotten sons” people were out of it.
Photographically it was ok. A mixture of blues, magentas and the dreaded reds. Some whites here and there. Security had a lot of work in the pit so that was a bit distracting. I shot the whole show with the 28-75mm F2.8. The stage was too busy for the fisheye and I was too close for the 70-200mm.
The rest of the pics here, or in the slideshow below.
Suicidal Tendencies @ The KuFa
I used to be a huge fan of Suicidal Tendencies but never saw them live. When I heard they were playing in Luxembourg I couldn’t wait to ask for a photo pass.
When I arrived at the venue yesterday I saw people playing basketball in the court. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I realized it was the band ……… they were having a game just like that, no security no restrictions. I asked for permission to take some pics and sure enough they had no problems with that. It was awesome …….
If you get achance go an watch them, take it. It’s well worth the money. They were full of energy and on top of their game. Guys if you read this: You are amazing!!!!!
Photographically it was a tough one, the light was dim with some brighter moments. The pit was divided in small spaces that you had to choose from in the begining and couldn’t move anymore afterwards. So it became quite a static session for us. The challenge here was to photograph Mike Muir, he kept on moving soooo fast around the stage, it made it really hard to get a sharp shot at 1/100th, F2.8 ISO 1600. Couldn’t go any faster without going up to ISO 3200, which I am not too fond of with my trusted 5D.
The rest of the pictures in the gallery or below in the flickr slideshow:
The Temper Trap @ Den Atelier
When I heard about this assignment I didn’t know the Australian band. It’s only when a friend send me the link to the video of “Sweet Disposition” that I got to know them. It’s a great video, if you haven’t seen it yet have a look at their website or youtube. Anyway, since then I was hooked and really looking forward to this concert.
Photographically it was a good mixture of lights. The show in itself was quite static which made it tough to make different compositions.
The rest of the pics here in the gallery or below in the flickr slideshow. Enjoy…..
36 Crazyfists @ Den Atelier
36 Crazyfists were part of the three bands that performed on Sunday. They were the first ones to start the show. I was impressed by seeing them close to the stage already well before the show began. They were talking to fans and signing autographs. When they were done with their show they all were amongst the fans, having a beer, talking, taking pictures with fans. I think that’s really impressive and sends out a positive message. Respect to them for that.
Lighting was rather dull, blues, magentas and reds. Quite dark too, but that’s the usual treatment with metal bands most of the time. I used the 28-75mm F2.8 only for this show. The pit was the biggest I’ve seen tough, it really left a lot of room for movement and composition.
As always the rest in the gallery here or below in the flickr slideshow.
Unearth @ Den Atelier
I can’t say that I am a metalcore fan, but when I see a show like the one performed yesterday by Unearth, I can see that change some time in the future. Unearth was founded in 1998 in Boston, so they’re not really new in the scene. In fact one of the show goers told me that Unearth was at the very beginning of the metalcore movement.
Photographically magnificent, they really gave me something to photograph, they even sometimes went as far as “announcing” their moves with small gestures. I had a blast photographing this concert.
The rest of the pics here or below in the flick gallery below:
Atreyu @ Den Atelier
Atreyu is an American metalcore band from Orange County, California, formed in 1998. The band consists of vocalist/lyricist Alex Varkatzas, guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel, bassist Marc McKnight and drummer/vocalist Brandon Saller. A very energetic band and a fantastic crowd made it a treat to be in the pit and take photographs.
Photographing this show was both: excellent and one of the toughest at the same time. Excellent because the guys were great, they gave their fans a show to remember and that’s always great to photograph. Tough because the light went from dark, I really mean dark, 0 light to very bright. I had to time my shots and hope for a nice pose when the lights were there. I shot the whole show with the 28-75mm F2.8 as I didn’t want to waste any time changing lenses.
The rest of the pictures below on flickr or in my gallery here.
Radio Dead Ones @ Rockhal
Beverly Crime and his guys from Radio Dead Ones rocked the Rockhal as a support act for Beatsteaks. It’s a band that was formed in 2003 in Berlin, the hype around them hasn’t stopped to grow.
This was a very tough concert to photograph. The light was not that bad, but Beverly was moving a lot and very fast at that. The headgear he was wearing made it a challenge to get a picture in which his eyes are visible. I used the 28-75mm F2.8 for all of the pictures.
The gallery is here.
Beatsteaks @ The Rockhal
Arnim, Thomas, Bernd , Peter and Torsten from the Beatsteaks sure feel at ease on stage, one could clearly see that. They delivered a solid performance at a sold out Rockhal last night. The crowd was mad for the guys from Berlin.
Lighting was really nice for once, a rich mixture of colours and a lot of white on the performers. Sadly it was one of those concerts where I was not able to move in the pit. It was only 50 cm deep on a length of maybe 7 m, which is not that bad, but there were 7 photographers in there and 5 security guys. That made is a bit crowded and hard to move. Basically I was able only to slightly move during the three songs. Movement was fast on stage and crowd interaction was plenty. I used my 28-75 mm F2.8 only for this one.
The rest in the gallery here.
Lila Downs @ Den Atelier
Lila Downs is a Mexican singer who writes her own songs or sometimes uses more traditional songs from Mexico and South America. Her first CD was released in 1996 and now she’s touring the world. The venue was not sold out but packed.
I never thought I would say this, but there was too much light at this one. I was able to shoot over 1/200th with ISO 1250 many times during the concert. Usually I like to underexpose a bit, but I went home with some slightly overexposed shots. The light did not vary much, it was a lot in the magentas and reds. I used the 28-75mm F2.8 and the 70-200mm F2.8.
The rest of the high res pictures here.
Deadmau5 @ The Rockhal
Deadmau5 (Joel Zimmermann) is a progressive house producer based in Toronto. He’s won several awards and is quite a known personality within these circles. I’m not an avid listener of that kind of music, but I have to say that I enjoyed the show. The crowd was fantastic and the atmosphere was there too.
When I was given the assignment for this show I was a bit reluctant, I was wondering how one could produce a certain number of photographs from an artist who will remain static behind his/her turntables. As you can see on the pictures Deadmou5 is an artist who always performs with a “mask” which doesn’t make the whole concept easier. But as we photographers like challenges so I accepted.
An a challenge it turned out to be. To start with I had to wait 2 hours before Deadmau5 started his gig, then there was no pit access for this one. I was shown a spot where I could take my pictures from, a small 50cm high box from the sides. When the performance started there was another surprise. The DJ’s desk was hiding 30% of his face/mask from where I was allowed to photograph, which forced me to leave my “box” and go into the crowd to get a least a couple of descent shots. The lighting setup was fantastic to watch but it was the worst case scenario to photograph: Strobes, a lot of back-light and no front light to speak off.
Hayseed Dixie @ Den Atelier
Have you ever wanted to hear a Bluegrass version “Hells Bells” or “Highway to Hell”? If that’s the case there’s no way around Hayseed Dixie. Those men know how to have fun on stage, and they are a treat for photographers.
John Wheeler (aka Barley Scotch), Don Wayne Reno (aka Reverend), Dale Reno (aka Deacon) and Jake Byers (aka Bakesnake) form Hayseed Dixie who started back in 2000 with (well you guessed) AC/DC covers. By now they have a solid base of fans, which is deserved considering the show they pull off on stage.
Oh and if you were wondering, …. yes it’s a fridge full of beer behind them on stage….
Photographically it was pretty standard. Lighting was ok with a lot of strobes, some reds but thank god not too much. The challenge here was that there was not lead so to speak. All four of them are “the lead”, they were all very entertaining and always had a smile or an expression ready for the camera. I shot the permitted songs with the 28-75mm F2.8 and the Fisheye 15mm F2.8.
The high res gallery can be found here.
Transatlantic @ The Rockhal
Transatlantic is an all-star band: Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater), Neil Morse (former Spock’s Beard), Pete Trewasas (Marillion) and Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings). They played for the first time in Luxembourg in a nearly sold out venue. The atmosphere was awesome, their fans really made it worth their while.
Photographically this was somewhat different in that we were not allowed the usual 3 songs but only the first ten minutes, and we were not allowed in the pit until the show was to start, basically no “location scouting”. The lighting setup was multicolor strobes with red being the dominant choice here. (one day somebody will have to explain to me why they love red so much). I shot the whole 10 minutes with the 28-75mm F2.8 except for one or two frames with the fisheye.
Make sure you check out the rest of the set below or in higher res in the gallery here.
Mika @ The Rockhal
It was a full house yesterday for Mika, and by the sounds of it, his fans were more than pleased with his performance. The stage as very well lit and very interesting. The opening in itself was …. special. I have to say, I was quite impressed by Mika and his crew.
The lighting was very bright and changed a lot. Not the most difficult situation to expose for. Mika moving around so much was more of a challenge. The stage was quite dynamic in itself which kept the backgrounds changing and interesting. The toughest part was not getting run over by the camera teams in the pit. There were 3 cameras on rails, and boy they really don’t care about anything else than filming the event……
The complete gallery can be seen below or a higher res version here.
Alkaline Trio @ The Club
Alkaline Trio are an American Punk Rock band from Illinois. Their sound rocks and one can notice that the three of them have been touring together for a while now.
Photographically this concert presented two challenges. One is the most common that you will have to face as a concert photographer: Light, … it was a disaster. Spots only from the ceiling at a very steep angle. A lot of reds and magentas, some blues from time to time. And the second challenge was new to me. The stage is quite a big one, and the band which counts 3 musicians were spread all over the place with nothing on stage but drumms and two microphones. It was very tough to still have an interesting composition in that situation. I used the 28-75mm F2.8, the 15mm F2.8 Fisheye and 70-200mm F2.8 for this gig.
As usual the rest of the pics in the gallery here.
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