Michael FREAKIN Bolton!!!

For those of you that have been here a while, you'll know this was a big deal for me. It's not that I'm a huge fan of Michael Bolton, although I can appreciate what he does. I have been trying to cover Michael Bolton for more than a year now. Both of us being from Connecticut, there have been several opportunities, but they just never panned out. I was scheduled to cover his concert in Trumbull last year, but not enough tickets sold, so it was canceled. He played in Ridgefield on Valentine's Day this year, but I wasn't cleared to cover it. It's been a long running joke that Michael Bolton is my arch nemesis and that I would never be able to photograph him. I'm nothing if not stubborn and determined and these images prove that. It might have taken me more than a year, but I've finally shot Michael Bolton.

Mr. Bolton recently released an autobiography and he did a book signing / talk in Woodbridge at the Jewish Community Center. The half hour talk stretched for more than an hour and a half, where Bolton fondly recalled stories from his youth, growing up in New Haven, the struggles of his career, the successes. Heck, he even went on a ten minute rant about cutting his glorious mullet. While I was pondering the choice of covering this event in particular, there were moments of true wisdom coming from Bolton. He spoke about the changes in the music industry, about how musicians are struggling to make a living, he encouraged a young singer in the audience and gave him advice on how to progress. I can be quite snarky at times, but I do have to applaud Bolton for his honesty.

The woman in front of me was knitting, which I thought was hilarious and incredible. She did not present Mr. Bolton with a sweater at the end of the night, though. 

I waited in line for a chance to get a copy of his book signed. While I can't get into the details of that just yet, I did take the opportunity to bust out my SX-70. Michael was impressed with the camera and we talked about photography for a couple of minutes. I do have a particular fondness for all my Polaroid shots and this one is no exception.

The most important thing I've taken away from this experience is that with a little bit of determination, I can cover the things I want. Sure, it might take a while and I might run into a few rejections along the way, but I can't give up.