Can I enjoy a concert without a camera?

I thought it would be a fun experiment to see if I could attend a concert without a camera in tow. This year, I've been very fortunate to have my DSLR with me at most shows. Even when I don't get press access, I usually bring my point and shoot along. When my friend Joe offered me a couple of tickets to see Courtney Love at The Capitol Theatre last week, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to test this experiment. I'm not particularly fond of Courtney Love, I don't really know her music and I wouldn't have bought tickets for this show.

It took all of about 5 minutes before I pulled out my cell phone out and started taking pictures. The Cap is such a gorgeous music venue and the lighting this night was really good. Trust me, I was kicking myself for not bringing the point and shoot. Even though Courtney Love was running late and didn't exactly know where she was, calling it Long Island and Rhode Island several times, she was a great performer. She engaged with the small crowd, walked out to the front of the stage and reached out to her fans. It was a lot of fun to be able to experience that, but I won't deny that I missed my camera.

This experiment also allowed me to really test out the Galaxy S4's. I know, I sort of cheated by having my cell phone with me, but I don't consider those to be real cameras. I set it to night mode on all of them, so there was no flash. I didn't edit these pictures except for converting a couple to black and white. I have to say, while the quality isn't what I like, for a cell phone, it is pretty darn impressive. I was only a couple people back from the front, but the camera locked on focus and did a pretty good job at exposing the shots properly.

A final word to fellow concert goers. I've had a couple of unfortunate experiences this year while attending shows. Being nearly trampled at Andrew WK was something I expected and planned for. The guy that bum rushed the stage at the Eels Webster Hall show then proceeded to shout at Vanessa and myself that he was going to physically harm us still gets my blood rushing when I think about it. Perhaps it was that memory that caused me to react the way I did at this show. A girl pushed her way in front of me at Courtney Love, then turned to say she only wanted to take a picture. I, of all people, wasn't about to argue with that. I told her to take her pictures and then kindly move away so I could see. She took a couple of shots, then started to elbow my friend. I watched her take her beer and pour half of it out on my friend.

Now listen, everyone. I know that this was a bit of a moshing crowd. That's fine, enjoy yourselves. But have some respect. There is no excuse for being flat out rude to another concert goer. I caught her hand that was spilling the beer and tilted it back towards herself. I might have said a few choice words and then took back my original spot in the crowd. General admission shows are not my favorite. If you want a good spot, get there early. If you didn't, don't push your way through the crowd and by all means, don't insult someone that allowed you into their spot by spilling half your beer on another person on purpose. We're all there to enjoy the music and have a good time.

Ok, rant over. Sorry.

The answer to my post title? It's pretty clear to me that no, I can't. It doesn't even have to do anything with the band that I'm seeing, I want to have my camera there to capture it. I've covered several bands this year that I had no idea who they were. They each have something to offer and something that sets them apart. When I know and like the band, that desire is ten times stronger. You should have seen how twitchy I was without a camera at this show.

Yeasayer at The Capitol Theatre 11.13.12

Yeasayer's show at the Capitol Theatre was a welcomed change to my concert going experience this year. For those that are newer to my blog, one of my goals this year was to make it to at least one show a month. While I wasn't entirely familiar with Yeasayer's entire musical catalogue, I liked their latest album, Fragrant World, enough to head on down to Port Chester for the second time this year.

Yeasayer is described as experimental rock/pyschedelic pop. If you hate genre titles as much as I do, you can go by the Audra musical categories: Music I Like and Music I Don't Like. Yeasayer fall under the Music I Like category. While their first two albums have a more of a world music vibe to them, their latest is more electronic. At times, there are hints of Of Montreal influences. For those Faux Pas fans out there distraught over the announcement of no more new material, I direct you to Yeasayer. The Brooklyn based band already has a Gotye connection with their remix of Eyes Wide Open.

I attended this show with a decent sized group of friends, thanks to some last minute tickets given to us by a friend. It was also the first concert I attended as a regular fan again since September; i.e. not officially photographing for a band or a publication. That didn't mean I wasn't going to bring along my point and shoot camera and take a few shots here and there. It did mean I had to change up the way I shoot quite a bit. I learned that the light at The Cap is a little tricky from the Ben Folds Five concert I shot in October. (I'm still waiting on the newspaper to run that story before I can share those pictures with you.) Yeasayer's light show was visually impressive, as you can see from the shot above, and I'm always a sucker for silhouette shots. My line of thinking was less about capturing the band, but more about documenting the experience from the audience. In that, I think I did a pretty decent job.

The show opened with guitarist Anand Wilder on lead vocals.

The entire show was an ethereal dance party. There was great energy in the smaller crowd. My friends and I showed up just before 9 and still managed to make it to the front of the stage comfortably.

Bassist Ira Wolf Tuton.

Wilder had the most even lighting the entire night, so I was able to snap a few decent portraits of him.

The intricate stage design and visuals were conceived by Casey Reas as part of The Creators Project.

Lead vocalist, Chris Keating, had amazing energy. I kept my eye on him and waited for the light to kick up just enough to be able to capture this shot.

It was a lot of fun playing around with light flares and the crowds raised hands.

And of course, I dug all the green light. 

Thanks to my adventurous friends who were down with a last minute concert. I always have more fun being able to share a concert with good people!

It wouldn't be the end of a concert post without a shoe shot. I was able to weave between audience members to pull off this picture of Keating's shoes.

Yeasayer Teaser

I struggled with my return to a "normal" concert going experience last night; looking at the miniscule photo pit at The Capitol Theatre, longingly and trying to enjoy the experience for what it was. It was a great show and I was surrounded by a great group of friends. Of course I brought along my point and shoot camera. I know that you're all wondering what Yeasayer's shoes look like: here are Chris Keating's.

There will be a handful of shots from this show posting soon. I had to change up the way I shoot, but I still think they are pretty cool.

Kate Miller-Heidke at the Capitol Theatre 10.09.12

I'm really excited to be able to share my set of Kate Miller-Heidke pictures with you. I feel like October is all about the Aussies! Singer Kate Miller-Heidke and guitarist Keir Nuttall hail from Brisbane, which try as I might, I can't quite pronounce properly (Bris-bin) Their albums are classified as alt-pop, but Kate adds her opera-esque voice to give it a twist. The live show is much more stripped down with Keir on acoustic and Kate on tambourine and occasionally keys.

Keir and Kate at the Klein, 2010

The first time I saw Kate Miller-Heidke was in 2010; she opened for Ben Folds at The Klein in Bridgeport. I managed to cover that show for the paper as well. Ben Folds always tours with a wonderful opening act. Over the years, I was introduced to many bands that have become favorites: Fleming and John, Jude, Guster, Rufus Wainwright, Ben Kweller, and Kate. I wasn't familiar with any of her work for that show, but I was quickly won over by her amazing voice and Keir's incredible guitar work. It's just the two of them on stage, but Keir will loop guitar riffs, giving them a much fuller sound.

When I saw Ben Folds Five last month in Central Park, Kate played a very short set, so I didn't get a chance to fully appreciate the show. This time I was able to enjoy the music and shoot the first three songs. While the lighting was a challenge, I worked through it and captured a handful of shots I'm pleased with.

Kate discussing some of the finer points of opera singing.

This was my second "official" photographers pit and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was going to be a challenge. It was so small, my feet were actually hitting the monitors; you can see the other photographer is set up between the monitors in this shot. The stage was literally within arms reach. While I was still able to move around, it was limited, and relied on the other photographers working with you. Thankfully, that wasn't an issue.

The shots above and below are my favorites of their set.

By far, my favorite song of the night was their cover of I'm the Real Slim Shady. I love when bands reinterpret songs. They are currently touring in Europe and have a few shows in Australia in December. If you can, go see them live. They put on quite a show!

You might be wondering why there are so many black and white photographs in this set. I always do my best to salvage color, but this was the most difficult lighting I have come across to date. It was bright blue for the majority of their songs. The above images are unprocessed, straight from the camera. They look like smurfs. There wasn't even a chance to keep these shots in color and it took a lot of work to even make them presentable in black and white. I view every opportunity to shoot a learning experience, so I'm still grateful. I learned a whole lot about post processing this night. I'll definitely put an orange filter in my bag from now on to try to battle the dreaded blue light.

Now as far as the main act is concerned, you'll have to wait a little bit longer. The paper is hoping to run the feature Thanksgiving week. Everyone's all focused on the upcoming election for some reason. In the mean time, I'll do my best to find more shows to cover. As always, I'm closing out with my shoe shot.

To learn more about Kate Miller-Heidke, check out their website here.

Kate Miller-Heidke Teaser

Last week, I attended my first concert at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY. While I can't show you the photos I took of the headliner, I can share the opening act, Kate Miller-Heidke. The band consists of two Australians: lead singer Kate and guitarist Keir Nuttall. The teaser shot is Keir's shoes. (Kate had amazing heels on, but I couldn't get a clear shot of them due to the stage monitors.) Keir rocks out on an acoustic guitar and does some amazing looping, so I made sure to get a shot of his pedals.

I'm putting the finishing touches on my Kate Miller-Heidke pictures. You'll be able to check them out next week!