April 27, 2009 – The band needed no long winded introduction and no warm up – moving straight into pounding synth lines and blistering guitar riffs just seconds after taking the stage, The Birthday Massacre began how most bands finish (and went to eleven from there). The show included bow displacing power noogies, hysterical screaming, spitting, crowd surfing, kisses and fans openly weeping and I’m only talking about the first three songs. Be sure to check out the full set of thumbnails below – there were just too many cool shots to post!

Photographer’s Notes

Shooting The Birthday Massacre without a photo pit is the messiest gig I’ve shot recently – it was also one of the most enjoyable. Unlike most bands where the lead singer is the clear focal point, nearly every member of The Birthday Massacre is a moving target worth following for an entire show. Even though I’ve been a fan for a while, this was my first concert. I had some idea of what was in store for me but the actual experience was quite a shock – (I never thought I’d say it, but sometimes 14mm just isn’t enough).

I was situated house right of center in the front row. This put my in great position for shots of Chibi, O.E. and Rainbow. Due to the abnormally wide stage at Highline Ballroom, I was only able to catch the other members of the band when they wandered front and center. I’ll definitely have to switch sides of the stage to get better angles on Falcore, Rimm and O-En next show.

I shot almost exclusively on the wide end of the Nikon 14-24mm. Most of the photos in this set include fill flash from a single SB-900 speedlight mounted on-camera. My ISO stayed around 2000 while my shutter speed and aperture varied wildly depending on the ambient lighting.

End Notes

A huge thanks to the entire band for putting on such a rocking set. An equally massive thanks to Shannon for coordinating my credentials! Additional thanks to Vinny and Robert for the hookup at doors.

Related posts:

1. Preview: The Birthday Massacre
2. Semi Precious Weapons
3. Bell X1

Related posts:

1. The Birthday Massacre
2. Bell X1
3. Preview: No Doubt – Bamboozle, Day 2

03.19.09 – Clover leaves and green were abundant in the Highline Ballroom crowd for one of Ireland’s best bands, Bell X1. Standing on their huge following in Europe, the indie rock trio is gaining popularity in the US with beautiful performances of their 2009 release Blue Lights on the Runway.

Highlights of the album include “How Your Heart is Wired” and “The Great Defector” both of which are available on the the band’s MySpace page.

PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTES

I used Bell X1 as a testing ground for the new Nikon 70-200mm VR I had purchased that afternoon. Even though I’ve rented, owned, sold and rented again several copies of the lend, I was interested to see how an older AF-S zoom would perform on the new Nikon D3.

For new Nikon shooters, and Canon folks, the 70-200mm lacks version 2.0 vibration reduction and the nano-crystal coating of Nikon’s newer zooms. Nevertheless, the lens performed both for flare and (most importantly) autofocus.

The Highline ballroom is a really nice venue for shows, but it’s sort of a photographer’s nightmare. The lights are expensive but always extremely dim, the stage is very wide, and there’s never a photo pit.

With no photo pit, I decided to shoot from a single stationary location just stage left of center instead of annoy the band’s numerous fans by jockeying for shots. This decision resulted in a lot of missed opportunities, but my take the night was decent.

Due to the weak lighting, I shot at ISO 3200 and 1/200 at f/2.8 for nearly the entire set.

END NOTES

Thanks to Miya and Jeff for their parts in coordinating this shoot. Next time drinks are on me!

Related posts:

1. The Birthday Massacre
2. Tip The Van
3. The Music of R.E.M. at Carnegie Hall