Sometimes you can anticipate how a bands set will go by observing the venue. Fifteen minutes before the band took stage there was no room to maneuver around the crowd who packed themselves tightly on the floor. People seemed to try to get as close as they could to the front of the stage. As I made my way to the photo pit I was confident that I was going to have an entertaining subject to photograph. Below are my Top 5 Favorite Moments of Fun.’s Set:
- The bands front man, Nate Ruess, had energy to spare, which was only comparable to a less aggressive version of Matthew Shultz of Cage The Elephant. Having a front man who is so animated makes my job much easier, providing more than enough interesting shots to capture.
- Seeing a band where each member was clearly into what they were doing is rare and very admirable.
- Watching the band try to cover a song that was not rehearsed and being honest about it. Nate suggested a cover I wasn’t familiar with and the band stumbled through half of it, only chuckling at the disconnected recant of this tune. To me this shows a very human quality, I love to see something unplanned at a concert.
- Seeing a band with a major single play it three songs to the end of their set was awesome to experience because it just got the crowd going even more. It gave me the thought that this band will either be the next big thing or just the “Band of the Summer 2012″.
- The keyboard player/guitar player/backup vocalist, Emily Moore, had me a bit star struck. Emily kept to the back of the stage most the show so photographing her wasn’t the easiest task but what can I say, I’m a sucker for a red-head.
In all last night was a blast and one of the few times I’ve stayed past the first three songs of a main act after I’ve photographed them. Generally I want to get home and start editing to turn my photos around as quickly as possible but I just couldn’t leave. The band was tight, entertaining, the crowd was loving them and those things combined are a recipe for a great live show.
