Last month we asked you to share your most memorable moment at a concert, festival or photo shoot with us and oh how we loved what you had to tell! The stories include unexpected backstage invitations, exclusive gigs and meeting your idols as well as a really sad one. But read for yourselves!
I think one of my personal favorites was shooting a show for a radio station but then getting the opportunity to photograph a bunch of behind the scenes content followed by the band (Metric) asking me to photograph the bow at the end of the show. Seriously some of the nicest and coolest people i’ve met in the industry.
When I managed go backstage to see HIM 🤣 I was very young back then (21/22yrs old) and with a crappy analog camera, by the time that happened, I run out of film 😅🤣 on the bright side, they gave me a tshirt and signed a few things 😁
I remember I was stood in the pit waiting for Mac DeMarco and Beabadoobee and it was then it hit me. I was in the same pit as the people who I looked up to when starting out about to shoot a sold out 5k gig, sunny weather, good music. May not have been my best work in terms of shots but definitely one of the pinch me moments
I have so many!! One being when One of the members of a band [Skillet] dm'd me and asked if they could use a photo of mine on a plaque for one of their songs going platinum...then I got to see the plaque in person be awarded to them while on national television!!!
Daft Punk random access memories album launch in Wee Waa 2013. The weirdest and most awesome launch I’ve ever been to.
My favourite was definitely when I shot Lady Bird in Dec 2019 at my favourite venue The Boileroom. They did a competition thing for people to submit their photography and they’d choose someone to take photos, they chose me. After the show I spoke to them to thank them for it, and the each individually gave me a hug and told me I was amazing and asked me about where I shoot and how long I’ve been doing it etc. Hands down the nicest band ever.
For sure the concerts I shot two weeks ago and the festival last weekend. Not because of the line-up, but because it were the first concerts/festival in The Netherlands with audience who could walk, sing, dance and order beer in a year ♥️ It were test-concerts and festivals. I went to photograph them for Dutch newspaper Het Parool to a dance event, a regular pop concert (with Andre Hazes) and a dance festival (with Joris Voorn, Reinier Zonneveld, Colin Benders and others). There was also a music festival (with De Staat, Chef Special, Maan and others) but I had to skip that one. Visitors had to be tested two days upfront and three days after. With. negative result (and a ticket of course) they could get in. With the concert there were six different bubbles. With the festivals there were no bubbles. In about two months time the results of these concerts and festivals (but also two football matches and a theatre show) will be known. With all events 1.500 people could join.
1. This was when Evil Scarecrow played at hammerfest back in 2015. I can't remember the exact time they were on but im pretty sure they were the last band for a night which was about 1am. They filled and entire venue which overspilled outside and everyone for crabulon did a scuttle I actually have recorded footage of this:
2. Twisted sister at bloodstock festival 2016. Dee was talking about stuff and he see's a giant duck inflatable which he kept saying fuck the duck, we all chanted all 10,000 of us .
3. When Opeth were at bloodstock festival 2015. people kept shouting ikea which Mikael Åkerfeldt kept laughing and chanted ikea.
4. Before P.O.D. came onto stage the pa music had linkin park- in the end, which everyone sang and p.o.d came on and applauded. One of those emotional moments
5. I can't remember what band was on i think gloryhammer at hammerfest back in 2014 there was a circle pit of people dressed in medieval gear and had horse thingy's
6. Royal Republic- what a band i've photographed them four times. So many moments with them! On the new album Club majesty they have a keytar which is ace! During one of the songs they do a supermix with it playing bits of final countdown and a few others which was brilliantly mixed with their songs
Roskilde Festival 2000, sadly...
Only tog in the pit of the Glasgow Cathouse for a intimate Anthrax show 2015
One of my most jaw-dropping moments: being asked to enter the stage without any warning and no time for test shots... To take this.
The band: Subterranean Masquerade from Israel.
The venue: Gagarin, Tel Aviv, Israel - 16 Nov 2019
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The story:
I met the band for the first time as supporting act for Orphaned Land in April 2019 in Frankfurt. Never had to do with them before but was totally blown away and we've been in touch ever since, Facebook friends, you name it. Early summer 2019 it was announced that they will have a gig as supporting act for Harakiri for the Sky (from Austria) in TLV in November; and as I love adventures, I decided to join the party. First I had to apply for a passport, later on I had to plan and book the trip, get one day off from work etc. but finally I made it to the Holy Land for the first time ever. :-)
Well, we had an amazing concert, and Tomer Pink (the boss/guitarist) gestured in my direction at the end of the gig to come up on stage. Try this with two cameras in your hands :D (I had to climb it from the audience)
You've already seen the pic. To be honest it's a lot of Lightroom work as I had no chance to do some test shots to check the light conditions etc., I took some shots within a few seconds and the moment was over.
You see the band members, Tomer smiling directly at me, a couple bottom left - which is remarkable as they are Israeli living in Maastricht and they came to Israel only for the concert night! We became friends in the meantime (not in that night).
I've been invited backstage and nobody gave a flying fuck for the main act ;-)
Note: This has been their last performance to date with an audience as shit hit the fan shortly after as we all know. As life's getting back to normal in Israel, they have already announced a release concert for their upcoming album Mountain Fever which is due on 14/5. It's still in the stars when we will meet again in the flesh. I'm just working on the album review and I'll have an online interview with them for our webzine next Sunday.
As the views on Youtube are just going through the roof for their two first singles off this album, I am pretty sure that they won't be a supporting act any more. :-)