It was another great evening at the Auditorium with a live performance by City and Colour as well as Shakey Graves who opened up for them. This was my first time seeing both bands live and it was a real treat. The Walleye asked if I could photograph both bands and there was no way I was going to turn down this opportunity.
I knew of Shakey Graves going in but I honestly hadn't heard too much of their music other then some of their more popular songs. Let's just say that I will giving their albums a good listen now. They put on an outstanding performance. There was a ton of energy and lead singer, Alejandro Rose-Garcia, had an amazing voice. This was actually my first concert at the Auditorium that I had the opportunity to photograph in the 'Pit'. It was very cool to actually be able to get up close within a few feet of the band. It really provided some dynamic angles and more intimate photos. After their set, it was time for City and Colour to eventually take the stage.
With about 15 minutes until showtime, I made my way back to the Pit and waited anxiously for City and Colour to take the stage. As expected the crowd went wild and you could feel the energy throughout the whole building. I photographed the first 4-5 songs and then eventually headed up to my seat on the Mezzanine where my wife Anne was waiting. I ended up getting separate tickets for us so we could both watch the show once I was done photographing. I was so glad I did as we both enjoyed the show immensely. Plus, it allowed me to get some more photos from a completely different perspective!
On the technical side of things, all the photos below were taken with the Nikon D750. The lenses I used were all primes, the 20mm 2.8, 50 1.8 and mostly the 85 1.8. Because I was able to get in close for the most part, the primes worked perfectly. I processed all the images in Lightroom and decided to present them in black and white. The colour versions turned out fine, but there is just something about black and white that I really enjoy. It really lets the view focus on the moment of the photo in a slightly different way.
