Best Concert Photos of 2009

Dec. 24, 2009 | Category: Concert Photography | 0 Comments

Another year is quickly ending, and with that, my concert photography season has ended as well. I don’t have any scheduled shows happening right now until March but things could pop up. I usually like to take off these months just because I don’t want to worry about driving in the snow. This year was interesting in that I didn’t shoot as many shows as I would have liked, but the ones I did shoot were a lot of fun. You can read my Year in Review list over at ReadJunk.com if you have a few minutes. Like always, it’s tough to select 20 photographs that were your favorite/best photos of the year but I tried my best. Below is my top 20 best concert photos of 2009:

1. Ida Maria @ Webster Hall, NYC

I didn’t know who Ida Maria was but now I do. She was great to photograph and gave the photographers some interesting poses. At one point during the show, she leaned forward and was licking her lips. I was right in front and I think, got the best photo of 2009 for me. I love the blended colors in the background, her wavy hair and licking lips thing. Definitely one of my favorite shots that I ever took.

2. Saw Doctors @ Nokia Theatre, NYC

Shooting the Saw Doctors at Nokia Theatre was great because I loved the lighting there. Or maybe it’s that the Saw Doctors have a great lighting setup? This shot of Leo Moran was my favorite because of the rock star pose, the smokey background and the colors in it. It’s just one of those photos you don’t need to re-touch or do anything to in post-production.

3. Carbon Leaf @ Highline Ballroom, NYC

Out of the Carbon Leaf shows I saw this year, the Highline Ballroom one was a highlight. It was the first time I saw the band after being a fan of Carbon Leaf for so many years. It also was the first time I photographed them. Barry Privett is an excellent frontman and showman, who will give photographers plenty of awesome shots. This photo demonstrates how animated Barry can be when singing.

4. Mustard Plug @ Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ

I took a lot of photos at the Ska is Dead tour in Sayreville, NJ. This shot of Dave from Mustard Plug is definitely one photo that stands out from the rest. I shot this with the 70-200mm f2.8 lens outside of pit. Sometimes it’s good to get shots from the side, that way the lighting isn’t blasting in your face. It also pays to shoot after the alloted 3 times sometimes, because this is when that was taken.

5. Bad Manners @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza, NYC

All these years, I never had the chance to see Bad Manners. I wanted that first time to be with a camera, because Buster Bloodvessel is such an iconic singer. He came out with sunglasses, a leopard jacket and as always, his signature tongue. He held up his drink to toast the crowd, and then one of the most enjoyable sets of the year happened. If you get a chance to see Bad Manners live, be sure you do that! He’s also quite the character to take photos of as well.

6. The Pogues @ Roseland, NYC

I love seeing the Pogues, but man it’s tough to shoot them sometimes. Their lighting is usually blues, reds and greens. The last show at Roseland was a bit better since there was some white frontal lighting. I managed to capture the always awesome Philip Chevron with a colorful background during part of their set. Photographers like to just focus on Shane but the rest of the band needs to be photographed as well.

7. Pilfers @ Starland Ballroom, NYC

Pilfers play very little, so I always have to catch them live when they do decide to play. I always need to bring my camera with me because Coolie, Vinny and the rest of the band are just energetic. They always bounce around, sing to the crowd and just move around a lot. At one point during their set, Vinny came down to me and was singing into my camera. I just snapped away, hoping to get some good shots of him. I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw some of these shots.

8. The Cranberries @ Nokia Theatre, NYC

Shooting the Cranberries was a hectic but rewarding experience for me. I didn’t know I had a photo pass until 5 minutes of leaving to go into New York City. Then my battery was messing up and I only had 2 bars left on another battery. But in the end, everything worked out well. Out of all my Cranberries photographs, I like this photo because the colorful lighting, Dolores pose and the composition. Plus, seeing that big smile on Dolores’ face just shows you she’s having a great time on the stage.

9. Glasvegas @ Webster Hall, NYC

This Glasvegas show was really hard to shoot! The lighting was very erratic, and almost impossible to shoot without a flash for the third song. Thankfully I got some great pictures right in the beginning of their set when it was decent lighting. I like this shot of James Allan because he’s leaning the same way as the back lighting. I love when singers sing a different way and don’t just stand there.

10. Gallows @ Vans Warped Tour 2009, Scranton, PA

Gallows were certainly an interesting band to shoot. I’ve always seen photos from other photographers of them, but I never had the pleasure of seeing them live. The vocalist Frank Carter doesn’t stay on stage very long, since he rather be singing right in the center of the dance pit. I followed Frank into the crowd and tried to take pictures of him, while keeping my other eye on the crowd in case there was an incoming fist to my head. At one point, he climbed on someone’s shoulders and was singing. That was my favorite moment of their set.

11. Great Big Sea @ Tarrytown Music Hall, Tarrytown, NY

It’s tough to pick a shot for a Great Big Sea show since I love a lot of the photographs I take of them. This black and white shot of Sean McCann with the bodhran came out really nice. His face looks quite serious though, which I probably just captured him looking over at Alan. Either way, I like this shot the most.

12. Young Dubliners @ Gramercy Theatre, NYC

Gramercy Theatre has one of the best lighting setups in the city, and this was only the first time shooting at this venue. The Young Dubs came into town and rocked out like they always do. For some reason, I always seem to get the cool photos of Chas, their fiddle player. I really dig this pic because of all the empty space at the top, with the light beaming down at Chas. It’s just an interesting shot I think.

13. The Pogues @ Roseland, NYC

I can’t have a best concert photos of 2009 list without Shane MacGowan! While I like the Philip Chevron photo better at #6, this Shane shot of him screaming during If “I Should Fall From Grace With God” is awesome too. I even have it as my wallpaper on my phone right now. I’m glad I’m a fan of the band because I know all the parts where Shane is going to scream like this.

14. Franz Ferdinand @ Roseland, NYC

Franz Ferdinand’s new album is one of the best albums of the year for me. It was exciting to shoot their live show, and this Alex Kapranos photo stood out. I like his guitar stance, and the light beams in the background. It would have been ideal to have the stage a little lower but that’s ok.

15. Carbon Leaf @ Bowery Ballroom, NYC

Since I shot Carbon Leaf twice this year, I felt the need to add another shot of Barry Privett on the list. This was the last concert I shot of the year, and I took pictures from the Bowery Ballroom balcony. That’s an ideal spot to shoot from, especially where I was shooting from. I like this photo because Barry has this huge grin on his face, as he’s singing along. I don’t know why I like this one out of the others, but I do. There are just some photos you don’t need a big explanation for.

16. Pilfers @ Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ

ELEVATION! The main goal for the Pilfers is to get the crowd to elevate their body, their mind and soul. This time I captured the bands’ bodies elevating on stage. I love when I get jumpshots like this. It’s not everyday you can get a photo of 2 people jumping on stage!

17. Anti-Flag @ Vans Warped Tour 2009, Scranton, PA

You can always count on Anti-Flag to get you some quality photos. I like this shot of Chris #2 pointing, screaming and has the Woody Gutherie saying on his guitar. It would be funny if Chris #2 was saying what time is it and pointing 1, but if you see the clock it’s at 2. Silly I know. I like the photo, ’nuff said.

18. Hub City Stompers @ Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ

Rev. T Sinister of Hub City Stompers is a tough dude to shoot. He constantly moves around, and never stays put. I managed to get this photograph after the allotted 3 song limit in the photo pit. I don’t normally shoot photos with so much white…err black space but this time it works. The facial expression and beaty eye is what makes this photo though.

19. The Devil Wears Prada @ Vans Warped Tour 2009, Scranton, PA

Not a fan of this band musically. I should have wore a poncho when shooting this set since they love to spit all over the place, and onto people as well. It was pretty gross and disgusting. With that said, this photo still stands out from a lot of the Warped Tour photos I took this summer.

20. Griffin House @ Nokia Theatre, NYC

I didn’t take that many photos of folk musician Griffin House but I particularly loved this shot because of the lighting behind him. It illuminates his hair outline well. I’ve been trying to do that trick a lot more at shows. Plus, with solo musicians like Griffin, the photos just seem to fit being in black & white as well.