I Speak Musician

Entering the Badlands

There’s a moment right before a show starts that most people in the venue never notice.

The lights are still up. The crew is gone. The floor is filling in, and the band is somewhere just offstage, doing whatever it is they do to get their heads right.

I know that moment. Not because I’ve read about it, because I’ve lived it. I’m a guitarist. I’ve stood in that wing, in the tiny rooms off stage. I know what it costs to walk out there, and I know what it looks like on someone’s face when they’re about to.

That’s what I’m chasing with a camera.

Concert photography isn’t about being fast. It’s about knowing what’s coming before it does. Stage left or stage right, or my favorite sometimes… back of house. Eyes open or closed. The turn before the turn. You only see those things if you understand the person making them.

The stage you see above is a little smaller than the one I was aiming for tonight in actual size, but they all feel the same from the other side. The side I have experienced. This one holds a huge place in my heart, and I get the opportunity to watch some of the most talented musicians and actors give their all on this particular stage. How lucky am I?

I’m working toward press credentials at venues across Chicago. Tonight was my first real swing. It didn’t connect.

That’s fine. I’ve played shows where the first song fell apart too. You smile, reset and you come back stronger.

My Nikon is always ready. The next show is coming.