Drive-By Truckers @ Pearl Street, Northampton

[narlus]

after a couple of misses on my part, i was determined to see the Truckers on this latest tour...well, that meant driving 2 hr west since the Boston show was sold out (and since the band is on the outs w/ their label New West), there was no ticket buyout...see photos with "FNW" on the instruments...i already told you what the N and W stand for, you can figure out the F word) , but frankly i don't mind Pearl Street; it's a bit more roomy and i think affords better photo opportunities w/ the higher ceilings and better front lighting. no photo pit, which would have been nice, but i did get a spot right up front. big kudos to the guy who let me swap spots w/ him for a lot of the night; i was *directly* in front of Patterson's mic stand, and that never adds to photos...
anyway, i thought the band was in good form, but could have used a bit more energy from the sold-out room...i guess we are all cold-hearted/introverted puritanical yankees at heart; self-expression is frowned upon. as for the actual gig, the sound dropped out a bit here and there but i was so close up front all i heard were the amps on stage, really. about two thirds of the way through i left my spot and got some shots up on the short riser in back, then over to the wing, on Neff's side.
personal highlights for me were "Ronnie and Neil" which kicked so much ass i had a boot print on my d*ck. "Sinkhole" was expectedly great, and in general all the solos the guys ripped off were ace. it's a rare thing for a band to have 3 distinct, talented players all meld together, and not fight for attention (nor end up in some muddy guitar mix).
anyway, enough chatter, on to the photos (you can see the whole set here on my site (http://www.zenfolio.com/narlus/p907922079/))...it was hard to cull down to eight.

#1
http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p1009184719-4.jpg

#2
http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p576016991-4.jpg

#3
http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p273490439-4.jpg

#4
http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p634290864-4.jpg

#5
http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p276420755-4.jpg

#6
http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p899241489-4.jpg

#7
http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p6449922-5.jpg

#8
http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p429105823-4.jpg

[jmintz]

#4 of Patterson is my favorite, and #7 of Cooley's a great capture also.

I can't stand the Truckers, though, for some reason.

[texasreddirt]

The one of cooly is great. I love those guys!

[narlus]

i got another smoke shot of Cooley that i like as well, different angle/lighting

http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p264127911-5.jpg

[londonblue007]

Northhampton is a great room, for all the reasons you already listed.

Great shots!

[eeeksNYC]

nice guys when they came into work (sirius satellite radio). Couldnt snap any pictures...was running the console.

Great captures. Good stuff.

[roman_t]

i like those smoky shots as well as first fisheye and 6.

[Lulu626]

I was wondering what the FNW stood for. :D

The smoking one is classic Cooley. Good Capture! I looked at the rest on your site. Good set. I was able to shoot them when they were in Memphis a few weeks ago. With no pit either, I was squished trying to shoot in the front. I ended up shooting most of the night on Cooley's side which wasn't a bad place to be at all. I enjoyed every minute of the show!

[moemoe6434]

#6 is awesome! I am going to see DBT in a little over a month.... can't wait and i hope i get as good of shots as you!

[Sharpness]

The last one is nice! But a bit blurred huh? Or is it my perception...

[DwightMcCann]

We don't allow all that smoking out here! :-) Lovely captures. Eeeks, put your location in your profile.

[narlus]

hey all, thanks for the posts. this was a real rock show, plenty of guitars and great songs. would see them again definitely.

i think the last Cooley cig shot is likely a tiny bit OOF wrt to his eyes, as i was shooting the 135 full open @ f/2 and it looks like focus locked on his nose.

dwight, mass banned indoor smoking a few years ago, and the Truckers were just the 3rd band i've seen openly flout it on stage...ian mcculloch (echo+the bunnymen) was one, and the other was Greg Dulli (Twilight Singers/Gutter Twins), who did it twice. it's kinda funny to see a drummer puffing away while hitting the skins.

[narlus]

Eeeks, put your location in your profile.


his username is EeeksNYC, doesn't that give it away? :lol:

[René Damkot]

#5, 7 and the last one are nice.
First two are nice moments, not so nice exposure / lighting.

[narlus]

hey René, thanks as always for yr input.

for #1, it was kinda the luck of the (lighting) draw...not much i could w/ that light, but as you said i liked the moment and worked w/ it. #2 i was actually going for a silhouette when i was shooting it, but bumped up the fill light in ACR when i was PPing it.

this is a very good band to shoot...and listen to.

in fact, i will indulge myself by including a couple of other shots
http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p440942469-4.jpg

http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p534603587-4.jpg

http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p945796818-4.jpg

[Sharpness]

narlus, these are GREAT!