Favorite Performer/Group and Favorite Subject(s)?

[skifurthur]

I don't know about all of you, but I got into performance photography because I am a total live music performance addict. In my opinion, if you are a performance-geek like myself, you are ahead of the game in taking photos of concerts. You anticipate things better, you see more than just the visual...you see something that is more than the whole of the parts...and your captures show that.

Right now, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals are my most favored performing entity with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band just a slight bit behind.

For subject, Bruce Springsteen is by far my favorite subject because he is a consumate performer. He mugs for the audience, always has a few surprises up his sleeve, so he never gets boring.

What about all of you?

[johnms88]

Fav to listen to - John Mayer / The Rocket Summer

Fav. to shoot - Sam Roberts Band / The Rocket Summer

[blackshadow]

Some of my favourite subjects to photograph are Tex Perkins (whether with the Beasts of Bourbon or in one of his other projects), Tim Rogers (whether with You Am I or one of his other projects), SixFtHick, Ron Peno (Died Pretty)

All mentioned above have a certain something that makes them magnificent to photograph.

I saw Patti Smith on Saturday night (as a member of the audience not a photographer) it was one of the best concerts I have ever seen... I found myself composing shots in my head at various points and wishing I had been able to shoot the show as she would have been magnificent to capture.

[londonblue007]

Wow, loaded question!

Fav to Listen: Beatles, Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen, Killers, John Mayer, Eagles, Brian Setzer (Stray Cats or Orchestra or Solo), The Who, anything on WBCN, WFNX or WZLX.....

Fav to Shoot: Six Day Slide, Will Dailey, Jake Shimabakuro, Jimmy Buffett...

Who I'd like to shoot: Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, David Gilmour, Dropkick Murphys, John Mayer


This list has taken me almost 10 minutes to think of and put together....

[bacchanal]

Great thread, but um...oh geez...

Favorites to listen to (long term): Mark Lanegan, John Frusciante, Nirvana, Queens of the Stone Age, Sonic Youth, Beck, Pearl Jam/Eddie Vedder, Leonard Cohen, REM, Niel Young, Wilco, Ben Harper, Mudhoney, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, etc., etc...

Favorites to listen to (current): Songs: Ohia/Magnolia Electric Co., The National, Damien Jurado, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Jeremy Enigk, Jenny Lewis, J. Tillman

Favorites to shoot: Anything in small to midsize venues with the following exceptions: typical punk, typical metal, anyone trying too hard to "make it", bands that are way into themselves, bands that want to be on the radio, party bands, bands with too much schtick.

[narlus]

hmm....good question. for local bands, the two most fun bands to shoot are Major Stars and Neptune. Both w/ tons of energy and interesting stage setups (Neptune makes their own instruments). i've shot both about 4-5 times.

for bigger bands, some of it depends on the venue....the lighting can help make or break a shoot. taking that out of the equation, though, i'd say that from a visual perspective, these were my favorite bands to shoot over the last 3 years:

Boredoms
Thighpaulsandra
Sonic Youth
The Melvins
High On Fire
Radiohead
Mudhoney
Om
Boris
The Cure
Mogwai

artists still on my 'would love to shoot' category:

John Zorn
Marc Ribot (who unfortunately cancelled his December support slot for Fred Frith)
Nick Cave

[Milner]

My list of fas to listen too would be way too long!! But old standbys are REM and Talking Heads, newer stuff is Fleet Foxes, Dodo's, Vampire Weekend, Wobats, Decemberists, etc.

Favorite to shoot, also a hard one to pick, but My Morning Jacket, and Chris Issac stand out as some of the most fun to shoot. MMJ had some very cool back lighting that made the shoots interesting and a little more challenging. Chris Issac is just plane COOL. He hops out into the audience, and has a suit made of mirrors....
Oh, and Jonny Lang has to have the BEST facial expression, bar none. I catch my self laughing when I look at them.

Least favorite too shoot is no contest! Ryan Adams. His show is the worst concert I have attended in 25 years of concerts. 70% of the crowd was gone before it end. I have a thread about it here somewhere....But he came out on stage sat all night with a hat pulled down and his music stand in front of his face. You could barely see his face at all. As I was getting ready to shoot, he announced "NO Photography, of any kind" the local paper guys left. I worked for the venue, his contract with them said I could shoot, but he was not happy about it!!

[ChrisRabior]

Milner, +1 to Lang. He gets all contorted when he's singing.. I'm also guilty of laughing.

My favorite would have to be Reel Big Fish. They're easy to shoot, and every one of them plays it up for the camera.
Quick story - 2008 Detroit Warped Tour, staffers had a sound system malfunction. While the road crew was in a full out PANIC to get things working, RBF came up to the front of the stage, posed together, did all kinds of crazy jumps and such. They were very cool for those lucky enough to be in the pit.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3142/2944830743_046f416bbf.jpg?v=0