The Palace Theater (Waterbury, CT) has a pretty small stage, used mostly for dramatic performances. This means the front row is right up against the stage. There is no orchestra pit or space at the foot of the stage for photographers.
The people in the front row wouldn’t let me in to shoot, no matter how many times I explained the three song rule. So I had to shoot from the side. Next, the lights were terrible. The stage was pitch black with a deep blue light and one or two spotlights. I find that when the stage is poorly lit for the first three songs, it’s because the band doesn’t REALLY want to have their photos taken, because, vanity.
Needless to say, I was under a lot of stress that night and I made a few rookie mistakes which left me feeling underwhelmed by the shoot. I absolutely adore Jane’s Addiction, so fucking this shoot up was hard on me. Not that the best shots to come out were actually terrible, just not my best.
Walking back to my seat after the third song, I stopped for a moment to look back at the stage from the middle of the theater and decided to take one more shot. It was this one.
Nine years ago, I hated this photo. I was embarrassed by it. I felt it wasn’t good enough because it wasn’t one of those great shots from the pit.
But I was wrong.
I love this photo. It’s actually pretty fucking awesome. The whole band is in it, some of the fans, the stage set is in full view. And Perry just MIGHT be looking at me.
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