I recently got to shoot the Headstones concert in Kingston a the K-Rock Centre. This show was a bit of a big deal in that it was only one of a few shows on their small tour and it was also the first time in a decade that the band has performed in their hometown of Kingston. Add to that Kingston natives The Glorious Sons as a supporting act, and you’ve got yourself a rock concert.

As we were waiting for The Glorious Sons to hit the stage, the photographer next to me tells me that he’s shot them before, and their show is really high energy. He told me to be ready for when the singer throws off his hat. As you can tell from the photos below, “high energy” was an understatement. These guys just brought it all.

I had never seen either band perform live before, but the Headstones stage show is a thing of legend, and they did not disappoint. A few of you may have heard of Hugh Dillon’s antics, and on top of that they were allowing drinks on the floor, so I must admin I was a little concerned about shooting from the pit for this show. So a part of me was a little relieved when I found out that we were not going to be anywhere near the stage… the other part of me cursed having not brought a step stool.

I had never shot from the sound booth before, so I was faced with a number of challenges, mostly related to the ‘not having a step stool’ thing. But I’m tall, so I threw on my 70-200 lens and stood up as straight as possible (which adds about two more inches). From there it was just a matter of trying to find a way to shoot through the devil horns (m/), middle fingers, beer glasses and the people walking in front of my lens at semi-regular intervals (although most people did see me and ducked as they walked by. Thanks people!). 

Not to be outdone by the opening act, the Headstones brought their own (big) bucket of energy. Hugh was all over the stage and the crowd, knocking down stands and throwing mics as he went. Did I mention the number of pictures I got with a tech in the background trying to untangle a cable or pick up stands?

Yup, this show was a challenge, but I love challenges. It was a great show, I learned a thing or two (i.e. buy step stool) and I had great fun. You can’t beat that.

Oh yeah! I almost forgot about the cell phones! Cell phones everywhere! EVERYWHERE I TELL YOU!