We’re admittedly a little late to collating last month’s best pictorial work, but hey, we’ve been busy with a number of festivals this month. Still, it’s hard to forget May; between early summer tours and a trip to The Gorge, there wasn’t a second to spare. That’s why we just had to yank the spotlight back some. Don’t get too nostalgic — most of these acts are still on the road!
Event: M83 at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre (5/4)
Photographer: Heather Kaplan
What Heather Says: “I don’t make a lot of edits in Photoshop because I want people to see my photos and be able to imagine themselves at the concert. So, shows with awesome lighting design are my candy and M83 was no exception. I loved the colors, Anthony’s silhouette and his focus at this particular moment.”
Event: Beach House at Miami’s Fillmore (5/8)
Photographer: Phillip Roffman
What Phillip Says: “On stage, Beach House is a wonderful, intimate, and personal experience for anyone involved, especially those in the photo pit. I hope I captured that in my photos during this show.”
Event: Childish Gambino at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre (5/9)
Photographer: Heather Kaplan
What Heather Says: “Donald Glover’s acting skills are an asset to his performance, grabbing the attention of everyone in the theatre from the very first song and never letting go. He came off as a seasoned pro, and I wanted to capture his intensity in my photos.”
Event: St. Vincent at Chicago’s Vic (5/11)
Photographer: Heather Kaplan
What Heather Says: “A fellow photographer tipped me off to the fact that Annie would be doing some crowd surfing; he thought it would be around the fourth song. Well, the fourth, fifth, sixth songs all rolled by with Annie still firmly planted on the stage. I kept my position and finally at the end of the show, she took the dive! I got some great shots of her in the crowd; perfect way to cap off an awesome set.”
Event: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre (5/24)
Photographer: Brad Bretz
What Brad Says: “When photographing concerts you can’t predict what the artists will do onstage, or off. Alex Ebert, lead vocalist for Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, stepped offstage and got up close and personal with the fans in attendance at the Riviera theater in Chicago. I tried to get as close as possible to Alex to capture his perspective and emotion.”
Event: Best Coast at Belly Up Aspen (5/25)
Photographer: Meghan Brosnan
What Meghan Says: “This was a fun moment. Bethany Cosentino confesses that it’s her first time in Aspen and how adjusting to the mountain town’s elevation has her feeling ‘high all the time.’”
Event: Action Bronson @ Soundset 2012
Photographer: Joe Runge
What Ted Says: ”This was my first festival that I’ve covered and I really hope its not my last. The natural lighting helped a lot when capturing the experience. I tried to focus a lot on reflections and water that day and I feel like the pictures came out vary interestingly. Action Bronson wasn’t the only one that smoked up the festival.”
Event: The Gorge @ Sasquatch! 2012
Photographer: Ted Maider
What Ted Says: “It’s hard to capture the beauty of Quincy, Washington’s Gorge Amphitheater. Leave it to a magnum fisheye lens to get the job done right.”
Event: Reignwolf @ Sasquatch! 2012
Photographer: Jeremy D. Larson
What Jeremy Says: ”Reignwolf was the toast of Sasquatch!, as far as photos were concerned. The young Saskatoon blues rocker was a total showman at a tiny stage at 1:30 p.m. — he went all out with the classic poses and antics and didn’t give one fuck what any one thought.”
Event: Tenacious D @ Sasquatch! 2012
Photographer: Jeremy D. Larson
What Jeremy Says: ”Buncha guys hamming it up for the sake of lampooning and celebrating rock & roll. Spinal Tap: It may be time to pass the torch.”
