Amy Lee and Evanescence make a triumphant return to Atlanta performing in support of their 3rd self-titled studio album to a sold out crowd at The Tabernacle.

Photography Notes:

Shooting was limited to the first 3 and I counted no less than 8 photographers, a video crew, 4 security staff, and a handful of stage height subwoofers in the pit from touring production. The subs reduced the 3′ fixed pit to 1′ or less at its tightest point mid stage. While most photographers stayed house left I choose to squeeze through center stage to house right mid set. Lighting was minimal consisting of house lighting for the main production with no use of house follow spots augmented by on stage production lighting. While active in presentation, the lighting was largely of the blue wash variety with a few seconds of flair in the form of red, yellow, and white strobe effects. The Nikon D700′s handled the focus well in the flat lighting treatment with the 24-70 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 getting the nod for the glass.

Concert photography in 2011 overall provided exceptional opportunities to cover a vast array of live performances spanning many genres and venues with various scales of production. Somewhat surprisingly, the larger tours came with increased restrictions including many rights grabs releases, unfavorable shooting positions, and tour production favoring the low power, color imbalanced, and cost effective LED lighting.

My top 10 of Concert Photography each year involves numerous factors – many of which are not related to the photography produced itself or whether or not there is a fondness of the artist. It includes factors such as production quality, artist performance, shooting restrictions, shooting position, vibe of the show, and of course some degree of personal opinion. That said, I am pleased to present the best concert photography assignments of 2011.

10. Styx/Yes

70′s Prog/Classic Rockers Styx and Yes joined forces for a 22 city co-headling summer tour which provided a bounty of unique photo opportunities paired with impeccable performances.

…More of Styx and Yes

9. Alice Cooper

The still reigning master of live performance continues to inspire and influence generations of fans and artists with the same tenacity and spectacle as he has for over 40 years.

…More of Alice Cooper

8. Vanden Plas

Making their much anticipated return to the PPUSA XII stage since PPUSA IV in 2003, Germany’s Vanden Plas delighted the PPUSA XII attendees with two outstanding performances. The first in a co-headling slot on the PPUSA mainstage during Thursday’s Pre Party show with Co-Headliner Evergrey. The second in an afternoon acoustic performance on the last day of the festival.

…More of Vanden Plas

7. Forbidden

Atlanta’s annual Progpower USA Festival historically delivers at least one performance garnering a top 10 live performance. This year brough two. With the second top ten performance going to one of the “power” performers of Progpower dominating the PPUSA XII stage in the vein of previous year standouts Accept (2010) and Primal Fear (2009). The Bay Area Thrash veterans Forbidden killed it!

… More of Forbidden

6. Sick Puppies

You’ve heard their radio hits and you’ve seen their viral youtube.com videos. While good, they don’t give a Sick Puppies live performance justice. Heavy, energetic, and classic “in your face” rock n’ roll is what this band delivers in spades. If you like them on recording, you’ll love them in person. Kudos to Shimon, Emma, and Mark for a marvelous performance.

… More of Sick Puppies

5. Buddy Guy / BB King

How often do you have the opportunity to cover two living legends in the same spring evening at one of the city’s best outdoor venues? This night of shooting Buddy Guy and BB King offered that opportunity with both artists delivering incredible performances demonstrating their iconic status in the world of rock and blues.

… More of Buddy Guy and BB King

4. Corey Taylor Acoustic and Spoken Word

The talented and outspoken Corey Taylor’s acoustic and spoken word performance gave a look at the artist’s multiple creative facets in an intimate and unique performance combining spoken word, audience Q&A, and acoustic delivery of personal favorites and inspired cover selections. Access to shoot the entire performance was largely available. I choose to spend my time shooting the first 10 mins of the spoken word performance and the first three songs of the acoustic performance before retiring to enjoy the show.

… More of Corey Taylor

3. Tom Jones

Sir Tom Jones. For the sake of full disclosure, I originally accepted this assignment on the novelty factor. Mr. Jones performance however was far from novelty and provided one of the most energetic and photogenic performances of 2011. At 70 years young, Tom Jones simply rocks. He made a new fan and left me eager to cover future performances of the artist.

…More of Tom Jones

2. Chris Cornell

Chris Cornell’s acoustic performance in support of his 2011 Songbook tour in the sold out intimacy of the 1,000 seat Center Stage theater reenforced the artists accolades as one of the top voices in rock. Adding to the exceptional performance, was the receipt of 2 front row center comps to enjoy the unique 2 hour set after shooting songs 4,5,6.

…More of Chris Cornell Acoustic

1. Mother’s Finest Live On Peachtree

Mother’s Finest exceptional performance in the town they call home coupled with perfect sound and light production, legions of hometown fans, the shutting down of Peachtree Street for the first time in the history of the city, and access to shoot the entire performance came together to deliver my top assignment of 2011.

…More of Mother’s Finest

At 63 years young, the often imitated and never duplicated founder, creator, and godfather of all thinks shock and awe in the world of rock and roll brought his 2011 No More Mr. Nice Guy Tour to the capacity crowd at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center in Atlanta Ga. Indeed, there is still only one…and his name is Alice.

Shooting Notes:

Shooting the iconic Alice Cooper is as unique as his performances. The first time I had the pleasure of capturing the artist was my first weekend with the Nikon D700 over 3 years ago. To my delight, the artist allowed the first 4 (as opposed to the standard first 3) while also endorsing flash. One might get the impression (I did) that this was to be a dark and moody show as a result. In practice, this is quite the contrary as Alice Cooper shows are always extremely will lit beyond the typical challenges found in most live music. Overexposure mistakes are easy as one battles the experience and muscle memory hammered into our instincts as concert photographers in low to no light shooting conditions. This show was no different with exposures dialing in at 1/400 F2.8 ISO1600 minus a stop or so at the brightest points of the performance. As is customary at this venue, there was no pit and a much more engaged crowd than is normal for this venue. As such, I took the 70-200 2.8 to the rear of the orchestra seating to capture the entrance and then packed it in behind the front row fans and other photographers with the 24-70 2.8 and 14-24 2.8 for the rest of the shooting interval. Careful timing was required in the limited positioning and amongst the cheering arms and fist pumps.

Shots 7 and 8 of this set are particularly interesting as they were taken about a second apart. Shot 7 is with the 14-24 2.8 at its widest setting. Shot 8 is from the 24-70 2.8 zoomed to about 50mm and one step to my right into the crowd. What a difference minor adjustments in focal length and just a foot or so of repositioning can make.

One of the many great things about the annual Progpower USA festival is the unique performances that often surround the event. Progpower USA XII in 2011 was no different as Germany’s Vanden Plas performed an intimate acoustic set in the afternoon of the festivals final day featuring Vanden Plas originals and some of the bands favorite covers including Locomotive Breath (Jethro Tull), Boat on the river (Styx), Music Was My First Love (John Miles), Father, Far Off Grace, How Many Tears, and Holes in the Sky.

Photography Notes:

The set was performed in “The Loft” portion of the Center Stage complex during the afternoon. The Loft features a minimal stage lighting setup of tungsten cans whose age shows in their significant “warmth” from a color balanced perspective. Outside windows run the length of the room stage left and allowed the sun to compete with the stage lighting. While I normally do not shoot live music in black and white, the uniqueness and mood of the performance commanded it.

Shooting was a challenge as the packed room was without a pit and the acoustic delivery and small stage warranted a more subtle approach to coverage. Given such, I positioned myself largely on stage left and right, just out of audience view and waiting for moments to capture the overall feel of the sets delivery. Shooting duties fell to a single Nikon D700 shared by the Nikon 24-70 2.8 and 70-200 2.8. Exposures came in about 1/40 F2.8 ISO12800.

Touring in support of his New York Times Bestseller “Seven Deadly Sins: Settling The Argument Between Born Bad And Damaged Good” – Slipknot frontman and Stone Sour founder Corey Taylor delivers a unique three hour evening of spoken word, story time, audience Q&A, and a personal selection of the artist’s hits and cover selections in acoustic form to a full house.

Photography Notes:

Shooting for the set was exceptional with the freedom to stay in the venue for the entire performance. Media access was permitted to a stage left area normally utilized by Monitor Engineers as well as run of the public house. Given such, I photographed the first 10 minutes of the spoken word portion of the performance and the first 3 songs of the acoustic set from the stage left position while grabbing a few shots from crowd positions around the venue before packing the gear and settling in to enjoy the unique performance. Shooting duties fell to a pair of Nikon D700′s paired to the holy trinity of concert zooms in Nikon 14-24 2.8, 24-70 2.8, and 70-200 2.8 with exposures falling about 1/125 F2.8 ISO4000.

The lovely and multi-talented singer, songwriter, and composer Tori Amos performs during the artist’s 2011 “Night of Hunters” tour at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center in Atlanta, Ga

Photography Notes:

Shooting was restricted to the first song only for the artist with the sweet spots occupied by a video crew at stage front to the the artist’s immediate left and right. Shooting duties fell to the Nikon 14-24 2.8, 24-70 2.8, and 70-200 2.8 all metering in at a rather constant 1/200 F3.2 ISO3200 +/- variances required for each lens. The wide and mid range zooms were utilized between the camera crew while the long zoom served well for subject isolation across stage and around the video gear.

Blues rock guitarist and vocalist Joe Bonamassa performs to a sold out crowd at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center in Atlanta, Ga during his 2011 Dust Bowl world tour.

Photography Notes:

Shooting the famed guitarist came in the form of the first three with an overall constant lighting treatment in the neighborhood of 1/320 F3.2 ISO3200. The venue logistics provide for a low (eg waist high) stage and no photo pit which means packing it in with the premium ticket holders and shooting from stage right and left with a pass on the ground across stage front. Tour lighting was provided in the LED variety giving an overall red/blue cast to the captures and lacking in front to back contrast. Photography duties fell to the Nikon D700′s paired with the Nikon 24-70 2.8 and 70-200 2.8.

Multi-talented Norwegian artist Ihsahn delivers a crowd favored performance supported by 2010 favorites Leprous at Progpower USA XII.

Shooting Notes:

The challenging set provided minimal front-lighting with the exception of the drummer who had the benefit of reflected downlighting from cymbals and skins. As such, a bit of fill flash was used throughout by way of the solid Nikon SB-800 in manual at 1/128th power with the Nikon D700′s dialing in about 1/40 F4 ISO1600.

Australia’s Melodic Progressive Metal artists Voyager perform during the 13th Annual Progpower USA Festival.

Photography Notes:

Shooting the set was a challenge for the highly animated and energetic performance with the presented lighting treatment falling at its best around 1/160 F2.8 ISO6400. Given I was without my 1.8 primes, I gamed the set with some on-camera fill flash @ 1/30 F2.8 ISO1600 with a Nikon SB-800 dialed in manually a 1/128th power.

New York based Creation’s End kick of Day 1 of the annual Progpower USA festival in Atlanta, Ga.

Photography Notes:

Captures for the opener provided an opportunity to get a feel for the years stage setup and house LD’s lighting scenes. The set was overall admirably lit with nice front to back contrast coming in at a very manageable 1/200 F2.8 ISO5000 for the duration of the set.

Sweden’s Darkwater delivers a progressive metal set spanning the groups first two albums “Calling the Earth to Witness” and “Where Stories End” during Day of Progpower USAXII in Atlanta, Ga.

Photography Notes:

Shooting the set fell at a challenging 1/100 F2.8 ISO6400 admirably handled by the Nikon D700 with Nikon 24-70 2.8 and 70-200 2.8.

Performing in the 2nd headlining spot on the Mayhem Festival Main-stage, Grammy nominated thrash maestros Megadeth deliver the top performance of the festival.

Photography Notes:

Shooting for the set was the first three in a crowded pit of 50+ filled with photographers, video crew, and security which significantly limited mobility and requiring more of a move and wait approach to capture. Lighting was a manageable 1/200 F2.8 ISO 3200 +/1 a stop in shutter and ISO while generally being overall flat due to the tours extensive use of LED lighting which received some relief from the house follow spots.

Italy’s Eldritch delivers a set of Progressive/Power Metal goodness at The Center Stage Theater in Atlanta, Ga during Progpower USA XII.

Photography Notes:

Shooting the set provided quite the challenge for the photographer and the gear with the presented exposures at their best falling in at 1/160 F2.8 ISO6400 for the Nikon D700 coupled to the 24-70 2.8 and 70-200 2.8. As such, a bit of fill flash from a Nikon SB-800 was utilized as needed to augment the lack of front-lighting during the set with those exposures coming in at 1/30 F2.8 ISO1600 with the Nikon SB-800 dialing in at a manual 1/128th adding just a pop to illuminate the artists faces while still maintaining the ambiance of the performance.

London, England based Progressive Rock/Powermetal artists Haken make their US debut at Progpower USA XII opening day 2 of the festival with an impressive display of prog prowess and warm reception from the PPUSA crowd.

Shooting Notes:

Photographing the set proved challenging with the dim lighting, though given its nicely balanced front to back ratio and associated contrast, this was easily managed by the Nikon D700′s paired with the 24-70 2.8 and 70-200 2.8. Exposures fell in the neighborhood of 1/100 F2.8 ISO6400 +/- 1 stop.

Italy’s Labyrinth deliver a technically mesmerizing set of their signature power metal lineage on Day 1 of Progpower USA XII at the Center Stage Theater in Atlanta, ga

Photography Notes:

Lighting for the set, albeit sparse, was nicely balanced and contrasted front to back which made for relatively clean exposures at the extremes of the Nikon D700 twins dialing in at a relative constant 1/160 F2.8 ISO8533 (ISO6400 + 1/3). High stage front monitors excluded use of the wide angle zoom giving the Nikon 24-70 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 exclusive lens duty throughout the set.

The Godfather of Goth himself, Peter Murphy, delivers an impressive performance to the eclectic crowd at the Masquerade in Atanta.

When I was in high school some years ago there where cliques. I fell into the Maggot, Stoner (though never touched the stuff), Metalhead clique. I had friends in the Art Mod clique. Avoiding the popular cliques such as the Sporto’s, Academics, and Richies (The Breaksfast Club was such a classic movie) we connected through our appreciation of music even though one another never quite “got” the others. Bauhaus at the time was the music of choice for the Art Mod clique. Iron Maiden was my music of choice. As a testiment to the staying power of artists in a generation whose music actually mattered, it was a absolute pleasure to cover the music of a friendly but competing genre of choice and to have it compel me equally many years later.

Shooting Notes:

To put it simply, lighting production at this popular Atlanta venue challenges. Most tours in the neighborhood of 500-1000 attendees are booked here. The pit is 3/4 the height of the standing room floor and there is often no LD on hand. Exposures at this venue start at 1/160 F2.8 ISO6400. For this night exposures fell in the neighborhood of 1/60 F2.8 ISO6400 and were pushed upwards of 2 stops in post to ISO25600 via Nikon CaptureNX2.

In direct support of Gun’s N Roses first USA tour in 5 years, Los Angeles based Buckcherry dominate the crowd with a customary impeccaple performance spanning the groups 17 year career.

Photography Notes:

Shooting Buckcherry was very different (and appreciated) from the headlining artist who shall not be named for which they opened. Restrictions were the first three songs from the luxurious pit on this tour. Captures were handled by the Nikon D700 twins coupled to the 24-70 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 exclusively with exposures coming in at an amicable 1/320 F3.2 ISO3200. Shout out to Stevie D for the conversation before showtime!

Progressive Metal pioneers Dream Theater perform at The Tabernacle in Atlanta touring in support of their 12th studio album “A Dramatic Turn of Events” with a newfound performance enthusiasm readily apparent with the addition of drummer Mike Mangini.

Photography Notes:

Shooting the progressive rock artist always presents a challenge as the band tours with their own lighting rig which predominantly consists of LED lighting in shades of green and blue…A triple negative. Fortunately the house follow spot provided moments of contrasty illumination of James LaBrie which occasionally caught bandmates. Shooting was limited to the first 15 minutes with exposures falling about 1/250 F2.8 ISO5000.

Roadrunner Records recording artists Trivium deliver an aggressive and upbeat set in direct support of label mates Dream Theater featuring the soaring vocals of Matt Heafy who (Trivium Trivia) joined the band at the scrapping age of 12.

Photography Notes:

Shooting was a challenging quick 3 with the opener positioned on the front 1/4 or so of the venue’s stage. Lighting treatments were overall quite flat with the bulk of the set finding the band bathed in shades of red and purple with a few brief moments of white and yellow from the fixed stage lighting without follow spots. Exposures fell in around 1/200 F2.8 ISO5000.

For 20+ years, hard rock veterans Warrant have been delivering their signature Sunset Strip sound of melodic rock anthems and ballads intertwined with straight up rock and roll.

The headlining tour in support of their 8th studio album Rockaholic descended upon Atlanta’s Wild Bills with generations of the band’s fans in attendance.

Photography Notes:

Photographing the group was challenging due to lack of a photo pit which means mixing it in with the packed crowd at stage front which limits movement and shooting angles. Lighting was relatively plentiful metering in at 1/200 F2.8 ISO5000 though the single follow spot favored Robert for most of the shooting period – even during stage front guitar solos.