3 Concerts in 3 Days (Part 1)

Last week was unreal.

It was a taste of what I've been working so hard at building this semester. In three days—Thursday to Saturday—I shot tours for AJR, Nathaniel Rateliff, and James Arthur. Each night was filled with moments that will be influential for the rest of my photography career.

I think I'll tell Thursday's story this week—the opening night of AJR's "OK ORCHESTRA" tour. This was easily the best concert I have ever shot, witnessed, heard, (insert anything else here). It was spectacular. And I almost missed it.

When I got the green light for the concert a few days before I was in disbelief. I had requested the show forever ago and had low-key forgotten that it was coming up. The concert was taking place at the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory—a venue I had never shot at before, so I got there early to make sure I could find my way around. Thank goodness for that.

I show up at the venue to pick up my pass, and the lady at will-call (bless her soul) just could not find my media credentials. She gave me a "that's tough" look and told me that I needed to contact my contact, otherwise, I wouldn't be allowed in. This was super unfortunate for me because my only form of communication had been through email and there was a very small chance that my contact would be checking her emails the day of the concert.

For those who know me personally, I hate confrontation with strangers. When people honk at me on the road it freaks me out. If a restaurant gets my order wrong I usually just try to ignore it. I just don't want to be "that guy." If I could just carry on with my day that would be great.

I'm not sure what exactly came over me (probably my love for AJR) but I was just not going to be told that I couldn't get into the venue when I had already been confirmed. I continued speaking with the lady even after she had told me there was nothing she could do—approval has to be given by the artist and also cleared by the concert venue. I pulled up all of my emails on my phone and she finally gave me a number that I could call to try and work something out. The man on the phone was super nice and confirmed that I was on the list for tonight and he wasn't sure why there was not a pass for me at the window. They ended up having me wait in VIP until the matter was sorted out and a lady came to give me my pass.

The whole situation was handled so professionally and I have only good things to say about Live Nation and all of their venues.

Que the opening act: GAYLE.

Who's that? You know her, you just don't realize it yet.

ABCDEF...GHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ.

Yeah, she sings that song. And she killed her set. Imagine being 17 and opening for AJR. Homegirl is so talented.

About halfway through her set though, I ran into some high-school friends which was just so fun. Having friends at a concert automatically makes it better whether you're working it or not.

I should also mention that I was cleared to shoot the entire concert as opposed to the normal first three songs of each set. That sounds great (and it was), but in reality, it just allowed me to overshoot (which I did), and then I hated myself later when I had to go through the footage.

Finally, it's time for AJR and I take my place in the pit. A massive screen spans the entire stage as a giant face bursts through it! It pokes fun with the crowd before the screen splits in half as the three brothers are revealed on stage—and so begins the craziest hour ever.

Each brother has his own unique skills and they each performed without a hiccup. The visuals in the show were some of the greatest visuals I've ever seen concert or not. The band does a fantastic job of creating a full experience for their fans. It really is a show, not just a concert.

I penned this quote the night of the show:

"Watching AJR live is like watching a show of the Four Horsemen from Now You See Me." -Luke Montgomery 04/28/2022

This is the best way to describe their show. It's filled with fantastical sounds, disappearing magic, and technology innovation. As soon as you think you have them figured out, Ryan, the middle brother, tells a story that rivals the best stand-up comedian performance.

It was truly such a blessing and dream come true to shoot for these guys, and I can't wait to release their photos later this week!

Just a reminder that I'll be going dark this summer on social media starting May 15! :')

Parts 2 and 3 of this series will be dropping soon! Thank you for reading!

-Luke