3 Concerts in 3 Days (Part 3)

Shooting this concert was an absolute dream. If James Arthur isn't my favorite artist of all time, then he's definitely top three. But, young Luke definitely would have had him leading the pack.

Of anyone I could have finished this season of concerts with (well almost finish—Clinton Kane photos dropping soon) I'm so glad it was with James. His album Back From the Edge is my favorite album ever. Period. There's not a bad song on the entire record. It will wreck your heart with songs like "Can I Be Him" "Sober" and "Finally." And it will take you to an even lower place with "Train Wreck" before it brings you full circle with "Remember Who I Was." The album is one I listen to to get my feels on or when I am going through it, but the vocals are simply memorizing.

Of course, the infamous song from this album is "Say You Won't Let Go" which topped charts around the world in 2016. The song follows the journey of a person and their lover across their lives—and perhaps thereafter.

"I wanna live with you

Even when we're ghosts

'Cause you were always there for me

When I needed you most"

- "Say You Won't Let Go"

The song was one of the first songs I learned to play on the guitar, so it holds a special place for me personally. The iconic cord plucking is recognized around the world and by all ages. Lyrically, it's incredible and gives a wide range of topics for listeners to relate to. The lyrics are beautiful in part because of the love that the singer has for the one to who he sings. It is a love, in fact, that most people believe to be rare.

The main chorus "Say you won't let go" is universally desired. Everyone seeks someone whom they can trust—someone who they can trust not just tonight, but for forever. Someone to hold them in times of extreme bliss, and someone to hold them when they can't get up on their own.

Call me crazy, but I've yet to see someone perfectly show that kind of love. In the handful of relationships that I've endured, I have experienced heartbreak, deceit, and hypocrisy—I certainly have been guilty of some of those. Of course, I am only 20 and have yet to experience what exactly it means to love to its full extent. However, I would still submit that no human is capable of showing a perfect version of love. 

Anyways, the concert was absolutely unbelievable. James was still recovering from an illness, but he nailed every song in his set. Some of my personal favorites were "Sermon" in which James rapped the usual feature of Shotty Horroh, himself, and "Last of the Whiskey."

James was incredible to shoot from the pit (see my Instagram for the rest of the photos). If he wasn't low-key posing, then he is the most photogenic artist I have ever shot. Each shot seemed to line itself up perfectly and I could see my experience starting to pay off.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to shoot for one of my favorite artists and it was truly a scene from a dream I've been having since I was a kid. In the moment it didn't feel real and I sometimes find myself looking back at the photos to remind myself it was. God has been so good to me in this season and I am immensely grateful to everyone who has supported me and my art. I can't wait to see where this journey takes me next semester, but I look forward to the break this summer.

Everyone has called me crazy for taking a break right as I have started to see the first fruits of my work. I turned down two dream tours this summer, but I truly believe that I am being called to take a break from social media and the grind that I have been on recently.

I'm tired of the constant need to post to keep my momentum going. I'm tired of the constant push for engagement on my profile. While I love to create, it is also easy for me to fall into a cycle of creating the same thing over and over again simply because it works. I don't want to create because I have to. I want to create because I love to. Sometimes I can do both, but right now I need a break. So, (as talked about in previous blogs) I am going to serve in Colorado this summer. I'll be dark on social media starting Monday and I'll return on 08/15/2022.

Thank you all for the support you've given me in my first year.

Season 2 starts in August. I can't wait.

-Luke