The moment Pharrell Williams and Shay Haley explode onto the the stage, the crowd has forgotten about the 45-minute set change. Backed by Chad Hugo on the decks and a full band, the two tag team in a kinetic performance that had hands in the air from the opening bars and kept them there until the lights went up.
DJ Who started off the night with an 80-minute set ripe with jams from the Roots, Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, and Del the Funky Homosapien, sparking a circle on the pit for all the breakers. N.E.R.D. picked up where the DJ left off, throwing gasoline on the embers for an explosive set from start to finish.
As the rock-funk alter-egos for golden-boy producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, N.E.R.D.’s live show comes off as anything but a side project for the Neptunes. Joined by Viginia Beach native Shay Haley, the Grammy-winning duo immediately dispelled any notion that the trio is a product of the studio, as their background might suggest.
At the forefront, Pharrell and Haley lead the attack, charging the crowd and working the length of the stage in waves that mixed emcee braggadocio with rockstar poise. Behind the core of the band’s sound was a full compliment of live musicians, featuring no less than two drummers in addition to bass, guitar, and keyboard players delivering the band’s bouncing sound.
N.E.R.d. laid down a set that drew from In Search Of (2001) and Fly or Die (2004), as well as their upcoming release due out later this year. While this headlining tour comes just before the group’s support of Kanye West’s epic Glow In The Dark tour, which also features Lupe Fiasco and Rihanna, N.E.R.D. brought fire to the Pageant in a show that was anything but a warmup.
Check out N.E.R.D. before they blow it up with Kanye in April:
03-12 Tulsa, OK
03-13 Austin, TX
03-14 Austin, TX
03-15 Austin, TX
03-16 Nashville, TN
03-17 Indianapolis, IN
03-18 Columbus, OH
03-19 Pittsburgh, PA
03-21 Myrtle Beach, SC
03-22 Richmond, VA
03-24 Asheville, NC
03-25 Knoxville, TN
03-26 Birmingham, AL
03-28 Jacksonville, FL
Shooting Notes:
Just the usual for this one: first three, no flash. I shot from the pit behind a barricade, the sole purpose of which seemed to be keeping the ladies back from Esquire’s 2005 “Best-Dressed Man in the World.”
On several occassions before the curtain went up, while in the pit, I was politely asked if I was going to be standing there the entire show. I assured Pharrell’s fans that I would not, in fact, be blocking their prime-real estate view of their favorite Billionaire Boy.
Lighting:
I’m not going to lie, the lighting for this set was rough. Neigh, it was pretty awful for the first three songs, and seemed incongruous to the big sound and A-list names on stage.
Thin, high frontlighting and atmospheric accents from the back defined the alloted shooting time. Blue and white backlighting in particular described the majority of the first three songs, with occasional flares of more intense white light from the back of the stage.
Having photographed performers like Common, Clipse, and other performers who also run the length of the stage in their set, N.E.R.D. was no exception in the physical approach needed to keep up. On the bright side, as Pharrell and Haley crisscrossed the stage, one or both of the performers were often just a few steps away, so playing zone defense was really key for this set.
Lenses & Gear:
I used the Nikon D3, Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8, and Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 for this set. The f/2.8 aperture of the lenses was entirely necessary for the performance, and even faster glass would have been welcome.
Due to the dynamic movement on stage, I gravitated toward the wide angle for this show, and used the 14-24mm ultra-wide angle for one and a half songs. More often than not, I’ll use the lens for a few key images, but I was surprised by how naturally the wide perspective fit the show.
I picked up the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 to pick up a few shots of Chad Hugo in the back as well.
Exposure & Camera Settings:
I shot between 1/160 and 1/200 at f/2.8 for this set, bouncing between ISO 6400 and 12800. Due to the high amount of activity on stage, I really wanted to keep shutter speeds up for this set. Even dropping to 1/160 was a compromise, while 1/200 and up displayed the best results.
End Notes:
Big thanks to Kate for setting up credentials at the last minute. Whether you’re shooting this show or just a fan, I’d highly recommend this tour. For everyone packing into the arenas to see N.E.R.D. and Kanye West on their bid for world domination, it’s going to be hot.
16 Comments Add your own
1. Neetu | March 11th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
Amazing photos!! I enjoy the angles and your decision to make them black and white. I also enjoy the aperture and shutter speed. Great use of noise! You are a wonderful photographer. The best I’ve ever seen. I want to see more!
2. Todd | March 11th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
Thanks, Neetu! I thought the b&w conversion best fit the images and allowed me to play with the contrast in ways the original color images wouldn’t allow, given the lighting.
In processing, I also added a little “grain,” too.
3. Keith | March 12th, 2008 at 12:05 am
I agree. I think you really captured some prime moments per your usual. I am really in love with the BW and noise. The shots have a really “old school” epic feel to them. If that makes any sense. Well done!
4. Todd | March 12th, 2008 at 12:43 am
Hey Keith,
Thanks for your thoughts on this — I didn’t go in with any plan except to get a clean shot of Pharrell if possible, but that didn’t really work out considering the lighting and his hat
Epic is never a bad word for music shots, I’ll take it — thanks!
5. Andi | March 12th, 2008 at 2:26 am
I like the dynamic of the wide angle here. I also dial down my normal 17-50 2.8 down to 17 when I’m in front of the stage, especially when the musicians are posing on the monitors you can get awesome shots with that.
The 14-24 2.8 on the D3 is a brilliant performer in this situation. Still waiting for the new Tokina 11-16 f2.8. I hope, it will do quite good on the APS-C cams, all the other wide angles are too much light suckers right now.
6. Andi | March 12th, 2008 at 2:31 am
PS: Didn’t you mention that you do your shots with the B&W decision already made?
Because, this is a set where I really would split up the color or B&W decision. Some of these pics are just much more cooler with some grain and B&W while I would absolutely prefer to see some colored in the end.
7. Todd | March 12th, 2008 at 2:52 am
Hey Andi,
Yeah, for metal shows, wide angle is a must
I think you’ll really like the Tokina 11-16mm. Even though the range is tight, 11mm on APS is still really nice and a wide, and the fast f/2.8 aperture is a must.
I almost never used my Tokina 12-24mm f/4 for concerts because it was too slow. That extra stop really makes a difference.
On the B&W, yeah, I usually do decide to do B&W even before I go to a show, but that is often informed by the venue. For this venue, it usually has great lights, but for some reason they decided to keep it dark for the first three.
So, the real decision was made while I was shooting
I see what you mean about wanting to see some color mixed in. As a viewer, I can definitely see that. But as the photographer, I gotta do what I gotta do.
But you do bring up a good point, I’ll think about this in the future and try to come up with a balance between the two modes that can satisfy all.
8. Raquita | March 12th, 2008 at 6:54 am
I posted your article on the NERD/Icecream blog, I thought some of the fans ther would get a kick out of the shots, I like hte black and white it gives it a timelessness most live shooting doesn’t get anymore. Reminds me of something very classic - elder. Not old though…
9. Todd | March 12th, 2008 at 6:55 am
Thanks for spreading the link, Raquita, I appreciate it. While I normally don’t convert to b&w for this venue, the lighting just worked better in mono to my eye. Thanks for your thoughts, glad to hear you like the set.
10. Chris | March 12th, 2008 at 6:57 am
It’s 1,6,11,18 here.
You know, the lighting is really nasty but they don’t look THAT bad. Still way better than the D2X, which isn’t saying much I know, but all things considered there are plenty of people who wouldn’t be able to shoot this show at all if they didn’t have the right gear.
11. Todd | March 12th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Thanks for your picks, Chris, I think you hit most of my personal favorites. In hindsight, the lighting could have been worse, definitely.
Since I was shooting at ISO 6400 at the minimum, this show is just one instance where the newer tech certainly did help. WIth the D2x and my old lenses, I would have been shooting at ISO 1600 and dropping to 1/50 or 1/40 at 17mm with the 17-55mm. Painful.
12. Gee | March 13th, 2008 at 3:24 am
wicked serie.
Rhoa, N.E.R.D., i really wanna see them live
13. Todd | March 13th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Thanks, G. I was really looking forward to N.E.R.D., and though the lights were rough, they put on a great show.
14. Dutch Damasta | March 14th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Great set of images…
I like to the way to catch the artist in the moment…
http://www.DutchLabUSA.com
15. Solange Moreira Yeoell | March 15th, 2008 at 4:24 am
You know I love your colour shots too much but all these in BW are just perfect. You are inspiring.
I just feel like going to a N.E.R.D. gig right now. Thanks Todd, you are a bad influence for my pocket. I am skint…no gigs for a while, I think.
16. Todd | March 16th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Thanks, Solange, I appreciate the feedback — glad to hear the b&w works for you.
If they make it over to England, I hope you catch a show. The live performance is really electric. Thanks again!
speak up
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