October 24, 2008 – I could tell you that there were dancing Buddhas, mythical creatures, a feather-cannon, and Kevin Barnes in all manner of costume (and lack thereof) in Of Montreal’s epically theatrical performance at the Pageant. I could compare their show to a kaleidoscopic acid trip or some other liminal space of perception.
However, there are really no words that can adequately describe what Of Montreal is doing on stage these days. As such, these images will have to suffice.
The encore included a totally rockin’ cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” which had the pit heaving like nothing I’ve seen in a while.
Photographer’s Notes:
Where do I begin? There’s really almost no preparing for Of Montreal’s live show. You’ll have to take my word for it as someone who’s photographed the band four times now. Almost anything can and will happen on stage.
Every year, the band’s live show has gotten bigger – and yes, better, even in its ballooning, technicolor extravagance of 2008.
With costume changes for singer Kevin Barnes and the revolving cast of performers nearly ever song, the stage is in constant motion, so picking a subject for this show can be an interesting challenge.
Lighting for this show is very minimal, in part due to projections on three panels high at the back of the stage. The lighting treatment for this show was subdued, with subtle color washes from behind and nothing in the way of direct frontlighting.
This lighting scheme was actually very similar to last year’s show in terms of it being low impact. Expecting this, I used a set of three speedlights for this performance, setting up two SB-600s on the far sides of the stage and using an SB-900 as the commander. Due to the great distances between the lights and the obtuse angle between them and the commander flash, they were more or less fired independently of one another, as Nikon’s wireless flash system relies more or less on line of sight transmission.
I used the Nikon D3 and Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 for almost the entire set, with light use of the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8 throughout the set.
End Notes:
I first shot Of Montreal in a dingey basement venue a couple of years ago as one of the very first shows I photographed. Kevin Barnes came out in a wedding dress, proposed to the 200-person audience, and then proceeded to consummate the relationship with an hour of party-time indie pop.
It’s great to see the band’s live show evolve into what it has become – a spectacle that I dare say may be giving The Flaming Lips a run for their money.
26 Comments Add your own
1. cj foeckler | October 27th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Really nice stuff here Todd. I had the pleasure of shooting these guys again for the third time last night. Really fun to shoot and a really great bunch of people. I wish we would’ve had some barricades up at the Pabst though. . it really pays to be close for these guys. Really nice job with the lights, too. In Milwaukee, I was stuck with some really, really low, muddy lighting for most of the show. Oh well, them’s the breaks. I love the photo of Jamey sitting on the end of the stage. . .great stuff!
2. Todd | October 27th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Hey CJ, thanks for the comment. It’s a wild show, isn’t it? This would have been a very different shoot without a barricade, that’s for sure.
We had the same sort of dull lighting at the Pageant, too.
Jamie has come to the front of the stage for both of the last two shows of OM’s that I’ve seen. It’s nice, because for a lot of the rest of the show, he’s back on his drum riser!
Thanks again.
3. Chris Tucker | October 27th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Jeez, Todd. Took you long enough. Just kidding, man. I know you had a TON of images to sift through. Great set, though, really captured the spirit of the night, especially those crowd shots. Oh, and just wondering. Thursday night: will you be at the Pageant or Pop’s?
4. Todd | October 27th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Hey Chris, thanks. I saw you rocking out during “Teen Spirit” — what an epic encore, it’s hard to think of a better song for a cathartic closer, everyone went wild.
Thursday I will be at Pop’s. It’s a tough choice. On the one hand, I do love the Ludo boys, but William Becket is just so dang pretty. We’re also setting up a portrait with The Academy Is…, so there’s that, too.
I am thinking about coming out for Family Force 5, which DJ just told me about. Pros: FF5. Cons: The Creepy Crawl. Are you going to that one?
5. Chris Tucker | October 27th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
Yeah, Of Montreal is definitely one of those shows where I really let loose. Haha.
Dang. I was really hoping you’d shoot Relient K. I’ve been friends with those dudes for a little while now, and I was going to see if they’d let you shoot the whole set. And Ludo, well…you know about them. But I mean, it’s understandable. TAI is great, and Beckett is quite the looker. My girlfriend’s actually ditching me for that one.
But yeah, I’ll be at the Creepy tomorrow night. You should definitely shoot it. FF5 is always fun, and I know for a fact that pre-sale did under 100, so it probably won’t be too incredibly crowded.
6. Todd | October 27th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
You gotta tell me about these things in advance, haha. We’re setting up the TAI thing now, haven’t received final confirmation yet. If for some reason that falls through, I’m going to hit you up on the Reliant K thing.
I’m checking into FF5. Sounds like a party, I just don’t like shooting at the Creepy Crawl. The misuse of the electric lightbulb at that venue would make Thomas Edison weep openly.
7. Chris Tucker | October 27th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Right on, dude. Well hopefully I’ll catch you tomorrow night. Oh man, that last sentence, spot on. I literally laughed out loud. It really is awful. I think the band does have some additional lighting for this tour, though. So that could help.
8. Todd | October 27th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
If I shoot at the Creepy Crawl, it’s going to be with lights of my own! I’ll let you know if I’m coming out.
9. Nacho Philosophy! | October 27th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
Dear god, I loved every minute of this concert. I had been waiting for this concert since their show at the Pageant last year ended.
& you got some really great photographs of the show. My favorite has to be the close up of Kevin screaming while wearing those gold shorts. I totally need a pair of those.
10. Todd | October 28th, 2008 at 12:29 am
Kevin Barnes really knows how to put together an outfit – or at least where whatever he has (and doesn’t have) on. Thanks for the comment.
11. Kate | October 28th, 2008 at 1:16 am
“You’ll have to take my word for it as someone who’s photographed the band four times now. ”
Four times?? That’s mighty unfair :P
These shots are great, and the show looks amazing, too.
12. Todd | October 28th, 2008 at 1:30 am
Hey Kate, I realized that this was actually my fifth time photographing the band, as I forgot to include their performance at the Pitchfork Music Festival in 2007. Thanks for the feedback!
13. Kenny | October 28th, 2008 at 7:17 am
these guys are soooo much fun to shoot…definitely a good time…
did they allow to shoot the whole show todd?
awesome job as usual!
14. Todd | October 28th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Hey Kenny, thanks. Yes, I was allowed to shoot for the entire performance, which is generally standard policy for OM’s shows.
15. Bryce | October 28th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Wow. Thanks so much for posting these. I drove 7 hours to see this show and it’s really great to have such wonderful pictures to show my friends. Keep up the good work.
16. Todd | October 29th, 2008 at 12:19 am
Hey Bryce, thanks. Glad you found these images and that you enjoy them.
17. Chris | October 29th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
These are so dope.. rather should I say this SHOW looks so dope. I mean, your photos are amazing, but I can only IMAGINE being there. Really wish I had gone.
I like 4, 9, 11, 12, 14 and 19. I think the flashes really came in handy for some accent lighting on the sides and separate them from an otherwise drab background [not due to the stage props, but just the lighting in general. How'd you wing getting the flashes on stage??
Additional ones I like, probably more so than some of the others in the post, are the following. However, I think it's important to distinguish between showing the SHOW and showing the MUSIC. These are probably more the music photos, whereas what you were conveying in some photos was how awesome-tastic [yes, I went there] the show was in addition to the music.
1.
2/a>.
3. Nice eye engagement.
4.
Did you get to shoot the whole set? That looks long as hell… but maybe there songs are shorter?
Remind me to never miss their show again.
18. Todd | November 14th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Hey Chris, thanks for the comment. Of Montreal always put on a great show – I’ve never been disappointed.
You’re absolutely right, the image set I posted is more for the experience of the show.
I had an all-access pass for this show, and flash was allowed. I did shoot the full set – the band almost always allows this, which is great. The only time I haven’t shot their full set was when they were playing a festival.
19. Norrel | November 15th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Awesome shots Todd, I wanted to know if you could answer a question for me:
I’m going to be shooting Of Montreal next month, and I wanted to know if you were allowed to shoot the whole set, or just a typical three songs?
Judging from the photos though, I’m guessing you were allowed to shoot the whole set?
20. Norrel | November 15th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Hey Todd, I was wondering if you could answer a question for me, since I’m shooting Of Montreal next month:
Were you allowed to shoot the whole set, or just a typical three songs?
21. Todd | November 15th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Hey Norrel,
Thanks for the comment. You can shoot for all of Of Montreal’s set, the band has a pretty open photo policy. The audience is also allowed to photograph and record the concert as well, which is a great policy.
22. Norrel | November 15th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Thank you for the reply, and sorry about commenting twice, I didn’t know about the moderation, so I thought the comment didn’t go through the first time, my bad.
23. Todd | November 15th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
Hey Norrel, I’m glad to help. No worries about the double-commenting, sorry for the late reply. I was traveling this week and didn’t have a chance to get to all the comments right away.
24. Brian | November 19th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Nice photos. You didn’t answer the question about how/where you set up the remote flashes. I was wondering myself. Also, while you gave us good info regarding gear, I’d love to hear more about gear and settings. Flash bracket? Diffuser? ISO rating? Shutter speed? Tripod?
25. Todd | November 19th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
The basic flash setup is described in the shooting notes:
I used a set of three speedlights for this performance, setting up two SB-600s on the far sides of the stage and using an SB-900 as the commander.
In addition, you can see one of the flashes in a number of the shots… :)
26. Paige K. Parsons | December 5th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Hi Todd,
Great pix! I’m curious - did you need to request special permission to shoot with the speedlights before the show? How do/did you negotiate flash permission? The place I notice it made a huge difference was on the rotating center stage. I shot them a few days after you in SF and was wishing I knew a bit more about the ins and outs of negotiating for speedlight use.
speak up
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