June 18, 2009 – Touring with Jimmy Wayne and Dierks Bentley on the American Saturday Night Tour 2009, country singer Brad Paisley brought the party to full tilt with a lively and lighthearted set. 
Photographer's Notes:
The shooting rules for this set were the second and third songs, no flash. As mentioned in the write-up for Dierks Bentley, this tour features three ramps extending out from the main stage: one central catwalk and then two from the sides of the stage.
The first song was performed by Paisley solo at the end of the central ramp, which is when I shot the last in the above set.
Due to the ramps cutting through the pit crowd, photographers had to pick a side to shoot from – house right or house left. I chose house right, but due to Brad Paisley's movement during the first three songs, I think any spot is as good as any.
For what it's worth, Paisley seemed to favor stage right when he left the mic to play out over the crowd. Regardless of which side of the stage you pick, this is a really quick show, so be prepared.
Paisley's mic is set back relatively far from the front of the stage, so the clear angles to the singer can seem limited at times. Since there is no photo pit for this tour, if you're shooting, you're in with the fans. Once the band gets going, you're going, movement is going to be limited, so you may be best off sticking to one spot.
I photographed this show with the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 as my primary lens, with help from the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 and 14-24mm f/2.8.
