Opening up for Incubus on the big stage of Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, local heroes Greek Fire gave their fans a big dose of the show that's quickly becoming legend.
Greek Fire have been on my radar for a while now, but it wasn't until this show that I finally had a chance to line them up in my lens. I've photographed frontman Moon and guitarist Ryan in Story of the Year on many occasions and know what kind of performance they bring in that band, so I was itching to see them and the rest of Greek Fire.
I've heard all the stories, from Moon hanging on lighting rigs and crowd surfing on a couch to the energy the band as a whole brings to every stage. Thanks to my friend Kenny Williamson, I had the honor of shooting all of Greek Fire's set. Let's just say that after this one show, I'm an instant fan of the band.
Photographer's Notes:
Cameras Used:
- Nikon D3
- Nikon D700
Lenses Used:
First off, a big thanks to my friend Kenny and to Greek Fire for allowing me to shoot the full set of this performance. Kenny, as you may recall, is the house photographer for Live Nation in St. Louis and a good friend. He's also what I'd almost consider the band's official live photographer. In times when it can seem like everyone is gunning for you, Kenny didn't even blink when I asked him if he could hook me up with a little more access than just the first three. Big respect and love there.
After the first three, it was just Kenny and me in the pit – and chasing Moon around what seemed like the entire amphitheater, too. At times, it seems like the frontman was off the stage as much as he was on it, between frequent trips to sing on the barricade (it felt like half a dozen times) and a circuit of the amphitheater bowl for good measure.
Lighting for this show was simple, but beautifully bright, with white crosslight coming from the sides of the stage with red accents from behind.
Thankfully, the white crosslighting spilled out not only over the stage, but into the pit as well, so when Moon got up-close and personal with the audience, he was still lit.
End Notes:
Again, big thanks to Kenny and of course to Greek Fire on this gig. I'm an instant fan. The energy this band brings to the stage is tremendous, and they've got a big, arena-filling sound to match. I'm going to be downright shocked and appalled with humanity if these guys aren't blowing up nationally very soon.
And when they do blow up, photographers, you will want to photograph them. Because they are awesome. I promise you, you and your cameras won't be disappointed. Neither will your ears.
You can go pick up their music on iTunes, Amazon, and even stream it on Spotify. In fact, I'll make it easy for you – check out the band's first sing, “Doesn't Matter Anyway,” here:
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