Photos: Mastodon, Black Diamond Skye Tour

Opening for the Deftones and Alice in Chains, Mastodon brought the sludgy, roaring metal to the big house of the Scottrade Center. That, and all the colors of the rainbow in their lighting treatment – as long as your rainbow only includes red, green, and blue.

Photographer's Notes:

As the opening band of the bill, Mastodon had what I'd call the “worst” lighting of the night. Of course, I can't entirely chalk their production up to their slot, because even on the co-headlining tour with Dethklok last year, their lighting was a bit funky.

Still, Mastodon put on such an energetic and pummeling performance, they're still a fun shoot, regardless of the particulars.

Cameras Used:

Lenses Used:

Just as with the Deftones, there was a center stage extension that made crossing over between the two sides pretty tricky, so I stuck with stage left for the three songs allotted. Thankfully, for Alice in Chains' headlining set, this extension was removed for a nice, roomy photo pit.

End Notes:

Hands down, my favorite lighting for Mastodon was when they payed Mayhem Fest back in 2008. They had the perfect combination of daylight fill and great lights behind them:

Mastodon at Mayhem Fest 2008

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