From the opening bars of “Fall Back Down,” the pit is a seething, frothing mass of bodies, metal studs, and spiked hair. By the second song, crowd surfers are coming toward the stage faster as security can catch them, crashing in waves across the barricade at the front of the pit.
Packing Pop's Night Club to the gills, punk legends Rancid played a ferocious, 30-song set that had the at-capacity crowd singing along and pumping their fists into the air, surging along with the music.
Tim Armstrong, wearing a pork pie hat and a leather jacket, was all grins on stage, swinging his big-bodied Gretsch around and wheeling like a man possessed.
Together with Lars Frederiksen, Armstrong led the band's double-barreled attack, alternating vocals and guitar parts with his longtime bandmate.
After two years since their last US tour, the group obviously seemed to relish their time under the stage lights.
Full set list after the images.
Photographer's Notes:
Naturally, being a punk show, the shooting time for this gig seemed to go by in a flash, though I think it stretched out a little more than the seven-minute run that the Dropkick Murphys delivered for their first three songs.
Tim Armstrong was the moving target of the group, with seemingly boundless energy that took him from the front of the stage to the back in the same beat.
Two cases at the front of the stage provided the perfect DIY risers for Armstrong, and the frontman never missed a chance to go up on them for a little guitar action.
Lighting:
The lighting for this gig was as simple as it could be: warm incandescent lights provided an uneven wash over the stage, with most of the light falling on Armstrong and falling off toward the side of the stage.
Exposure & Metering:
I shot this set at 1/200, ISO 6400, and f/2.8, with only slight variations to shutter speed, mostly within a 1/3-stop.
Lenses & Gear:
I shot this set with the Nikon D3, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8, and Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8. Overall the wider focal lengths saw a lot of use due to the relatively low stage.
End Notes:
A big thanks to the folks at Pop's for being super nice, and also to the fine folks at Epitaph for setting everything up.
