October 7, 2008 – The Whigs were opening for the Kooks, but to be honest, I don't think they got the memo. The Athens, Georgia trio blew right by rote support and delivered a thrashing, fiery banger of a set, drawing on a raw energy that left the stage bruised, stained, covered in sweat.
Photographer's Notes:
This one was rough, but at the same time, just one of those shows that makes one want to persevere in the name of rock ‘n roll. The situation was far from ideal, but the Whigs threw down, so I figured I would give it a shot!
The band was set up fairly far back from the edge of the stage, so wide angles weren't generally of too much use for this performance. I shot this gig almost exclusively with the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.4, mostly wide open. If I had to, I think I could have gotten away with just the 50mm.
Lighting for this show was very challenging, with lots of yellow and magenta washes in the original schemes. The somewhat more distant position of the band actually worked out pretty well for this, as if they were at the front of the stage, they'd have received an even dimmer dose from the front cans.
The stage was brightest around drummer Julian Dorio's kit, with considerable falloff toward the edges. Unfortunately, this is exactly where Parker Gispert loved to rock out the most! Next time, right.
End Notes:
Fresh off their support of the Kooks (and the Toadies before that), The Whigs are touring with the Kings of Leon, so I'll get another crack at these guys next week. Stay tuned, we'll compare notes.
