Slayer / Megadeth @ Dodge Theatre

SLAAAYYYEERRRRRR!!!!





Slayer fans are serious about their band. While sitting in the press holding bay waiting for Megadeth to finish their set, Slayer fans were roaming the halls shouting "Slayer!!" at each other as they entered the restrooms or cooled their devil horns down with a fresh beer.





I really don't think there are more dedicated music fans than the metal fans. These people were shouting at each other as they passed, ready to fight for Slayer's honor if anyone spoke negatively or mentioned a lesser band. I think the alcohol helped with their courage as well. In fact, out on the floor of the Dodge theatre, which already has a slippery gloss coating over the concrete and on this occasion, spilt beer and jalapenos... I'm surprised these people could manage to stay vertical. But, as if to prove their love again... the crowd on the floor started a giant mosh pit as Slayer took the stage. I really don't know how more people don't end up dead at metal concerts.

Just take a look at this guy... he's partied out, again! Imagine this dude on the floor with you.







One great thing about metal shows, from a photographers stand point, is the metal posing. I'm not making light or complaining, but I really felt that if these guys COULD get closer to the camera, they'd have their crotch sitting on the camera lens. Joking aside, they do make for some pretty great shots. And with metal songs required to be longer than 6 minutes at the minimum, the 3-song limit to shoot is stretched from the normal 9-12 minutes to about a half hour!





There is always this uneasy gathering of photographers before the trek down to the stage. Sizing each other up. Checking out each others gear. Figuring out who to avoid. Making alliances. Then we march down. On this night, during the march down to the stage I notice a really tall dude with a mullet standing near the photographers entrance. He's wearing shorts, and is outfitted in photography gear, and he's standing with his legs spread WAY too far apart, arms crossed. This man is too confident. Then I realize it's actually Randy Johnson, the "Big Unit"... world series MVP pitcher for the AZ Diamondbacks. Craziness. I've never photographed alongside another photographer before. Which was especially interesting because he was actually kneeling down the entire time. And with a 6'10" dude kneeling, there are legs practically everywhere. I managed to not trip over him, but that wasn't the case with the other photogs. I'm not a sports fan or else I would have said hello, but it was cool none the less.







This was a fairly easy shoot. The lighting was good, with the exception of all the red lights... cameras don't respond well to lots of red. And the performers played right to the cameras. There was lots of room to move around. Really, I can't say anything bad about the show. It was fun to shoot.