As I walked into the Georgia Theater, I was welcomed by flashing blues, greens and reds. I enjoyed the lights. And enjoyed them being joined with the sweet sounds of guitar rifts, bass lines and drum beats. I sat my equipment down, got out my film camera and pointed the lens.
After getting some great footage during the sound check, my cinematographer and I sat down at the bar and put down a cold beer. Let me back up. I am not, in any way, shape or form, a talented cinematographer. I was producing the promo for the band and simply rigged up a camera for myself to have as an extra set of eyes. Anyways, after sitting at the bar, camera at my feet, I started feeling anxious. The nerves were starting to get to me. I walked over to the balcony and looked down at the neon lit stage. I was planning points where I’d set up. Something I knew I shouldn’t be doing. The more I over thought things, the more the nerves set in. Soon my cinematographer (the good one) came up to me and said, “we need to go up to the green room for pre-show footage.”
Filming the band before the biggest show of their career was an amazing experience. The tension and excitement were contagious. There was a true sense of camaraderie. I was happy to be able to pick it up on film. Walking from the green room to the stairwell was the best part of the night. Sitting inside the stairwell, camera in hand, had me shaking. Between this and the lovely smell of stale beer and cigarettes circulating in the air, it was hard to focus on capturing the moment. But I focused. And got exactly what I needed. I caught every tapping finger. Every long drag of a cigarette. Every pair of closed, concentrated eyes. Then, I noticed an eruption of cheering. The door to the stage had been opened. We followed the band onto the neon lit stage.
The first thing I noticed when filming the band on stage was the NOISE. Loud does not even begin to describe it. My ears were pulsating with every chord the band played. Eventually, I got used to it. Between getting great shots of every band member in their musical trance and filming the crowd screaming at the top of their lungs, I was sold. I felt in my element. It was a moment where you take a quick pause and say, “this is exactly where I want to be. Nowhere else. Only here.” The band rocked the house. A show to be proud of. As the last notes were played the crowd went nuts, and before I knew it, it was all over. The band was walking off the stage. The crowd was walking out of the theater.
After the show was done, I said my good-byes and went to the sound booth to load up all the equipment. I was somewhat saddened by packing up. It was over. The lights, the sounds, the people were all gone. I still had the experience though, and that was what mattered. As I was walking out of the theater I turned around and looked back at the stage. I will never forget those blues, greens and reds.
I hope to see them again soon.
