"Lucky Shot" NIN @ Allstate Arena 10.18.05
I've mentioned earlier that Lollapalooza is single handedly the most stressful weekend ever. It keeps me up at night, much to the wife's dismay. There is so much that occurs in such a short window that its hard to feel like you get anything out of it all. How do you conquer such a monster with just one or two cameras? The answer is: You don't. Take for instance this year's schedule: Someone decided that it would be a good idea to have Kanye take the main stage as the closer and shovel NIN to the Bud Light stage at the North end. They start within 15 minutes of each other, meaning that if we wanted to shoot both, Reeves and I have to split up.
No fucking way. We're shooting Nails.
"Skip Kanye, are you mad?" Well, allow me to explain....
I wouldn't be in this predicament if it wasn't for Trent Reznor in the first place. When I first picked up a camera 3 years ago, I begged a dear friend of mine to call in a favor to Trent's manager. I had just gotten sober 7 months earlier and this was a HUGE selling point to the man behind the curtain (Because he and Trent are men of recovery as well). He agreed and hooked me up with photo passes for the show. There was a catch on my end though: I didn't even know how to properly shoot concerts, let alone handle my boss's Canon 20D. I had been shooting on an elaborate point and shoot until that night. I was welcomed with skeptical eyes by the two wire service guys who saw my black nail polish and eyeliner and were like "Who the- what the fuck is this?!?" (They ironically are not allowed to shoot this time round) Yet upon hearing my sincerity, they tried to teach me what I needed to do. "It's all smoke and mirrors. Lots of strobes so shoot fast. LOTS OF LIGHT. No need to pump it past 800." they said. I nodded and wondered who shoots at a shutter speed of 800 (like I said, I was just starting) I listened, but my heart was pounding so loud that I couldn't really hear anything. I nodded and hoped for the best. The rep came out and told us not to get in Trent's eyeline and stay the fuck away and not to take any shitty pictures. Fair enough. Seeing as he is TRENT, I made a note to do just that. We signed our lives and legal away and were escorted backstage after Queens of the Stone Age finished up (I had shot them the night before at the last day of the Belmont Army Surplus). By the time the lights went down, I had forgotten everything the wire guys had told me. I started shooting and was getting nothing but black. I frantically fiddled with the camera as the smoke poured out and the burning lights seared my skin and tried again...nothing but light streaks and smears this time. I was creating art without even trying...but I just wanted that one shot. By the March of the Pigs I was so determined and in awe of the spectacle that I fell into the forbidden zone near Trent. He gave me a glare through my lens that sent shivers down my spine.
I of course, didn't get the shot because I was too busy running away from his formidable glare and newly shaved head. But the lesson was learned: The man gets what he wants. Don't fuck around. I took a hard breath and set my camera to a setting I understood (in hindsight, yes, this is all terribly embarrassing- but you live and you learn.) and fired. I got a few. And when I mean "a few" its no exaggeration. I got like 5 good shots off in 3 songs. And by my standards today, its nothing that I'm proud of, I"It didn't turn out quite the way you wanted it to, did it?" No, but at least my purpose was revealed: I was going to be a photographer. Or at least die trying.
So now 3 years have passed and I have taken a half million pictures since then, shot a ton of concerts and studied the way of the camera. I have partnered up with one of the best shooters in the country (ahem...Sir Reeves) and feel like I am ready to take this on again. Today I got an email for photo requests for the Nails set and smiled, hoping that I could redeem myself and see how far we have come. We're also hoping that Trent's photographer and designer ingenue Rob Sheridan is coming with for an interview. Keep your fingers crossed. And as for Kanye? Well, I got hooked up with him just a week after Nine Inch Nails that fall. And in this race, there is no room for second place. Sorry Ye. We still love you. But this is Nine Inch Nails.
"I forgive you Tyler!" Kanye West, Fall 2005
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