Seeing Matt, Aaron, Bryce, Scott, and Bryan Live

Last night the National put on an amazing show. We have wanted to see the National for a long time now, but things kept getting in the way. When we saw that they were on the bill for RiotFest we bought a Saturday ticket right away. They did not disappoint. They put no a great show despite spending the whole day trying to get out of Canada. They started a little late which I thought had something to do with the previous band on the twin stage going long. It turns out that they barely made it to the festival. We did not get the whole show, but we will when we see them play again.
The highlight of the night had to be when Matt jumped into the crowd right in front of my wife and I. He had just spent the previous song in the crowd on the other side of the middle barrier. I thought that we missed our chance. Of course he then jumps in and sings right in front of me. I was busy making pictures of course, and when he moves over a bit I hear my wife say to me “I touched him!” That moment made the day, and the long wait trying to get to the front of the crowd. It was a great birthday present for my wife so thank you Matt.

Shooting a Concert with the Canon G16

They do not allow you to bring pro gear into RiotFest. I don’t know that I would want to carry a couple of camera bodies around the entire day anyway. Using them in the packed front rows would not be too easy either. I just brought my little Canon G16 point and shoot camera. I have come to expect a lot from the camera, and it does not usually disappoint. I was happy overall with the performance of the camera, but there were a couple of issues to overcome. The first is the shutter lag. On my pro gear when you press the shutter it makes the photo. With the G16 you have a slight delay. That is not good for capturing the moment. Once I factored that in during the Metric show just before the National I was able to try and anticipate the moment. That being said while I guessed right sometimes I also have some pictures of the back of the band.

More Photos of RiotFest

I am currently on the road, but I will have a couple of posts up this week with some photos from RiotFest. I did not have pit access to the shows, but that is okay because I was able to stay for more than three songs. I can say that after one day at the festival that I want to shoot a lot more concerts. If you are a band local to Lafayette or passing through let me know. The lighting is amazing, and you don’t even have to set it up. Concert photography is something that I want to try a lot more of.