It's been quite a summer for concerts here.  I know because I've got pictures.  I've got videos too, and notes quickly scrawled on a notepad in my lap that are pretty much undecipherable.  I've got some set lists with tape on the sides and the band members' names somewhat neatly printed on the back.  I remember a crowd of people running to the stage all at once and starting to dance while Paul Taylor played.  They surrounded me with their infectious energy while PT played music that was made to move to from the stage, but I had to stand completely still in the middle of it all with my camera held in the air because I was shooting video so I could share the experience with all the people who were not there.  When Jeff Golub lit into a blues solo that kicked a margarita-loose crowd into boogie mode and Euge Groove called out the ladies to dance in front of the stage, I was there standing completely still again, camera in hand.  The video is on YouTube.  If I shook a little somethin' the result would be the "Blair Witch Blues Rock Protect" and give you motion sickness when you clicked it on.  So still I stood, sacrificing my boogie for the greater good that is media coverage.  There was a book called "Be Here Now."  When you start documenting concerts it turns into "I wasn't really present then but I can watch it now and kinda see what it was like when it happened."

I always swore I wouldn't get hooked on photographing concerts.  I have several photographer friends who do beautiful work and thoroughly enjoy crawling around in front of the stage scouting the best angle and lurking in wait for a perfect shot.  None of them seemed to mind experiencing most of the performance through a viewfinder or having to sync their movement to the way the artist moved instead of the music they were playing.  Then gas prices, second/third jobs, and family commitments started to cut into everyone's road trip time and I found myself without a photographer more often so I had to bite the bullet, get a camera and start doing my own pictures. 

Trying to see how much of a given moment you can catch inside a little square is addictive.  I promised myself I would just shoot the first song then get back in the moment and experience the rest of the set.  That lasted about 3 minutes past the first song.  We've got a group of musicians who are entertaining, charismatic, and know how to work the stage.  If a sax player moves center stage, strikes a pose and hits a high note that has the crowd screaming are you not going to want to capture it?  Especially when it's so easy.  And when these bands really go off you want to record it to prove to your friends that this is about as far from elevator music as you can get.  That leads to standing in front of the stage like a statue with one hand held in the air and occasionally wondering if the guys and gals onstage are thinking, "who is that dork just standing there with the camera?"

We have outdoor concerts here with no formal seating so anyone can walk up and start taking pictures.  If the artist didn't request limited photos, security will let you do your thing unless you crawl onto the stage or start pushing people.  Haven't done that yet and if I do I hope some caring person will take my camera away and send me to working media rehab, where I can learn how to watch a concert like a real person again.  The advantage of having a cheapie camera instead of an armload of equipment is that you can be unobtrusive.  A guy with a lens as long as my forearm takes up a lot more space than I do with a camera the size of my palm.  People notice the photographers with all that equipment and are either awed by their professionalism or annoyed by the fact that these people are in the way.  Meanwhile I'm taking up about a square foot of space, surrounded by the front stage crowd and getting some really good shots. 

That's why I have enjoyed the last three years of Jacksonville Jazz Festivals and Summer Beach Concerts in retrospect, when the photos and videos get uploaded and played back.  I remember some beautiful sunsets, a party in the rain, some devastating guitar solos, and a pair of cool shoes.  I have pictures of the crowds and they were having a very good time.  When I have time to watch my videos on YouTube I'm totally sure that I will too.