Backstage With Thievery

If you do a quick Google search on Thievery Corporation at the 930 Club, you're sure to find plenty of reviews from professional publications and local blogs. I threw my hat into that ring two weeks ago when I posted a quick summary of the Thursday night performance at the venerable DC music venue. I didn't go into the bloody details about the show because everyone and their brother would. But I did want to take you back to that 5-night stop in the District because I had a rare experience with Thievery that I'd like to share.

As a nightlife photographer, I'm used to being close to some of the world's best DJs. Getting a shot right next to the artist is the basis of my art-form. Throughout the process, you learn to operate like a ghost-sneaking in for your shots and then moving the heck outta the way. So after shooting photos of Thievery's Thursday night show from the press pit at the front of the stage, I contacted their publicist about going back for something better. I showed them some photos from past nightlife shoots and asked if I could be granted access to shoot both Rob Garza and Eric Hilton in the DJ booth. Access was granted.

You see, the problem with shooting a concert like this is you can't use a flash. I'm sure you could try, but you'd be moved out of the photo pit quicker than it takes to snap your shutter. That makes it pretty tough trying to capture quality shots of the two stars of the Thievery show, who are perched up behind a wall of lights manning the turn tables. You can capture some sweet silhouette shots, but the range of light and lens are limited. I knew shooting from backstage would provide me with a better angle to capture Rob and Eric and allow me to bring the fans even closer to the names behind the band.

I wish I could say my problems were solved that easily. Shooting backstage was amazing. But damn if I didn't need that flash. I spent the first few songs at the front of the stage capturing shots I remembered would be good from the first show I attended. I should add that the photo pit had been expanded because Thievery was shooting their tour DVD that night. This required a very tall man with a very large HD camera to move himself from one end of the stage to the next. The pit was wide, but we had to keep one eye in the view-finder and the other looking out for the film crew. That was interesting!

It was around the 3rd or 4th song I moved backstage to capture some shots I rarely see of Thievery. I'm told I was like a Whac-A-Mole in the DJ booth, popping up for a shot and disappearing just like that. I spent a bit more time near Eric because he was in front of the tradition DJ gear I'm used to shooting. Rob however moved from turn tables to a keyboard, which did offer me something different from my typical nightlife perspective. I probably spent a grand total of 2.5 songs in the booth with Eric and Rob because I never want to seem like I'm taking advantage of my position.

The rest of the time I simply looked for shots that were unique to the Thievery show. The bassist sitting on the floor having a spiritual experience was one. Guitarist Rob Myers expressing all of his emotions through his pick was another. These things along with the experience of being on stage with artists of this level made for an unbelievable experience. I'm honored to have been granted that access and delighted to be able to share those sights with you through this blog and the complete photo gallery on Dougvansant.com.






Photos by Doug Van Sant

Labels: Clubs, concerts, DC, DJs, Entertainment, Lounge, Music, Nocturnal, Photography, The District

posted by DVS @ 4:21 PM 0 comments links to this post

A Call for Photographers

Up until this point, I've been feeding the Urban Marinade experience with photos from my own collection and photos I find through search. But part of my mission with this blog is to expose the reader to high-quality nightlife and high-quality nightlife photography. And from what I've seen online, there are a ton of great photographers out there.

So... to accomplish this, I created a Flickr group called Urban Marinade DC. My hope is that other nightlife photographers will upload their images and add them to this group so we can feed the blog with your images. If all goes well, I'll run a weekly feature highlighting some of the photographers who uploaded images to the group, in hopes of giving them some exposure as well.

So if you enjoy photography, nightlife, and urban settings, please feel free to join the Flickr group and/or upload your images as often as you'd like.

Photo by Flickr user Sam Jones Photo

Labels: Clubs, concerts, Nightlife, Photography, Urban

posted by DVS @ 2:18 PM 0 comments links to this post

Thievery Corporation Does DC

If you live in DC, you probably have a pretty good idea who Thievery Corporation is. Even if you're not really into their version of dub, acid jazz, reggae, world meets lounge aesthetic style, you've probably had a friend mention them at some point. If you go out in DC, there is a good chance you've paid a visit to any number of clubs (18th St. Lounge, Local 16, Marvin, etc.) connected to the duo. That's because this widely popular band/DJ group was founded by Rob Garza and Eric Hilton right here in our great city at the lounge that shares the name of their record label. And like most bands on tour, Thievery spends an extra few days of their tour in their hometown performing for their most beloved fans.

I was lucky enough to get a chance to attend their second night of performing at the famous 930 Club in the U Street neighborhood of the District. I had never seen Thievery in person. I've known about them and their music for at least 7 years because good friend Matt C. introduced me to one of their CDs back in the days of North Carolina. But after all this time of living in DC, I still had never taken the time to see them live.

The show was incredible. If you're like me and simply enjoy all types of music, Thievery is for you. The stars of the show are obviously Eric and Rob behind the decks of the metallic DJ booth. But from start to finish, different lead singers take the audience on a musical journey. We go from Middle Eastern inspired sounds driven by the strings from a sitar to Reggae Dancehall. You're literally taken from one corner of the world to the other while Rob and Eric blend it all together.

From a photography perspective, the show was interesting to say the least. Of course there are great colors to work with and the differing music and singers make for colorful characters to focus on. But what struck me was how small the actual photography pit is at 930. Honestly, there is less than a foot between the stage and the steel wall separating the audience from the band. And somehow we're supposed to squeeze in there and capture the vibe of the concert. Oh, and if you can get in there and get some good shots, you still have to figure out how to let other photographers get past you. Yeah... a small waistline is a prerequisite. The other issue is because of the nature of the show, your stars are in a DJ booth. From directly in front of the stage, you get half of their face in clear view.

Here's the good news. I was able to capture some good shots, as you see in the two included in this blog post. The better news is I get to go back tonight for more photos. The incredible news is not only will I get to shoot photos from the small-ass pit in front of the stage, I'll be taken backstage to shoot Eric and Rob inside the DJ booth. This is an honor I can't even describe in this blog. Shooting photos in the booth with Thievery is something you rarely see. In every search of Google I did, I never found a photo actually in the booth. So hopefully tonight I'll capture even better images and bring you as close to the action as you could possibly get without being there. This is gonna be good...

Photos by Doug Van Sant

Labels: concerts, DC, Entertainment, Lounge, Music, Nightlife, Washington

posted by DVS @ 6:20 PM 2 comments links to this post

Miami Sound in Vegas

AARP's Vegas@50 has been pretty exciting so far. Going into the event, I really had no idea what to expect. I knew it would attract a ton of people and the schedule would be packed, but wow! Day one kicked off with an opening session with our CEO A. Barry Rand delivering a great speech on health care reform. Magic Johnson became an official member of AARP and received his membership card. And the evening highlight was a concert with Gloria Estefan.

We were incredibly tired from the full day of activities and coverage, but I'd have to say the concert was my favorite part of the day. Brian and I were the only photographers allowed to shoot and so we had the best seats in the house. And just prior to the concert we got word that celebrity blogger and TV personality Perez Hilton would be showing up.

Near the end of the concert, our PR director grabbed me and practically threw me on stage because Perez and his mom were dancing with Gloria. It made for some awesome photography.

And the best part was getting my picture taken with Gloria after the concert. I mean, how could you not enjoy a night like that? Below are a few more photos from the concert. Enjoy...

Labels: AARP, concerts, Entertainment, Music, Nightlife

posted by DVS @ 12:08 PM 7 comments links to this post

U2 360 Tour

The above image is not a space ship. Nor is it a large claw from a creature crushing down on FedEx field and the DC area. It's the crazy over-the-top stage that goes along with the U2 360 Tour. And I've been sitting here the past two days trying to find the right words to describe this concert and mega-light show that went along with it.

You know what? I can't! There is no way to truly describe what I saw and experienced on Tuesday night, Sept. 29th. The U2 360 Tour came to DC and left 80,000 fans charged, out of breath and speechless.

The fact is, I don't typically go to big-time rock concerts. I was telling Joelle on our walk back to the Metro, my last real concert was Velvet Revolver in Tampa back in 2005. Prior to that I think it was either Jimmy Buffett or the Beastie Boys in North Carolina sometime in 2002. I just don't go to these big concerts, nor have I been real impressed. I recall a DMX concert that sounded like nothing more than muffled grunting. Jimmy Buffett was fun in the parking lot because of all the tailgating, but all I could see in the venue was the side of the stage and very little of Jimmy Buffett.

But U2 has officially changed my impressions of a big-time rock concert. The combination of inspiring technology, mythical lighting and amazing music left me completely astounded at the entire production. I would look over at my buddy Dan (who got us the tickets in a suite by the way - Thanks Dan!) and just shake my head, unable to say anything. There were moments throughout the show where I almost teared up from the emotionally charged messages sprinkled throughout. Watching some 50 or so members of Amnesty International walk into the 360 degree stage, all wearing the mask of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese pro-democracy leader who has been in and out of house arrest the past 20 years was incredibly powerful. Or Bono welcoming the young man wearing a turban and embracing the American flag to the stage for a sing along. All of these things added to a show that literally touched all of your senses.

I could go on and on about the production and details of the concert, but like I said, it's really hard to put words to this experience. I'll just leave that to Washington Post music writer Chris Richards. I will say this...if you enjoy music and theatrics, U2 is worth the money and efforts to see.

Below are the images I shot with my phone. They basically suck because it's, um, a phone. But you get a sense of the sheer magnitude of this production and why it's making noise in every city it visits. And I'll leave you with one last quote from U2 front man Bono that stuck with me all night... “America, a Great and Powerful Idea.”

The same could be said for U2 and their tour.

Labels: concerts, Entertainment, Music

posted by DVS @ 5:41 PM 0 comments links to this post