Foos and Kaisers

Dave Grohl headbanging

Some shots i took of the Kaiser Chiefs and Foo Fighters at The Superdome last week are now online at Triple J.

As is the norm for accredited photographers i only got to photograph the first three songs of each band. Usually you get to stick around and watch the show, but at this gig i was escorted out of the arena with the other photographers after three songs. So i can’t really tell you how the show was.

I’d post more photos here, but i signed a contract basically waiving my right to publish them anywhere except Triple J.

It ain’t all wine and roses photographing from that pit, but it’s still the best spot in the house for those three songs and i wouldn’t give it up for quids.

The Kaiser Chiefs

12 Comments

  1. Some cool shots there Dan. At least they’ve linked back to your site from theirs which is cool. Shouldn’t be long before you can take on photography full-time!

  2. Yeah i’m glad they put a link in.
    I couldn’t go full-time until i actually got paid for it. Which at the moment i rarely do.

  3. hey… I have a bit of an off-kilter question for you.
    What kind of camera do you use for your ‘party’ gallery? Your photos look really nice for such low-lighting situations.. not blurry at all. Is it digital, or not?
    Please email me. Thanx.
    email: socially_allergic at hotmail dot com

  4. I’ll respond here so everyone can see.
    Yes i use a digital camera, the Canon EOS 350D aka Rebel XT. The reason they’re not blurry is because i use a flash. It’s the Canon Speedlite 420ex.
    There i go again, pimping Canon…

  5. Your not pimpin… Canon is the best!
    {Minolta– my close second.}

  6. already left a message on flickr…. but just needed to see the pic of ricky again – would have to be top 5 pics that i have seen of the kaisers
    and does dave grohl have a lions mask on his head šŸ˜‰
    finally – i have only had a photo pass for a few gigs so never been escorted out…. but still have no idea why there is a 3 track limit???? can you help with this???

  7. I think the three song rule is so you only catch the performers looking their best, before they get all sweaty. Which is a real shame since it’s those moments towards the end of the show once the performer is really warmed up that would make the best shots.
    Plus i think it’s just become a standard, everyone does it so no one wants to be different by changing the rules.
    There’s some interesting discussion on the topic over here.

  8. I’ve shot a few concerts that have strayed from the first 3 song limit. Perhaps the most memorable was tomahawk/melvins/fantomas where had to shot the last 3 songs – a lot of sweaty bodies then! More recently NIN was the 4,5 and 6 songs and the Kaiser chiefs was the first 5 (of a 10 song set). Worst was Missy Elliott where we got about 1/2 a song.
    I don’t mind the first 3 limit because otherwise I’d spend the entire gig shooting rather than actually enjoying the music.
    What would be worth investigating is the legality of the contracts you sometimes have to sign (like the foo fighters gig). Has anyone ever got caught breaking these? What were the repercussions?

  9. fair point about enjoying the gig. it is much more enjoyable to head back to where your friends are and rock out with them – as opposed to watching the whole show through a view finder.
    not sure about the legalities…. but i dont particularly want to engage in a legal debate with some of the pop-eye chicken eatin security guards that control the place…
    i think with more practice i will be able to snap more worth while shots… thus making it unnecessary to spend an entire set at the front????
    went to the cribs last night – not sure if they have made it to oz yet… when they do be sure to get to see them. lead singer dives into the crowd after the first song – who needs to wait till song 10 for that!

  10. I’m curious about those contracts too. Most of them strike me as more of a legal disclaimer, “if you get hurt it’s not our fault”. But the restrictions they put on the reselling of photos is quite a hindrance to someone hoping to make money off their photos.
    About The Cribs, i was just looking at some shots of them by Andrew Kendall. Looks quite chaotic and fun.

  11. The Cribs are fantastic, you should definitely check them out when they tour Australia early next year (they’re playing at the Spectrum in Sydney on Feb 3).
    In the meantime you should take a listen to their album The New Fellas or new single You’re Gonna Lose Us – out of this world!

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