Sometimes things just all work out for the best. That was case on Wednesday night when I got to photograph Billy Idol and his band at Humphreys Concerts By The Bay, here in San Diego. The thing was that I was originally supposed to shoot a different show that night at the Arena where I work as the house photographer. I really hate it when there are two good shows on the same night, and I usually hate it when I am denied a photo pass (yes, that happens, even when you work for the venue). But in this case, being denied for the Arena show allowed me to reach out to the Billy Idol folks and get permission to shoot them at Humphreys on this small tour.
It was a beautiful night in San Diego and the sold out crowd was in great spirits. As a concert photographer, my goal has always been for the person in my photo to like the way they look, that I managed to capture a moment during a performance that they would be happy with. The reality is that musicians on big tours don’t always see the photos taken of them, but I have a little history with the Billy Idol band and I had a feeling that they would actually see some of the photos… so the excitement I felt as the house lights went down and the first guitar cords for “Dancing With Myself” rang out was tinged with a little nervous energy. Then the band started up and for the next six songs I shot photographed the legendary Billy Idol and the band.
Billy has a new 4-song EP coming out September 23, 2022 via Dark Horse Records called “The Cage” (which can be pre-ordered here) and has just released a new video which is at the bottom of this review. It was great to hear this new tune live, and while many of the fans come to hear the giants hits, the new tunes got a huge positive response. Everybody on stage was firing on all cylinders and I loved the interplay between band members, especially between Steve and Billy M on lead and rhythm guitars. The guitar “solo” part of the show showed the wide range of Steve Stevens musical ability and had the audience cheering along, myself included. It was both highly enjoyable to listen to and frustrating that I couldn’t photograph it as it was after my allotted shooting time. I actually got to shoot the first 6 tunes which allowed me to up close for the first three, then get some wide angles and even photos of the fans who showed up in boats to watch from the water.
After the six songs, I got to pack the cameras away and enjoy the great music under the stars on the San Diego Bay.
Steve Stevens – Guitar
Billy Morrison – Guitar, Vocals
Erik Eldenius – Drums
Stephen McGrath – Bass, Vocals
Paul Trudeau – Keys, Guitar, Vocals
SETLIST
1.) Dancing With Myself
2.) Cradle of Love
3.) Flesh For Fantasy
4.) Cage
5.) Speed
6.) Bitter Taste
7.) Eyes Without a Face
8.) Steve Stevens Guitar Solo
9.) Mony Mony (Tomy James and the Shondells cover)
10.) Running’ from the Ghost
11.) One Hundred Punks
12.) Blue Highway
13.) Rebel Yell
ENCORE
14.) Born To Lose
15.) White Wedding
Alan Hess is a photographer based in San Diego, where he lives with his wife and two rescued boxers.
Alan is currently the house photographer for a large concert and event venue in Southern California where he photographs everything from major musical acts to ice hockey. When he isn’t out taking photographs, he spends his time writing books and is an accomplished photography educator and trainer.
Alan’s images have been published in a variety of places including news papers, magazines, websites, promotional materials, album artwork, and press releases. His clients include The Associated Press, Fox Television, FX Network, USA Network, Hasbro, Framus Guitars, Gibson, The Dead, Picture Group, Photoshop User Magazine, Steel Pulse, Ziggy Marley, and many more.
He is the author of sixteen photography and technology books covering everything from night and low light photography to multiple shot techniques. His books are sold around the world and have been translated in other languages including: Chinese, French, Polish, Japanese, Thai, and Italian.
