There are few things that make this concert photographer happier than finding out I can shoot more of the show than I expected. On Saturday night, I was heading down to the North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre on July 1, 2023 to shoot the So Much For The (Tour) Dust when got word that we were allowed to shoot the full sets of the openers. That meant we got three in the pit for Fall Out Boy, which was great, and full sets for Bring Me The Horizon, Royal & The Serpent, and Daisy Grenade. I was one happy photographer.
First up was Daisy Grenade, the first of two bands that I had never seen before. And from the moment they walked on stage I was hooked. The energy coming off the stage was fantastic and I felt sorry for the concert goers still outside. I also realized that photographing the whole set was going to create another problem, this band looks great and editing the number of photos down to a reasonable number was going to be difficult. That actually ended up being the case with all the bands. This whole show was a visual feast. While Daisy Grenade is still building their discography and following, their performance hinted at a very promising future. Their stage presence, and undeniable talent left its mark on the audience and on me. It’s clear that this band has a great sound and I expect to see them again soon.
Daisy Grenade Setlist:
Next to take the stage was Royal & The Serpent and I was literally transfixed. Her powerful voice commanded attention and then the drums and guitar joined in and it was great. I had so much fun shooting their ten song set with each member of the three piece was a joy to shoot. I am still trying to find out who was on guitar and drums. Seeing Royal and the Serpent perform was a great reminder why you should always go see the opening acts. Years from now, it’s shows like this that people will be talking about – saying I was there when Royal And The Serpent was just an opening act.
Royal & The Serpent Setlist
It was now time for Bring Me The Horizon. Being able to shoot their whole set resulted in one of my favorite images of the night and possibly one of my favorite images this year (so far). From the very first note, the band captivated the audience with their powerful presence. Frontman Oli Sykes commanded attention with his stage presence, effortlessly transitioning between his signature guttural screams and melodic vocals. The eager audience sang along to every tune and the band’s musicianship was on full display, with tight and precise instrumentation through every song. Their eleven song set kept the close to sold out audience enthralled. In case you were wondering, Oli did take a walk out into the crowd and all the way up to the grass covered hill behind the seats. As he made it back to the stage you could hear him mention how impressed he was with the microphones wireless range. I was more impressed that he made it there and back through the crowd.
Band:
Oliver Sykes – Vocals
Matt Kean – Bass
Lee Malia – Lead Guitar
Matt Nicholls – Drums
Jordan Fish – Keyboards
Bring Me The Horizon Setlist:
Finally, it was time for Fall Out Boy and the crowd was more than ready. The first three songs seem to go by in a blink of an eye. During those songs we got to see enough fireworks and pyrotechnics (including the flame throwing bass) to keep anyone happy. The band is really tight with Pete Wentz’s driving basslines, Joe Trohman’s skillful guitar work, Andy Hurley’s thunderous drumming, and Patrick on rhythm guitar and vocals. The band combine to something that is greater than their individual parts. One of the more interesting things, at least to this photographer was the lack of a backline on stage. There were no amps and gear visible, but then again with the sheer amount of pyro, maybe it was a safer way to do things.
The 27 song setlist covered five songs off the new album So Much For The (Star) Dust including “Fake Out”, “Hold Me Like a Glove” and “Love From The Other Side”. There were also a couple of covers including the Ozzy Osbourne tune “Crazy Train” and the Journey hit “Don’t Stop Believin'” . They also broke out “(Coffee’s for Closers)” for the first time since 2009. And to wrap things up, Mikey Way sat in playing bass on the final song of the night “Saturday”. This was a fantastic night of music under the stars. Summer is here!
Band:
Patrick Stump – Vocals, Guitar
Pete Wentz – Bass, Flamethrower
Andy Hurley – Drums
Joe Trohman – Guitar
Fall Out Boy Setlist:
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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.
