I have previously blogged about Quietdrive, when they were in town a month or so ago for the “Cancel Out Cancer” benefit show. This time around, Quietdrive was playing in Chicago as main support for Mest on the “One Night Stand Tour.”
I have seen Quietdrive perform several times, in various venues, and they truly shine when they play at the House of Blues. From the second Kevin Truckenmiller walked out decked out in all white (down to white-rimmed sunglasses), to the end of the set the floor did not stop shaking from the mass of jumping fans.
The set-list for the show was impeccable, with old favorites such as “Rise From The Ashes,” “Maybe Misery,” and “Time After Time,” as well as new hits, including “Daddy’s Little Girl,” “Believe,” and the title track off of their new cd, “Deliverance.” They also performed “Birthday,” off Deliverance, during which they brought a fan onstage to aid in percussion with a tambourine.
I really had fun shooting this show, as is evidenced by the sheer number of photos that I posted below. And, that’s not all – keep an eye out for more shots from Quietdrive on my blog. I shot some band shots before the show that have yet to be published, and I will also be seeing them twice in December.
Shooting Notes
House of Blues is always a treat to shoot in. Their lighting is always very atmospheric, and their pit is generally wide enough to easily move around in, even with several photographers. I got especially lucky for this show, as I discovered that the lighting technician was a photographer herself, and it showed when she filled the stage with a lot of beautiful colored light in the back, complimented by white light on the performers.
For this set, while in the pit, I favored the 16-35mm on my 5D so I could go really wide. Kevin Truckenmiller performs with every inch of his body, so he is the poster child for wide performance shots. The 24-70mm on my Mark II was a back-up for some tighter shots. I was able to shoot from the soundboard for a bit toward the end, and for that I used my 70-200 on my Mark II (I utilized the 1.3x on the Mark for a little extra reach).
Much of the show was shot at 1600ISO, with an occasional need to bump it up to to 3200ISO. I also fluctuated between f/2.8 and f/3.2 as well as moving between 1/100-1/200.
