I don’t even know where to start about this show. I decided to go on a whim, because I had been told multiple times that I should shoot Dr. Manhattan and it was also their CD release show for Jam Dreams. It seemed like a perfect opportunity! I had previously seen Dr. Manhattan a long long time ago, but it was nothing compared to the show they put on at the Beat Kitchen. They were insane, their fans were insane. The whole thing was a huge party. Add that in to the hot, humid, dingy atmosphere of the Beat Kitchen, and it was almost something straight out of a movie.
Really, it’s not that often that you see a band – the whole band – put forth so much energy in a set. If you have the chance, you should see a Dr. Manhattan show. It’s really an experience. I can’t wait until I get a chance to shoot them again in a better lit venue!
Shooting Notes
Beat Kitchen is never fun to shoot in. No pit, and dismal, very spotty lighting. For this set, however, they did turn up what few lights they had, so it wasn’t as bad as normal. The downside of that is that only the center of the stage was brightly lit, while the sides were in almost complete darkness. I generally like to get several shots of each band member, but this time it wasn’t possible, even with the high ISO capabilities of the 5D2 and fast primes. With that said, the light in the center of the stage was good enough to use my 16-35mm f/2.8 and be at about 3200ISO. I was happy for this, because Dr. Manhattan is really a band that needs a wide angle lens, because they perform with their whole bodies!
If you are shooting Dr. Manhattan, definitely watch out for crowdsurfers, the band coming out into the crowd, and most of all, pay attention – there is so much going on, that it’s easy to miss some great photo-ops!
