I was asked this so many times that I decided to write a post about it. This post differs a lot to what readers are used to, forgive me for a changing the proportions from a less text/more pics to less pics/more text….. it’s a one off, …. promise, ….
The first time Lucas (Porn Queen’s singer) told me that they might have a shot at playing as a support act for Slash in Paris at “Le Zenith” I was so thrilled for them. I mean they’ve been working so hard and non-stop for month, that this was the best that could have happened to them. But when he told me that they would like to have me there with them, as their photographer, …… I had to think really hard for ……. 1 microsecond.
When the confirmation came in that it was possible for me to tag along I was informed that I had full access to the backstage and the pit, but that I had to do a “promo” shoot including Lucas and Fred (lead guitar) holding the guitars that Gibson was kindly lending them for the gig. No pressure, … no pressure …. 
So there I was with the task at hand: 1. Making it to Paris ( trust me, Paris by car is a nightmare) 2. Finding “Le Zenith’s” backstage entry ( if you thought driving in Paris was a nightmare, … try finding the backstage entry of “Le Zenith”) 3. Doing a promo shoot at an unknown location 4. Photographing Porn Queen’s gig 5. Photographing Slash’s gig 6. Documenting the backstage area
The big question here was the gear, I had to remain mobile but I also had to be flexible and ready for anything, as I didn’t know what to expect from the backstage area. I brought my regular concert gear plus two Canon Speedlites, two Walimex Octobox for compact flashes and a whole bunch of other lenses just …. you know…. to be ready. Well in this case I learned it the hard way, ……. sometimes less is more. In a backstage environment like the one we had in Paris nothing is sure and anything can happen at any time or not at all. The key element was to have the camera ready with a fast lens at all times. I did not use a flash or a softbox or any other piece of gear except my cameras and two lenses. 
I planned to setup two lights for the promo shoot and use a very nice metallic wall as a background, ….. the pictures would have been killer shots. As I was testing my light I was politely told that at that time taking pictures in the backstage area was not allowed for a reason I did not and still do not understand. Ok,….. think and adapt. We’ll do the shot in Porn Queen’s lounge room. 3 x 4 meters white walls all around, all their gear, all my gear, furniture and and and…… we managed some descent shots any ways.
Next was Porn Queen’s gig. Nothing new there, I photographed them several times already. I planned on taking some awesome shots from the stage down into the crowd, … that is until I was told 3 songs only and no stage access with camera. What ….. ??? No chance “Zentih” policy, I was free to watch from the stage but without camera. Ok, ….
They played and they rocked the place, ….. the crowd was amazing. The guys were having a very intensive time on stage.
When they were done I had time enough to get ready for Slash’s gig. Swap cards, download everything on my trusty P-5000 and zero the camera. No surprises here, 3songs no flash, they way I am used to it. Once I was done, … a nice meal was awaiting us backstage, prepared by some really good catering service I cannot remember the name off. I was eating dinner, 20 meters away from Slash starting his gig, … it can’t get better than that. I watched the rest of the show from the back of the stage and was hoping for some pics with Slash and his Band after the show.
After the gig the band came down to chat, …. Todd Kerns, Myles Kennedy, Bobbi Schneck and Brent Fitz. Took some pictures of them and the guys from Porn Queen and basically enjoyed the moment. Slash came down quite late and was a bit in a hurry. Time enough to take some pics and sign some CD covers (yes I’ve got one too, … thanks to Chris). Then they had to leave for the next gig.
We finished the night by emptying the beer from a fridge in a small Turkish Restaurant in Paris, the only place left open we could find, and had a laugh…….
It was a really awesome trip which was very different from my regular “Pit” work here in Luxembourg. Things work differently out there, you have to be very flexible and adapt to the situation at hand. Otherwise you might get back home with THE shot. I found it very difficult to find the right balance between bending the rules and not being too pushy.
You can see the Porn Queen concert pictures here, the Slash concert pictures here and the backstage pictures here.
The summer break comes to an end for us concert photographers (finally) , so make sure you check back soon enough. The season starts off with a bang : Sunrise Avenue, Kaiser Chiefs, James Blunt, Lenny Kravitz and many more….
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