Surfing through the Warped Tour
July 30, 2008 by David Bergman
I spent all day Saturday in the hot sticky mess that is known as the 2008 Warped Tour, where crowd surfing is the most popular attraction.
There were 103 bands playing on 12 stages in the Nassau Coliseum parking lot. I bought quite a few $6 Gatorades throughout the day.
I had a few minutes to do portraits with All That Remains. With limited location options, I put them in between some tour buses and shot from a low angle. The sun was directly overhead, so I put a couple of Nikon SB800 strobes inside of a large Chimera softbox using a two-flash speed ring. Some toning in Photoshop completed the look.
After the portrait session, I shot the band in concert. It was a hair-raising experience.
I also shot a bit from the stage, which usually makes for a decent photo.
Wonderful crowdsurfing shot! I like how the guy looks so gleeful, like a toddler playing ‘airplane’ in daddy’s arms, whereas the girl at the bottom is not enjoying it at all.
awesome portrait, especially given the location/sun, etc..
Bummer we left the tour 2 days before the NY date! Would have been great to shoot some more photos!
-Wil
I’ve always wondered, “What’s the deal with that two-fingered rock and roll salute.”
At a Guns N Roses concert a couple years ago, I watched a thousand fans thrusting index and pinky into the air.
Bass player Tommy Stinson stopped mid-song and asked the crowd, “What the hell does that MEAN?”
So I now send you on a quest BandSlut Bergman. Find the answer to Tommy’s question: “What the hell does that MEAN?”
Wikipedia knows all:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corna
It’s the “sign of the horns, also corna (Italian for horns), mano cornuta (horned hand), fare le corna (to make the horns), or simply the devil horns.”
“…popularized by Ronnie James Dio when he was a member of Black Sabbath.”
Here’s my favorite line from the wikipedia entry. It almost reads like a George Carlin routine:
“It also has a variety of meanings in U.S. heavy metal and rock music subcultures, where it is known by a variety of terms: devil sign, devil horns, goat horns, metal horns, metal sign, sticks up, throwing the goat, rocking the goat, sign of the goat, throwing the horns, evil fingers, the horns, forks, metal fist, rock fist, fist of rock, or the “Rock on!” sign.”
Nice work with a lot of energy. I like it.
Any line up on backstage passes? ALL ACCESS or V.I.P.? to any upcoming metal shows for 2009! Give me a buzz! Thanks, and Keep Rockin’
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