In 1995, I was a sophomore in high school. I was your typical midwest kid – I watched MTV religiously, they still had music on, but not a lot. I remember getting home late, it was probably close to 9 p.m. I turned on my television and sat at my art table. And there was this video – of a woman screaming in an orange dress in the middle of a gloomy field surrounded by characters.

Whoa.

It was just this stark image that stopped me cold. It was the end of the song, but I wanted to hear more. Mp3’s weren’t easily available in 1995. I had to do the next best thing – post it note the end of the video and track down the cassette or CD.

I ended up getting a tape from a department store. It was a small town, options were limited. So took the wrapping off the cassette. The pink feathers with the black text. I can’t get that album cover out of my memory. The first 10 seconds of Supervixen and I was hooked. And for the last twenty years, I’ve been a super fan.

I would manage to go to concerts, find singles, videos, dvd’s and posters. I would journey to another town because they had an import single from the UK. In all I have a milk crate full of albums, singles and imports in my closet. I have two posters framed. But it wasn’t enough. I wanted to create my own connection with the band.

When they toured in 2005, they came through Columbus, Ohio on May 9. I had seen them perform at the Newport and the LC and they were back again at the Newport. I wanted to capture my own photos and I noticed they didn’t have a camera policy for that show. I didn’t want to risk taking my film camera – concerts are notorious for being rough on people and equipment.

I did have a little point and shoot, a Nikon Coolpix 2000. It wasn’t going to be able to do low-light like I wanted, but I had a plan. It was mostly a lot of experimenting with the various settings. I got to the venue early, probably 20th in line or so. When the doors opened I rushed to the front and I had no intentions of moving.

Taking photos during a concert was something new to me. I never done it before, I was always someone that just wanted to enjoy the music, sing and dance. Capturing a band during their performance is a hard thing. Concerts are also light shows and usually it’s heavy on the red light. Not to mention the lead singer is moving around from place to place. There’s a lot going on and you have to stay on top of it.

As soon as the concert was done, a girl behind me asked me if I could burn her a CD of the concert. She was watching the review screen as I was taking photos and wanted to get copies. I gave her my email address at the time and I never heard from her again. So if she’s out there and she finds this blog, here you go and enjoy them.

When I downloaded these images into my computer, I was excited for them. They weren’t bad. They weren’t fantastic either. Given what I was working with and no idea what I was doing, I’m still proud of them.

I go and look at them and just wonder how I could have done a better job with what I know now. It’s like a review of skills and ideas, but I get to listen to my favorite band. It puts me in the right frame of mind every time.

Gallery

Steve Marker, Shirley Manson and Eric Avery of Garbage, perform at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio on May 9, 2005. Eric Avery and Shirley Manson of Garbage performing at the Newport Music Hall on May 9, 2005. Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band, Garbage. Captured at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio on May 9, 2005. Steve Marker, guitarist and Butch Vig, drummer, perform on May 9, 2005 at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio. Steve Marker, guitarist and Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band Garbage, perform at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio on May 9, 2005 Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band, Garbage. Captured at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio on May 9, 2005. Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band, Garbage. Captured at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio on May 9, 2005. Guitarist Duke Erikson of Garbage. Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band, Garbage. Captured at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio on May 9, 2005. Butch Vig, Eric Avery, Shirley Manson and Duke Erikson perform at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio. Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band, Garbage. Captured at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio on May 9, 2005. Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band, Garbage. Captured at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio on May 9, 2005. Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band, Garbage. Captured at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio on May 9, 2005. Eric Avery, Duke Erikson and Shirley Manson of the band Garbage perform at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio on May 9, 2005. Butch Vig, Eric Avery, Shirley Manson and Duke Erikson perform at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio. Steve Marker, Butch Vig, Eric Avery and Shirley Manson of the band Garbage perform at the Newport Music Hall on May 9, 2005 in Columbus, Ohio. Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band, Garbage. Captured at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio on May 9, 2005. Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band, Garbage. Captured at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio on May 9, 2005.