My early experiences photographing shows in the mid-1980s and early 1990s were formative. To give an example, at a club like Stache’s I had the chance to photograph bands like Pavement, Cosmic Psychos, Camper Van Beethoven, Samhain, Redd Kross, White Zombie, and countless others. When I first saw Nirvana there in 1990, only 40 people showed up, with half the crowd leaving after the local opening band finished their set. The next year, however, Nirvana sold the venue out (pictured above). There were probably more than 250 people packed in a place that maxed-out at half that number—though over the years it feels like I’ve talked to about 3,000 people who say they were there.

Photographing shows can get chaotic. I’ve had flashes ripped off my camera as stage divers flew over head. A friend standing next to me was buried by a stage diver and came out of the pile with a broken jaw. Another time, a guy next to me had some teeth knocked out by a passing boot. My first camera was hit by an errant pitcher of beer thrown into the crowd and was never the same afterwards. One of my most infamous photos is of Bob Pollard from Guided By Voices spitting beer on a man in the crowd. What you don’t see is the dousing Bob had received leading up to that moment.

I often joke that I take loud photos, but in essence that is part of what I’m trying to capture, those unique moments in a concert experience: the emotions, the movement, the sweat, the facial expressions, the flying beer. I not only want you to see my photos, I want you to hear them too.

Photo Essay is a monthly series on the CMOA Blog that features images from both emerging and established photographers working in a variety of styles—from documentary and conceptual, to fine art and commercial. For past installments, visit the archives.