EODM
The Observatory
Santa Ana, California
24 October, 2015
The Observatory
Santa Ana, California
24 October, 2015
I was horrified to hear about the tragedy at the EODM show in Paris today. One more senseless act of violence in an increasingly violent world. I took these pictures a few weeks ago but due to personal events in my life I didn't post them. I hope my posting them now does not seem opportunistic, it is not meant to be. My heart goes out to the victims and their families of today's events.
Live music in a crowded sweaty club that reeks of beer and tequila is to me (and maybe also to you) one of the happiest places to be in this crazy world. It is not a place were you should have to be afraid for your safety.
When a band and their audience connect and feed off one another a special magic happens that you cannot experience anywhere else. It's a moment that you can't actually capture with your camera (much as I might try).
EODM are the kind of band that excels at creating these special moments of connectivity between band and audience. And this night was no exception. Front man Jesse Hughes hit the stage at a full speed and then with his band in tow proceeded to take it up several levels from there. The crowd immediately responded by showering the band with adoration and chants of "We Love You Jessie!"
Once Mr. Hughes started doing his patented onstage dance moves, (looking very much like a speed-freak biker doing the funky chicken) it was absolute pandemonium in the venue. Every few minutes crowd surfers were literally dropping on top of me in the photo pit. I lost my lens hood to one of them, and came out of the pit battered, bruised & bloody. But also very happy to have been a witness to rock-n-roll in it's rawest most primitive form. The kind where the audience forgets itself (and their cell phones) for a few precious minutes and just climbs on top of the musical wave to ride it until it crashes and burns.
I've been doing this rock-n-roll thing pretty much my whole life, and it's nights like this one that keep me chasing the dragon and coming back again and again for another show and another musical high. Because that is what live music is meant to be. A momentary escape from the real and often crazy world outside the venue. And I'll be damned if I'll ever let anyone take that away from me.
Paris and the world will recover from yet another stupid senseless night of terror. So will EODM. And someday when they come to your town be ready to sweat, be ready to rock, but most of all be ready to live in the moment. Hopefully EODM will be thought of much more for their music rather then the band that was onstage when some deluded people decided to use murder as a means of promoting a misguided agenda.
Live music in a crowded sweaty club that reeks of beer and tequila is to me (and maybe also to you) one of the happiest places to be in this crazy world. It is not a place were you should have to be afraid for your safety.
When a band and their audience connect and feed off one another a special magic happens that you cannot experience anywhere else. It's a moment that you can't actually capture with your camera (much as I might try).
EODM are the kind of band that excels at creating these special moments of connectivity between band and audience. And this night was no exception. Front man Jesse Hughes hit the stage at a full speed and then with his band in tow proceeded to take it up several levels from there. The crowd immediately responded by showering the band with adoration and chants of "We Love You Jessie!"
Once Mr. Hughes started doing his patented onstage dance moves, (looking very much like a speed-freak biker doing the funky chicken) it was absolute pandemonium in the venue. Every few minutes crowd surfers were literally dropping on top of me in the photo pit. I lost my lens hood to one of them, and came out of the pit battered, bruised & bloody. But also very happy to have been a witness to rock-n-roll in it's rawest most primitive form. The kind where the audience forgets itself (and their cell phones) for a few precious minutes and just climbs on top of the musical wave to ride it until it crashes and burns.
I've been doing this rock-n-roll thing pretty much my whole life, and it's nights like this one that keep me chasing the dragon and coming back again and again for another show and another musical high. Because that is what live music is meant to be. A momentary escape from the real and often crazy world outside the venue. And I'll be damned if I'll ever let anyone take that away from me.
Paris and the world will recover from yet another stupid senseless night of terror. So will EODM. And someday when they come to your town be ready to sweat, be ready to rock, but most of all be ready to live in the moment. Hopefully EODM will be thought of much more for their music rather then the band that was onstage when some deluded people decided to use murder as a means of promoting a misguided agenda.
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