I and Love and This…

Load the car and write the note
Grab your bag and grab your coat
Tell the ones that need to know
We are headed north

One foot in and one foot back
But it don’t pay, to live like that
So i cut the ties and i jumped the tracks
For never to return

Ah Brooklyn Brooklyn take me in
Are you aware the shape I’m in
My hands they shake my head it spins
Ah Brooklyn Brooklyn take me in

When at first I learned to speak
I used all my words to fight
With him and her and you and me
Oh but its just a waste of time
Yeah its such a waste of time

That woman she’s got eyes that shine
Like a pair of stolen polished dimes
She asked to dance I said it’s fine
I’ll see you in the morning time

Ah Brooklyn Brooklyn take me in
Are you aware the shape im in
My hands they shake my head it spins
Ah Brooklyn Brooklyn take me in

Three words that became hard to say
I and love and you
What you were then, I am today
Look at the things I do

Ah Brooklyn Brooklyn take me in
Are you aware the shape I’m in
My hands they shake my head it spins
Ah Brooklyn Brooklyn take me in

Dumbed down and numbed by time and age
Your dreams to catch the world, the cage
The highway sets the travelers stage
All exits look the same

Three words that became hard to say
I and love and you

~The Avett Brothers … “I and Love and You”

I believe it has become a lost art to photograph concerts in black and white, but that is how I still see. With all these cameras that have awesome color and noise reduction it becomes simple. Easy, even.

But I won’t soon forget shooting this festival.

Six full-length concerts in a single day is a long long day. The first band went on something a little after noon…

…and the Avett Brothers came off after 10, I think it was.

Some great great bands, really.

Please allow me to apologize for these photos being unlabeled.

The Sheriffs of Nottingham put on a heck of a show…

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so much intensity and energy on one stage.

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The day just all rolled together. But somehow the energy of the next band kept the crowd building and the day gaining momentum…

Seriously talented guys…

One of the bands called for the crowd to get out their cell phones. That’s when I take off running for my special spot:

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And then the whole game changed when the Avett Brothers took the stage.

There’s always something different about a Grammy-level band. There’s a certain meshing and tightness to the sound and the way they interact on stage.

And the energy in the room went off the charts.

Probably can’t see his face, there… but:

I love concert photography in black and white. There’s something about it that throws me back into the original purity of the early RollingStone magazine.

Simple. Pure.

No matter. I see in these shades and tones. It has been imprinted in my mind.

These are things I see. These people stand on stage and put themselves out there. There’s something strange about lyrics from very talented people. For the suspension of belief of a few minutes in a song, the feelings of the artist and the listener have the potential to merge.

His suffering, her love, that situation … we’re no longer alone. We now share in this world and in this life.

There’s a darkness upon me that’s flooded in light
In the fine print they tell me what’s wrong and what’s right
And it comes in black and it comes in white
And I’m frightened by those that don’t see it

When nothing is owed or deserved or expected
And your life doesn’t change by the man that’s elected
If you’re loved by someone, you’re never rejected
Decide what to be and go be it

There was a dream and one day I could see it
Like a bird in a cage I broke in and demanded that somebody free it
And there was a kid with a head full of doubt
So I’ll scream til I die and the last of those bad thoughts are finally out

There’s a darkness upon you that’s flooded in light
And in the fine print they tell you what’s wrong and what’s right
And it flies by day and it flies by night
And I’m frightened by those that don’t see it

There was a dream and one day I could see it
Like a bird in a cage I broke in and demanded that somebody free it
And there was a kid with a head full of doubt
So I’ll scream til I die and the last of those bad thoughts are finally out

There was a dream and one day I could see it
Like a bird in a cage I broke in and demanded that somebody free it
And there was a kid with a head full of doubt
So I’ll scream til I die and the last of those bad thoughts are finally out

There’s a darkness upon me that’s flooded in light
In the fine print they tell me what’s wrong and what’s right
There’s a darkness upon me that’s flooded in light
And I’m frightened by those that don’t see it

~The Avett Brothers … “Head Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise”

I only hope that my images can, in some way, bring you in to my place. Stand in my place and see through my eyes for just a moment.

Of course, I always would love to see yours. Stay tuned…
-Noah D.