Erin Feinberg decided to train her lens to the other side of the bar, the club, the stadium, and capture the fans as they took in the show. Sometimes this manifested in disbelief and rapture, and sometimes in parallel to the moment, too caught up with the person they came to the show with. Feinberg has sealed these moments in evocative black and white and has collected them in a new book titled Diehards. She also managed to get essays from Bruce Springsteen and Rush drummer Neil Peart for the volume. New Jersey Stage caught up with Erin to discuss the book, the current climate for photographers at live music events, and how a photographer works in a world where virtually everyone has a camera in their pocket.
What made you decide to turn the camera around to make the audience the subject? There are plenty of books out there of photos of celebrities, so what flipped the switch on the idea?
I began my photography career shooting concerts - because I loved music and it was a way for me to see a lot of shows up close, and for free! But with the advent of digital photography, cameras became more ubiquitous and the photo pits were getting over-crowded, and there were increasing restrictions at live shows. The creative freedom I once had photographing concerts was disappearing and so to make things interesting for myself I needed to find other ways to document the live music experience. I began to turn my camera towards the ‘other' show - the audience. I saw myself in so many of those fans and I've always been captivated by what the performers see when they look out at their crowds - so I was very inspired to photograph that perspective.
In your coverage, did you start noticing types or traits of fans, perhaps paired with the specific music they were experiencing?
Oh definitely. The fans of different genres of music have very different personalities. Rock and Roll, punk, country, metal - I always found something interesting among each crowd. The way that they look and how they celebrate music may be different from one another, but what remains constant is their passion for that music. That's the common thread throughout this book.
I love the Jimmy Buffet fans because during their tailgates in the parking lots they'd always feed me whatever they had on the grill, and they made me cocktails from their mobile tiki bars! They know how to have a good time! The ‘Parrotheads' are kind of like ‘Deadheads' in that respect - the social ‘hang' in and around the shows can be as important as the show itself. It's a lifestyle.
I was always so intrigued by the raw energy of the metal crowds. They are so dynamic. Sometimes their aggression is a bit unsettling - especially in the mosh pits - But I do love how they let everything out. It makes for very exciting images! The punk fans are also extremely energetic and physical. Their overall appearance (clothing, hairstyle, and attitude) always lent itself to interesting images and I had a blast photographing those crowd surfers until the day one came down on my head and knocked me out cold!
Among the greatest crowds of all are the Rush fans. To look around an arena and see people air drumming Neil Peart's parts - sometimes with scary accuracy - is both humorous and powerful. You gotta love that the drummer is the star!
Jumping off from my previous question, I imagine there are instances of very young fans meeting their pop idols, and that could be contrasted with pictures of audiences when those same pop idols have matured. Did you seek out instances of that?
It was fun to experience the young crowds going to a show for the first time or seeing a particular artist for the first time. There's a photo in the book of a Katy Perry audience at the Warped Tour before she got really popular. That will be the story that some of those kids tell after they go see her at Madison Square Garden. They'll say, "I saw her before she got big…In a parking lot at the Warped Tour!"
But most of all, I love the fans who've stayed loyal to a particular artist over a lifetime. Bruce Springsteen's fans from the 70's are still going to his shows today with such dedication and excitement. And they are now bringing their own kids. When you look out onto a Springsteen crowd you see a few generations singing his songs back to him. It's got to be so invigorating for him to see those really young faces out there.
You were able to secure essays from Springsteen and Peart, which immediately ties into your associations made with the band's audiences. Both groups have unbelievably loyal fans. Both have been in the business for many years. Springsteen is seen as more approachable, where one of Peart's most famous lyrics is "I can't pretend a stranger is a long-awaited friend." How were you able to first get to them to be a part of the project, and then to get them to provide the essays?
I approached these two guys because of the unparalleled passion and loyalty among their fans - and they both just so happen to be wonderful human beings who have a way with words. I'm so honored that Neil and Bruce are a part of this project.
I met Bruce many years ago while interning for Late Night with Conan O'Brien during a college summer break. He came to visit bandleader Max Weinberg at the studio and we ended up talking about his hometown show the previous summer - which I went to instead of my senior prom! I remember he gave me a high-five because he didn't go to his prom either! A true bonding moment!
After that we'd run into one another off and on over the years, and one of those run-ins occurred when I was photographing for this book project at the Warped Tour in NJ. Bruce was there with his son and he asked me to take a photograph of them to remember the special day - it was his son's first concert. I was standing next to him watching one of the band's sets and I remember him saying: "they are so beautiful" - referring to all of those kids out there crowd- surfing, singing, screaming their favorite songs. I loved that he appreciated them so much - that he also saw the beauty in that scene I had been documenting. So I knew that I'd be asking him someday for insights about his own diehard fans.
As for Neil, I got to know him through his writing first. His essays from the road have kept me company on quite a few backpacking trips. When he is on tour he travels from show to show on his motorcycle, rarely riding on the tour bus. I love reading about his adventures as he typically takes the road less traveled. I finally met Neil while working on my documentary film (it's still a work in progress) called "The Best Seat in the House" - It's about music from the drummer's perspective, and Neil has been such a huge source of information and inspiration to me on my drum journey. Yeah, he is a very private, humble guy and doesn't feel super comfortable with all the adulation and attention from fans. But that doesn't mean he doesn't love and appreciate those crowds. And his vantage point of the audience from up on that drum riser is truly special - he sees it all!
Getting down to what you do, what is required of a photographer at a live music event to get those shots that are worth saving? It was a challenging project no doubt. The main hurdle was getting access to enter the venues. When I was on assignment I would shoot what I needed for the client and then spend the rest of the time photographing the diehard fans for my own personal archives. But when I couldn't get access into a particular show, I would have to find a way to sneak my camera in. There was a lot of finagling involved. Most event promoters and producers couldn't understand why I'd be interested in photographing the audience over the performer, so it was often a struggle to get permission. I actually got kicked out of a Lady Gaga show for photographing her audience. I still can't figure that one out, when the entire front row was snapping away with their own cameras and cell phones the entire night.
That's kind of where I was heading, actually. In recent years, with phone technology and insta-filters coming into people's lives, everyone thinks they're a photographer. What is required to have the sensitivity to know "that's the shot" versus "throw a sepia/grungy filter on it"? And since photography is your career, what is it like to have so many cameras out there all of the time?
Well that's really why I don't photograph these shows anymore. There are too many cameras. The photo pits have become overcrowded and there's nowhere to move. The artistry and fun of capturing those stage moments is now lost for me. If you can't move around and look for interesting vantage points, then what is the point? Back when I began this book project, I was allowed to stand on the barricades and shoot over the crowd. It still felt like rock and roll! Now there are too many rules and restrictions with everything. But to tell you the truth, at this point I'd rather watch and listen to a band than photograph it. I just want to soak up the music now without looking through a lens.
But I am so happy that I documented those crowds when I did. The images would look so different if I began this project now. Cell phones have changed the look and the feel of live shows. I cannot understand why people go to see a performance and then hold up their cell phones the entire time to document what they should be experiencing in the moment! The ‘conversation' between the artist and audience is interrupted. The performers have to work so much harder for that communication now. I recently worked on a tour as a photographer/videographer with a very popular country artist and each night I was so irritated by the sea of little bright lights out in the crowd. It was impossible for me to do my job, capturing the thrill and radiance in the faces of the fans, because those faces were blocked by smart phones…sometimes even iPads!
And some musicians have become very sensitive to, and some just plain fed up with, cameras at live shows. How has that affected what you do?
There are some artists that are vocal about this - like Bruce. His fans know he does not like cameras and phones being held up during a show. It makes his job connecting to the audience very hard. But some artists who feel the same way don't know how to approach their audience about it. I think they are scared of pissing off the patrons. And then there are performers on the other extreme who have no problem punching their fans in the face if they hold up a cell phone. (I'm not naming names!) From my position as a professional photographer, it's extremely frustrating because I'm often just lumped in the mix with all the other people who have cameras. And there's that overall fear of cameras now because of social media. I mean, even street photography has changed. Everyone is scared of ending up on the Internet. I get it, believe me. But it's just a shame that it's come to that.
Of your pictures, which one really boils down everything you have set out to accomplish? In other words, you are given a warning by your hard drive that your digital archive is about to crash. You start pulling your pictures down to save them. Is there a specific one you must save first, and why is that?
Oh my gosh I don't know! The photographs I chose for this book all have significance to me for different reasons. The first photo in the book is one of my favorites because it's so timeless. I call that my ‘Beatles shot' because to me that's such a classic rock and roll moment: the girl screaming with her hands on the side of her face. It's just that front row euphoria.
I also have a personal attachment to the photo of the young James Taylor fan holding up that vinyl album cover screaming at one of his shows. It's so not what you'd expect at a James Taylor show, and I love that the record being held up came out well before she was born. I definitely saw myself in her - as my favorite records growing up were all recorded before I was born too. I actually think that those photos in which I see myself in the subject remain most personal and important to me. For instance, the photo of Bruce's fans holding the song request signs up. That was taken in Stockholm, Sweden and I was on the side of the stage watching the show facing the audience - which is my favorite vantage point, of course! Those fans had been out in the rain for a couple of days waiting to secure those spots close to the stage. And I couldn't help but think of myself holding up that "No Surrender" banner when I was in high school.
So your next project is the documentary. Tell us more about that...
The Best Seat in the House is also steeped in music. It's about music from the drummer's point of view, and it follows my personal journey learning how to play drums - from the greatest drummers in the world. It has been quite an adventure to say the least! As for still photography, I have a couple of book projects in the works - one of them is called "King for a Day" - it's a series of portraits of Elvis Presley impersonators who come from all around the world to Memphis each year to celebrate their love for the King. So it's about a very specific subculture of Diehards!.
Where can people get a copy of Diehards? Amazon is the easiest way to get a copy. The information is also on my publisher's site: www.anthropyarts.com or on my webpage: www.erinfeinberg.com
