Damnation And Deliverance
I had never shot at the Palace before so it was to be a night of firsts. I made my way to the front of the stage 20 minutes before Opeth were to kick off their set. I wanted to familiarise myself with the front of the venue and get a feel for the place – as you do. I fired off some test shots as I was going to shoot in TV (Time Value) mode so I needed to see what sort of light was on offer.
With 10 minutes to show time, I made my way into the designated photo-pit and sternly checked my gear again and waited for the band. Several other photogs made their way to the pit. Some new faces tonight and one photog approached me and said “You know, you should smile more often?” She took me by surprise and I responded with “Excuse me?”
“You look so serious!” she said. I laughed out loud and introduced myself.
She said, “You can smile and still be Metal you know. Not even Bloodduster are this serious.”
I guess I must have looked pretty intense, but I always feel a little tense before the band hits the stage. So many thoughts running though my head! Concentrate! Get the shot! Anticipate! Get the shot!
The last time I got to see Opeth live, I was armed with nothing but my iPhone to try and get a photo or two.
Although that gig was only just over a year ago, I wasn’t shooting bands at that point, but I remember thinking to myself just how amazing it would be to get that opportunity.
Here we are 12 months down the track and that opportunity had finally arrived.
The three-song limit had been cut back to two but thankfully, Opeth songs are mostly epic and vast and almost always span for ten minutes at a time. The restricted limit wouldn’t be too bad. I mean, driving to work this morning and listening to Opeth in the car, I only got to hear one track in my usual 15 minute drive.
The stage is pretty high at the Palace so I did find it a little tricky to get some good face shots of lead crooner Mikael Åkerfeldt but apart from that, I completely enjoyed shooting at the Palace.
Opeth, as always, were meticulously brilliant. I did feel they concentrated a little more on their mellower stuff tonight and felt that the gig in September of last year was a better performance. I was clamoring for a rendition of ‘Master’s Apprentices’ but alas, it wasn’t forthcoming.
A big thank you to Leticia and all the gang at Metal As Fuck.
And a nice little mention on the Roadrunner Records site can be seen here.
View the complete set over at the Slideshow to the right, or on 
