Can’t say I have ever been to a gig at Melbourne’s Palace that I haven’t enjoyed. Whether there as a punter or a photographer, each and every show has been nothing short of kick ass. Totally! The vibe is always blistering, the lighting is just perfect and more often than not – every band that plays there seems to regularly deliver the goods!

It was a veritable who’s who in the photo pit with plenty of familiar faces tho for some inexplicable reason, there was a dude amongst us shooting the gig in the pit with an iPhone. Ummm, yeah ok dude. ‘Scuse me whilst I try to get a decent shot or two!

I felt a little more like a seasoned veteran of the gig circuit tonight when I saw a couple of rookie ‘togs get a little shell-shocked by the flying slam dancing bodies that came over the barricades! I drew a sly smile as it brought back memories of when I was first in the pit. S’funny how now I just ignore it as one develops a sixth sense for when an onslaught is about to hit. With only three songs to shoot, every second is crucial so who’s gonna let flying Doc Martins ruin a good night hey?

I still get an incredible rush when standing in the pit waiting for the band to hit the stage… the atmosphere in any room those 5 minutes before showtime is something money just cannot buy. The air is purely electrified and you can just feel your heart thumping ever-so-loudly in your chest. The crowd begins their chanting, the lights go black and BOOM its showtime!

Tonight was my first time seeing Finland’s Children Of Bodom and simply put, I thought they were great. They commanded the stage with ease and a sure-fire cock rock attitude. The crowd loved them, I thoroughly enjoyed shooting them and at the end of a long day, I cam away satisfied and delighted to have finally see them.

With Rose Tattoo tunes blasting through the PA, and a packed house at the Palace chanting ‘Airbourne! Airbourne! Airbourne!’ long before the band was scheduled to hit the stage… you just knew then and there you were about to witness something special! You can feel it in the pit of your stomach as the rowdy crowd ascends to a blistering fever-pitch and your adrenaline kicks in to overdrive.

You’re there just as the photographer for crying out loud, but one can’t help but to get immersed in the electric vibe and Rock And Roll passion that is dripping from the walls. Within minutes, all thoughts of a shitful week at work had all but evaporated. I was pumped for this one – and so was the enclosed throng as well!

I don’t know why, but I haven’t really taken Airbourne too seriously. Never given them a second-look let alone a listen so it was safe to say, I really didn’t know too much about them.

Having said that, how utterly stupid of me – because when these guys hit the stage with vengeance and rock and roll fury, they quickly won me over in an instant just as they hit the third chord in the set opener. Holy fuck! Pure! Fucking! Rock! Simple as that really.

Standing in the photo-pit, I think I was momentarily stunned and forgot I was there as a photographer there to shoot the show. I was blown away by the energy and witnessing a band that was as tight and as high-energy as I have ever, ever seen or heard.

I’ve lost track of the amount of gigs I’ve been to in the past few years. Hundreds of them but these guys could blow away any band you’d care to put before them. This was probably one of the loudest gigs I have been to and I was enjoying watching them command the stage with power and more moves than Paul Stanley in his prime!

I was drenched in VB and sweat from both the crowd and band onstage and stank of pure rock and roll sweat that seemed to be spraying over me from both directions!

It was a busy photo-pit tonight. Things kicked off nicely when we were allowed to shoot the first four songs. Nice change. I hadn’t shot at the Palace since the Ace Frehley tour and geez it is a great venue to shoot at! The lights were great and it was an absolute pleasure to shoot in favourable conditions for a change.

What can I say? I had a total blast tonight and left the venue with a camera full of pics, the stench of VB all over me and a smile on my face that you could not pry off even if you tried.

Rock And Roll boys and girls! Rock and roll!

Visit the Official Airbourne Site

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.

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.