Justin Bieber

I've shot some pretty loud shows in my career; Metallica, Foo Fighters, they were loud. Weezer, Papa Roach, Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold, all very loud. KISS was loud. Normally when it's a loud act, and especially if I'm shooting from the pit, I'll get an email from the promoter to bring earplugs. I got that email before the Justin Bieber show, which I thought was odd, I'm not terribly familiar with his music, but what I had heard, I wouldn't considered LOUD. When I got into position that night I realized that the promoter wasn't warning me about the sound that would be coming from the huge speakers in front of me, but it would be coming from the throngs of adolescent girls screaming behind me. And since this was a sold-out show, the intensity and decibel level of the shrieks and screams was ear-splitting. I could have used double plugs that night.

And P.S. the first image has been selected as 1 of 8 finalists in the Crowd category in this year's PDN Ultimate Music Moment contest. Winners will be announced early Dec. Fingers crossed!!

You wanted the best! You got the best! KISS!!

When I was 15, in 1983, I saw my first concert. KISS, on their Lick It Up tour with Queensryche at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Ore. I made the 4 hour train ride from Pendleton to Portland alone to meet up with a friend and his older brother, who had a car. The concert, and the weekend really, was a whirlwind of hammering-loud rock music, explosions, and vividly colorful imagery. It changed me as a fan, graduated me to that next level, I could now say that I had experienced KISS in person. And I still have the $20 t-shirt to prove it! (last night they were $50) I think it also influenced how I was starting to see the world differently; a little bigger, louder, and more exciting than what I'd been used to. In a small, yet profound way, I think seeing KISS back then had a hand in shaping me into the creative I am today. I thought about that quite a bit as I was standing in front of the stage last night waiting for the curtain to go down. It was an odd feeling. We'd all been there together before, just under a slightly different dynamic. Now it was time to get to work, to entertain fans with good music and pretty pictures. I think we all did a fine job.