…Dave Navarro, Jane’s Addiction…The night before Halloween 1997, Hammerstein Ballroom…Jane’s Addiction was the first band I photographed. They were the Best and the most fun band to photograph. They always gave an intense performance with a lot going on visually.
It was the beginning of my career and I had no idea what I was doing. I really didn’t deserve to be there with my camera. At that point I just reacted to what I saw. They were energetic and the crowds were overzealous even before the band went on the stage. The air was drenched with adrenaline. Sweat dripped down my hair into the camera while I frantically loaded the next roll of film. It was 36 shots, then I got the next roll of film out of my pocket while the exposed film was rewinding. Pop the back of the camera open and load the film in seconds without looking while there was chaos on stage, and a surging crowd pushing against the barrier at my back. I never looked back at the hundreds of people because if that wave broke through only the instinct of running underneath the stage would spare me from being trampled. I was always soaked in sweat after I photographed.
I haven’t photographed bands in a long time because my work has progressed to documenting more serious subjects. But when I’m lost, I try to think back to the beginning, when I was in over my head but found solace in not knowing much about the world and living in the moment.
Tags: concert, Dave Navarro, Jane's Addiction, Music