On August 2, 2014 I was fortunate enough to photograph the iconic Progressive Rock band YES. I arrived early to check out the venue as it was new for me to photograph there and upon arriving I phoned my contact. As I was waiting for him to arrive, the staff invited me to enter and enjoy the beautiful lobby area of the Mahaffey Theatre. The employees were so incredibly nice to me it made the beginning of this beautiful evening so wonderful. I was escorted in and was thrilled to find out I was shooting toward the front of the stage; sometimes in venues such as this I am relegated to the back of the hall, but tonight I was up front! Again an awesome start to what was going to be one of the best concert evenings I’ve had in a really long time. Every concert I attend is incredible, in very different ways, because I love photographing rock bands. This night was magical because YES is one of my bucket list bands to photograph and I was honored to be the only photographer there (not including their house photographer). As I finished up with the last song I was able to shoot, my escort led me to the back and asked if I wanted to get a “long” shot of the stage, well of course I did and I thanked him for the opportunity to do so.
As I packed up my gear to depart the venue I walked outside and the evening was so beautiful and balmy. I then realized they were piping the concert out on the patio area so I found a bench sat and listened as I watched one of the most magnificent light shows being displayed over Tampa Bay. Did I mention the Mahaffey Theatre overlooks the bay? Well it does and the balmy breeze mixed with the lightning and the twinkling of the lighted palms along with the incredible music that was being emitted I was simply too relaxed to move. This had to be heaven, because I was sitting there remembering concerts that had a bit of drama involved and realized this was well worth being there alone. Great photos, great venue, equals a great evening.
Life, Love & Passion Through the Lens 