RECONNECTING WITH THE GOAT PART 1
Last year, I was fortunate enough to reconnect with Matt Nathanson - one of those people I always dug when we were kids, and always hoped I’d reconnect with. After more than 30 years, it finally happened. Matt, who followed his passion to become a highly revered and important musician, saw some shots from a few Rolling Stones concerts I photographed in Europe on their 60 Tour. One thing led to another, and Matt invited me to join his most recent tour of the US.
When we look back on our lives and our friendships, there inevitably are people that were long ago central to our everyday, and unfortunately as time goes on, simply fallen away. Not by design, but life happens.
Last year, I was fortunate enough to reconnect with Matt Nathanson - one of those people I always dug when we were kids, and always hoped I’d reconnect with. After more than 30 years, it finally happened. Matt, who followed his passion to become a highly revered and important musician, saw some shots from a few Rolling Stones concerts I photographed in Europe on their 60 Tour. One thing led to another, and Matt invited me to join his most recent tour of the US. I arrived in Nashville for the first show of my part of the run, not having any idea how it would go. Would I be accepted by the rest of the band and the crew? Would I take good enough images?
Carter Vintage in Nashville
On night one, Matt asked me to meet him at Carter Vintage for an acoustic segment they were doing. After a brief hello, something immediately became clear to me. Matt, Adam and Aaron were all business. They dove right into their segment like consummate professionals - this was no hobby. I trusted my gear and my eye, and started shooting.
After the segment, Matt invited me to join him for dinner with an old friend of his. Little did I know it was one of the worlds legendary live music photographers, Lynn Goldsmith. Things were looking up….
Matt Nathanson & Lynn Goldsmith
The following night, my first show with Matt was on. I asked if there were any ground rules or restrictions, as I didn’t want to get in the way or mess with their mojo. The answer was ‘I trust you, do anything you want’….. Not a bad way to start I thought…. Pretty lucky for your first bus tour to be able to reconnect with a long lost friend and at the same time dip a toe into a world that I had never experienced before. Not to mention having carte blanche creatively!
Matt closing out the Nashville concert
Matt Nathanson along with his band & crew living the tour life outside the Ace Theater in LA
I had always wondered what it would be like to live on tour. Of course there are the downsides - close quarters, little privacy, a different city every night, GrubHub to the bus, not being able to take a shit on the bus…. But the upsides? How about the ENERGY?! It’s unbeatable and outweighs any downside. Every night there were familiar faces in the audience. Every night I would watch people sing every single word. Every night I observed the rush that the audience gave Matt and the band. It was extraordinary to be a part of. To see with my own eyes how much these songs meant to each and every member of the audience. They had waited patiently through a global pandemic and they didn’t want to let him leave!
Matt Nathanson giving the audience what they came to see in San Jose California
Part II to come……
WHY SHOULD WE FOLLOW OUR PASSION?
This photograph of Dragon Smoke I shot in San Francisco typifies the notion that doing what you are passionate about is absolutely essential. These guys would never be able to smile as genuinly as they are!
Shot in San Francisco, the founders of Galactic, Stanton Moore & Robert Mercurio came together with Eric Lindell and Ivan Neville to form one of the great New Orleans jam bands: Dragon Smoke
It doesn’t always make sense. We have to put food on our table, we have expectations from others, from ourselves, and the road to ‘success’ whatever that is, is never a straight line. The picture above, I shot in San Francisco. The founders of Galactic, Stanton Moore & Robert Mercurio came together with Eric Lindell and Ivan Neville to form one of the great New Orleans jam bands: Dragon Smoke.
I am drawn to this image, not because its a particularly good one, but because the emotion of each of them is so strong. Clearly, each member of the band has followed their passion and it undeniably shows on their faces.
What I think I like most however, is that the boys from Dragon Smoke and their other Galactic band members actually took things one step further. Arguably the grand masters of New Orleans, the Galactic team, went ahead and acquired what is arguably the home of music in New Orleans - Tipitina’s!
In person, this is a group of supremely cool, laid back guys who no doubt love their work and follow their passion across the board. Passion is a powerful force that can drive us to achieve great things, and for many of us, that passion is rooted in the world of art and creativity.
These images were shot on a Canon R3 with an RF 24-70mm lens, and a Canon EL1 flash using a remote transmitter.
Eric Lindell and Ivan Neville share a moment onstage in San Francisco
Stanton Moore looks like he’s having a terrible time!