Arcade Fire | Centre Bell | Montreal Event Photographer

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Just shy of 15,000 fans were present and excited to see hometowners Arcade Fire on their second stop of their Everything Now tour.  An original stage setup, where there is a boxing ring in the middle of the arena, gave fans from all sides loads to see.  Somewhat impressive visuals added to the moment.  Fans of the band seemed happy with the performance.

For us photographers, things were a bit different.  We are used to working with some difficult situations, it is part of the game, and honestly, the challenge is what keeps things fresh.  But this show had it all.  Due to the placement of Arcade Fire’s stage, we were a bit further back at the soundboard, most of us standing on our little $5 benches to be a few inches higher than the fans.  Ok, so far, not sooooo bad as the stage is closer to us.

The ever changing position of the artists on stage made it essentially a wait for a face and take your shot.  And then you hope there isn’t a giant laser in front of them or clouds of smoke screwing with your exposure.  Lights were fun for the fans, but the changes in hues and intensity was a challenge to keep a decent exposure throughout.  From ISO 1600 to 6400, speeds from 1/80 to 1/400.  Am I complaining?  No… while I am not a fan of the band, I love these types of shows where you need to think while you shoot.   Any non-wide shot was done with a 70-200 f/2.8 hooked onto a 1.4x teleconverter to get just that much closer.

Arcade Fire images were done for CHOM 97.7 / iHeartRadio Canada.  You can see the full media set of about 25 images HERE.

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