Place Bell in Laval had an amazing double bill for punk rock fans last night. Legends The Offspring, along with Canadian punk rockers Sum 41, took to the stage in front of a packed arena. Presentement by local summer punk festival 77 Montreal, the evening started at an early 7pm with English punkers Dinosaur Pile-Up with a quick 30 minutes sets, while co-headliners Sum 41 and The Offspring both had 1h10 and 1h15 respectively.
The rise of nostalgia shows is pretty impressive. We have seen loads of 70s and 80s bands on tour pulling in their Boomer fans for just “one last rock show”. Or, as most rock bands like Kiss, Ozzy and the Scorpions, “one last tour before our last tour that is before our final we promise tour”. The 90s are no exception to the nostalgic concert wave.
The Offspring‘s last album was back in 2012. Sum 41 have some new music, their latest album Order in Decline was out July this year. But let’s be honest, most fans are there to hear the hits, and both bands have plenty of them. The Offspring pulled off a set of 18 songs with classics like Come Out and Play, Why Don’t You Get a Job and Self Esteem. Sum 41 had a setlist of 14. The bands are still having fun on stage and they still put on a good show, so hey, what’s wrong with reliving your youth for a few hours? I know I was singing along to some songs while making my images. Fans were singing along, moshing and body surfing. So I call it a successful punk rock show :).
Photography wise, we had 3 songs each in the pit. Loads of strobes and backlight for Sum 41, and more classic clean contrasty light for The Offspring. Having shot both bands before, I decided to go a bit wider for Sum 41 with a 16-35 (and a 70-200 on another camera), but switch the ultra wide for a 24-70 for The Offspring. Worked out well for me (I think), as Sum 41 was a bit more visual than The Offspring, making for more captivating and varied images.
And on a shoe note, I’m not a fan of the higher stage at Place Bell in Laval. It makes for odd angles to capture artist shoes. But I think that I’m the only one who suffers.
Photos were done for iheartradio and CHOM fm, you can see the full media set HERE.
Some faves of the show right below.
