U2 @ Reliant Stadium

I have never seen U2 in concert and was only minutes away from purchasing tickets to go see the concert when I got the email asking if I was available to photograph the show. Talk about making my day! I know it would have killed me to be in the venue at the show and NOT have photo creds.. hehee.

First off lemme say that the production/stage etc was massive! There is a ton of money poured into this tour and its obvious once you lay your eyes on their setup. This is by far the biggest named band on my portfolio list and I’m glad to have finally seen them live, albeit only 3 songs but man I was still stoked nonetheless.

There were a total of 21 credentialed photographers… THAT’S 21!! Wow. I’ve never shot with so many photographers before but how the layout was there was plenty of room for us. Well that is until the bridges came out and we all grouped in tight together to get some close up individual shots of Edge and Bono. That’s when it got a bit cramped but everyone was very professional and was sure not to get in each others way.

Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 17-40 f/4L : 6/10th : f/5 : 1000 ISO : 17mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash

Three days before the concert I went and saw It Might Get Loud which was a documentary that featured The Edge, Jack White and Jimmy Page. It was a great movie and if you’re a music fan of any generation I would highly recommend it!

Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 135 f/2L : 1/250th : f/3.5 : 800 ISO : 135mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash

I’m a sucker for these kinda shots. hehe. I think the first time I started trying to capture images like this was while second shooting weddings. It’s just funny to see how much wedding photography has influenced all aspects of my photography even though I have no real intentions of pursuing wedding photography. Ha!

Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L : 1/250th : f/3.2 : 1000 ISO : 70mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash

This next photo is definitely my favorite of the entire set. I love the overall mood of it. The bright backlighting and cool side lighting really helps get that separation of Bono from the background. I do remember it took a lot in order to get this shot composed because not only was I trying to get other photographers’ camera out of my frame but I also had to watch to get the concertgoers’ hands, cell phones and cameras out of my frame as well! So I was like on my tip toes trying to get above all of that other stuff. I think I managed pretty well considering what I had to work with.

Canon EOS-5D Mark II : Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L : 1/250th : f/3.2 : 1000 ISO : 70mm : Manual Mode : 0 Bias : No Flash