Pretty awesome, what can I say? Got to shoot some kick-ass music in one of my favorite cities.
Features images of The Sounds, Devo, Rancid, K.Flay, Anti-Flag, the Bronx, Gogol Bordello, Slipknot, and more. Totally worth coming with a chest infection from breathing in all the dust for four days.
THE SOUNDS
ANTI-FLAG
CIRCLE JERKS
Funny story here. Apparently, I didn’t have the “correct” wristband to go shoot them in that photo pit, even though it was the same stage as Anti-Flag earlier. So I had to RUN through the rain to the press tent, get the “correct” wristband, and haul ass back to the pit just in time for the last 30 SECONDS of their set. Almost every photo pit rule is “first three songs, no flash” for photographers and if you’re familiar with the Circle Jerks, their songs are like 1 min long. So fuck you to the security asshole who thought I wouldn’t make it back in time. I still got my shots. Because I’m KELLI HAYDEN and I get shit done.
Also, I shot them at Pappy & Harriet’s a few weeks before this.
THE BRONX
These guys are SO fucking good live. Holy shit.
GOGOL BORDELLO
If you want to jump in time, I shot them in 2015 at the Wiltern in Los Angeles.
RANCID
One of the bands that got me through high school.
K.FLAY
DEVO
I mean, come on. DEVO.
SLIPKNOT
Ok, so initially, I wasn’t planning to shoot them because I’m not a huge Slipknot fan. Like, at all. But friends at the time really were determined to see them so we did. I immediately regretted not getting into the photo pit in time before the three songs were over. The theatrics were pretty cool, so I did what I used to do back in the day before receiving photo pit credentials – get in the fucking mosh pit and get as close to the stage as possible for some shots. THERE’S NO THREE-SONG RULE IN THE MOSH PIT! HA!
And yes, I was thinking I’d for sure get COVID in this crowd, but luckily did not!