The Bravery - Rites of Spring

New Linkin Park Logo
Originally uploaded by Harsh J

I always thoroughly enjoy Linkin Park from the fans perspective. Granted that they are my favorite band. Cheering and screaming and singing along with the crazed fanatics on the lawn of the heavily packed and heated amphitheatre always makes it an amazing night for me. I will say that much. However, the bill just didn't do it for me. It was great being exposed to newer music, for me at least and seeing the Chris Cornell grace the stage for the first time in my life but when I go to see Linkin Park, I would expect to see acts I'm more familiar with. I made a few new friends and hung out with a couple old. I enjoyed acts such as Street Drum Corps, The Bravery, Ashes Divide, Armor for Sleep and a few other mentionables but the night always ends well with the band they all paid to see. I didn't exactly pay to see but still.

From a photographers perspective, I am greedy. I have been doing this for too long. I expect way too much from the performers. I crave leaps, intense shredding, microphone stand kicks, all of the theatrics that a band should bring to the stage. I sleep during the boring paces back and forth while the mic serves as a helmet for your mouth, shielding any camera from even catching a full glimpse of the singer's face. It is irritating and aggravating. I expected more from all of the performers on Sunday night and all of them seemed to have failed and let me down. Linkin Park put up this little bleacher type thing preventing me, the shortest photographer in the photo pit, from snagging even one good photo of the front man, Chester Bennington. And while, I was completely thankful to live this dream all over again almost a year later, I was still disappointed in the lack of performance they give.

Their set was much shorter and I am almost positive only about two songs performed were NOT singles which disappointed me yet again. I am well aware that they are one of the biggest bands in the world as well as in music and have enough singles to make another record or a greatest hits album, I still expected them to play something for us die hards who thrive on their music and listen to their music to overcome daily obstacles in life. However, I will not say my experience was in vain as it always ends on a perfect note and I leave happier than I came. Something that rarely, if at all, happens.

BY THE WAY, THIS WILL BE MY FIRST TATTOO.