Freddy Vette and The Commodore Orchestra

I was recently invited to shoot Freddy Vette playing with the legendary Commodores Orchestra at The Empire theatre. I’ve never shot at the Empire before, and wasn’t sure what to expect because there was really no space at the front of the stage for photography. But Freddy gave me full access including back stage, so I knew I could get some interesting images.

Before the show started, I spent some time backstage getting photos of the stage and the instruments before the band hit the stage. I also took the time to get used to where I could and couldn’t go back there so that when they were playing I wouldn’t accidentally wander out on stage or crash into a trombone side stage!

The show was also being recorded and there were several video cameras setup in the theatre so I had to be careful not to get into their shots as well. So for the first I stayed front stage and shot from the isles. At one point I noticed an empty seat front row centre, so I between songs I snuck in and asked if it was taken. The gentlemen said his wife had to step out for a minute, and I was welcome to sit and take some photos, so I took him up on the offer and spent a few songs in the seat before taking off, so as not to wear out my welcome! But it was much appreciated and allowed me to get some photos that I would have otherwise never gotten.

For the second set, the video cameras were put away, so I headed backstage and shot from a perspective I don’t often get to see. it’s always quite interesting to get some photos from the bands perspective and to include the crowd and lighting.

All in all, it was an amazing experience and everyone had an great time enjoying Freddy do his thing.

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