The Moment: Jazz Fest, April 30, 2006. It's the first Fest since the federal levee failures and flooding in New Orleans in 2005. Bruce Springsteen gets it - the pain, the broken hearts, the frustration, the need to heal and find hope in recovery. He delivers a stellar and moving set of music, and the crowd becomes one in spirit. During "City of Ruins" we were in tears with people around us as he sang 'with these hands...c'mon rise up'. He understood and connected, and it was one of the best concert moments I have ever experienced.
Looking back at my set of photos, I don't know why I didn't move to get the beer in hand out of my field of view. At the time I remember being so in the moment with everyone, but still wanting to get a shot of the scene. That dang beer can is in almost every shot, and if not that, it's tall men wearing hats creating a visual distraction. It may not have been THE shot without the 'beer can in hand', but it definitely would have been an improvement. How funny that this man didn't feel the urge to put the beer down. That's a Fest moment in itself.
I revisited these photos tonight looking for some good shots from past Jazz Fests. Nola.com is running a photo contest where you can win a pair of Fest tickets and a spot in the photo pit for Arcade Fire's appearance on 5/6. I was hoping to find at least one potential, and I remembered the hands and the moment...but not the beer can. Soooo, this will be the riveting lesson in making sure I move, no matter my emotional state or the number of children draping themselves across my body, and be aware to get the shot you want.
4.6.11, 12:10 AM
