If you have ever snapped a photo on your phone at a concert, you know how hard it can be to truly capture the energy and essence of a live musical performance. For “Thank You, Good Night: Concert Photography,” the newest exhibition from the Great Park Gallery in Irvine, Adam Sabolick was hoping to do just that.
“My goal was for people to come into the exhibition and immediately be able to reflect on their own experiences seeing live music and how live music brings people together,” said the curator and arts program coordinator for the city of Irvine.
Open through Dec. 29, “Thank You, Good Night” features the concert photography of a diverse group of photographers capturing musical artists from the 1960s to today in performances that span sold-out stadium concerts to intimate acoustic sets in tiny venues.
“I really wanted to cover a wide range of genres and scenes in music that go beyond my own personal interest in music, and that required making sure we had a big group show. There are about 20 photographers represented here,” said Sabolick. “It was important to represent the range of experiences people could have.”
The work of renowned photographers like Rita Carmo, Ralph Hulett, Bod Gruen and Christie Goodwin are among those included in the exhibition.
Hulett’s image of Patti Smith taken at the California Theater in San Diego in 1978 captures the rock icon as a young woman, in what appears to be a softer moment under warm light. Nearby, Mick Jagger and Bruce Springsteen grip their microphones and lean toward each other like dueling dance partners in a photo from 2014’s “Rock in Rio” show, captured by Carmo. A football-jersey-clad Chappell Roan appears in a photo by Georgia Lingerfelt near a photo of Cage the Elephant playing a SXSW house party in 2016, with lead singer Matt Shultz screaming into the audience that crowds around him under a string of Christmas lights by Heather Hawke.
A shot by Goodwin of Celine Dion’s back, with the ruffles of her elaborate gown trailing behind her as she ascends the stage in Hyde Park in London in 2019 is a powerful moment that also demonstrates the diva’s vulnerability.
Goodwin began her career in editorial photography shooting fashion, but after shooting a friend’s band, she found herself getting more and more opportunities in the music industry.
“Thank You, Good Night” at the Great Park Gallery in Irvine features the concert photography of Christie Goodwin.
(Yubo Dong / Studio Photography)
In a recent phone interview with TimesOC from London, where she is between tours, Goodwin said concert photography doesn’t always get the respect it deserves, especially for how challenging it can be.
“With fashion and editorial photography you have control; in music photography you have no control, zero,” she said. “Music photography is not taken seriously, and it is one of the hardest disciplines, and it doesn’t get the credit for what it is.”
Shooting rock stars might seems like a glamorous job, but Goodwin said she is often in the line of fire and has been drenched in beer, kicked by stray crowd surfers and once was hit in the head by the guitar of Slash, the guitarist for Guns N’ Roses, while he was touring with his solo project in Brixton.
“I saw everything double,” she recalls. “He is rocking and I am shooting below and he bent forward too far and accidentally hit my head with the neck of the guitar.”
Goodwin said music photography is important work, because the images carry the history of the past, like the iconic images of Jimi Hendrix lighting his guitar on fire.
“We remember things by looking at pictures. We remember history by looking at pictures. Pictures are such an important tool,” said Goodwin.
Katy Perry at Odyssey Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 2014 by Christie Goodwin
(Christie Goodwin)
Another image by Goodwin in the exhibition features Katy Perry in a colorful ball gown adorned with fireworks, her arms outstretched as she belts into the mic and pyrotechnics explode behind her in mesmerizing reds and purples in an image viewers can practically hear. Getting the shot in 2014 while the pop star was on tour in Ireland was bit of a surprise, Goodwin shared.
Katy Perry’s pyrotechnics were held up in customs, and they rehearsed without them, giving Goodwin hardly any clue about how bright they would be. She knew Perry’s team wanted a photo of her performing her hit song “Firework” for promotional materials, so she learned the song lyrics to time it just right.
“I sang along with her because I had to click on the word ‘fire’ in the word ‘firework,’ but really you have to go a microsecond before the ‘F’ to get the picture because once you see it, it’s gone.”
Goodwin said she walked back stage with no idea what she captured.
“I call that a lucky shot,” said Goodwin.
“Thank You, Good Night” gives concert photographers their due treating photographers like the artists they are and their work as art.
On Dec. 14, the Great Park Gallery will host a special event called “Concert Posters & Song Request” where attendees can request a song and make their very own concert poster using provided supplies.
Sabolick said he wants people to feel inspired to visit the exhibition and leave with a renewed desire to see live music.
“I really hope this exhibition makes people go buy a ticket, go see a show, get together with friends and savor those moments,” said Sabolick.
The Great Park Gallery is located at 8000 Great Park Blvd. in Irvine and is open from noon to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free.