How NOT to Run a Concert

The following is a rant. No pics, just griping. Feel free to ignore if you wish.
I've been shooting the GwarBQ for 3 years now. This past one will probably be my last. I don't know who is the ultimate organizer of it, but I'm going to list several ways they managed to hose it up

(1) Send out confirmation, months in advance, that you are approved. When arrived, claim they lost the paperwork. Left me standing around looking like an idiot. Thankfully I had proof I was supposed to be there.
(2) Let anyone who can buy a media pass, into the press pit. This ensures that I merely have to deal with 50+ people with cell phones, point and shoots, and selfie sticks all vying for space that has been reduced by the presence of burly bouncers, instead of the usual 5.
(3) Rather than sorting these 50+ people into groups (pros first, amateurs next, joe random last) so we can each get good positions and pictures, shove everyone in like cattle, and let them fight it out, thus guaranteeing no one gets a good shot
(4) Ensure you have tons of burly bouncers taking up the good spots. Instruct them not to move one inch. Ensure they interfere with the photographers as much as possible. I can't tell you the number of hands that were *intentionally* placed in my shots.
(5) Reduce the size of the press pit by 30%. Couple this with (2) and (3) guarantees a crappy experience.
(6) Don't forget the 3 song rule. Expand this to include the lead singer talking to the audience for more than 30 seconds, so you get ~5 minutes to fight with (2), (3) (4) and (5) for two songs. Brilliant!

Seriously, I've been shooting concerts for many years now and this was, hands down, the worst experience I've encountered to date. If I didn't know better, I'd swear it was designed this way on purpose. I don't know what the reasoning behind this was, but damn guys, clean up your act!

Absolute Total Chaos

 This band needs no introductions. But on the outside chance you don't know who they are, it's Gwar, with their new lead singer, Blothar. It was Gwar's 30th anniversary and as always, they put on an incredible show. While Oderus, their original singer, had to go back to his home planet, Blothar seems to be an acceptable substitute. 

Gwar's shows are always a mass of chaos, and everyone in the audience gets sprayed liberally with fake blood and other fluids. Photographers are especially vulnerable and many of them will cover their cameras in plastic bags. Personally I think that being exposed, lends an element of danger to the whole thing, knowing that at any time, one could get a face full of goo. 

I used, for this event, my new Olympus OM-D E-M5 and it performed flawlessly. It was certainly much much lighter and at the of the ten hour concert (there were 20 bands in play) I didn't feel worn out.  It also helps the camera is listed as "splashproof" so I was not worried. I'd given my assistant my D2x to use and she took a full on blast from one of the many stage props. But the D2x is also built to take it, so no worries there either. 

Wintertime Catchup

Now that cooler weather has shone up, my photography has slowed down enough for me to catch up with the *summer* pics from the GwarBQ. The press pit was packed to the gills to the point I could not move, so having to stake out a position and shoot from there means the pics all have the same angle to them, sorry about that but I never expected the sheer mass of photographers for this.

In any event, for your consideration is the bass player and lead guitarist for the mighty Gwar. 

All Hail The Freaks

Gone, but never forgotten.

Go Dave, hit the stars, break the mold.