So it’s not too often that one gets to photograph someone like Matisyahu. Well I should say it’s not too often someone like me, gets to. Anyway, it was sometime last year that I got the word that I could show up to the Matisyahu show at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach and photograph the concert. I was super stoked, free passes to get in and a press pass on top of that. My only frame of reference for photographing concerts had been various hardcore shows that I would go to, my friend’s bands when they played small venues and a few shows at the Music Farm. So needless to say this was huge!! The House of Blues, if you have not been there, is an awesome rustic looking barn planted at Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach. A tourist’s dream that Barefoot Landing is, because of all the random touristy beach-y things you can shop for…but isn’t all of Myrtle Beach like that? You step inside of the HOB and you immediately feel like you’ve stepped into another world—perhaps a blues bar in Louisiana—because that’s quite what it feels like. It’s just got this way of making you feel like you can forget about anything else happening in your life at that moment and just have fun for a few hours. I suppose that’s by design. Either way, I feel like that when I am there and I enjoy the atmosphere. So we watched the openers play…eh. When it was finally time for Matisyahu, I was super pumped but a little antsy. I was told to go stand by the side of the stage and once the show started I could photograph the first three songs from the pit and then I could go backstage and photograph the rest of the show. Backstage??? Wha?!?! Okay so yeah, I was a little excited. Growing up I had been to the HOB several times and often thought—how cool it would be to get to photograph a show there and go backstage—so yeah a silly youngster dream of mine was coming true that evening. Immediately my first thought while standing side stage was, how in the world do you photograph an act when the stage is higher than your head? Yes, that stage is super high. If you’re in the front row there you are looking up the whole time. If you’re in the press pit it’s even worse. It’s a super tight spot with not a lot of room to move, but I made it happen along with about 3 other photographers there for various reasons. Good thing I brought my ultra wide lens with me. The first three songs played and Matisyahu was awesome as ever. This was my first time seeing him and from what my friends told me, that were there with me, they’d seen better of him. For me, the show was great. Getting to go backstage was even better! That stage is huge! By the time the last song played it was decided that it would be a good time to pull some people onstage to dance. It was a wild night. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves as to how the show went.

Oh and if you’ve never heard any of Matisyahu‘s music, check him out it’s good stuff.

As always feel free to check out my website: www.jeannemitchu.com