Long time no see ! Really happy to be able to see Sabaton at Place bell. I can not remember the last time Sabaton came to Montreal. And what I showed in the crowd. People were crazy and the vibe in Place Bell was amazing. Sabaton delivered an amazing show with great lighting and even fire (you know I love fire on stage right ?).
Sabaton was not alone, they were supported by Epica, another band that I love. If you wonder when was the last time I saw Epica ? It was my last show just before Covid starts. A pleasure to photograph them on stage even after those two complicated years.
Epica
Sabaton
Photographer’s corner
From a photographer’s point of view there is some things to say regarding this tour.
Sabaton is playing with barbed wire on the front of the stage (do not worry it will not hurt you), this is making things a bit complicated on high stage like the one at Place Bell. Because of that, you need to find ways to put your lens through the wire for wide-angle shot, or you need to play with the wire in your frame so it end up not ruining your shot.
Sad part is that it must be complicated to set up. So this is installed even for the opener. So we also had to shoot Epica through those wires… Anyway, just be prepared for that.
Epica gave a great show and their lighting is really nice. So it is not that hard to shoot. One thing is that the musicians are moving a lot and fast. They are also interacting a lot with each other. So be aware of the different moves, you could end up with really nice shots of them! They also like to interact with the photographer in the pit or the crowd, making some faces, or moves just for you. Be prepared ! I really like when the band does that.
I need to thank Sabaton as they are one of the rare bands to allow you to shoot during the whole show (at least in their last shows in Montreal we always had the whole show). For this one we had the first three songs from the pit, as usual, then the whole show from the back.
It is nice as the band has a lot of different lighting setups, different assets on screen, and changing costumes (and not just Joakim Brodén). They also have fire setups (I love it !). For those, things are a bit different from Shinedown for example. There will be fire almost all of the show, but it will mostly bit small shots of fire compared to the super big flames that were for Shinedown.
Also be prepared for the entrance of the band, as there should be fireworks! I was in a bad position when it fired, a mic stand in front of Joakim that kind ruin my shot.
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Thank Thorium Mag, who allowed me to get to Place Bell to shoot the event.
Let me know what you think about the photos!
You can find the rest of the gallery here.
For a full review of the show (in French) byt the amazing Albert, you can find it here¸.
Have a good day.