I was waiting all day for it.  Ever since I saw them at SXSW I couldn’t wait to shoot Monotonix again.  My editor at the Voice told me the one band I had to shoot was Monotonix and I couldn’t wait.  I had sat through a bunch of bands that while were reasonably enjoyable were pretty boring live.  I knew Monotonix was going to fix that.  When I made it back over to the Stillwell stage from shooting the Raveonettes on the Main stage Monotonix had already started playing.  Despite the fact that I was working for the Village Voice, who are the main sponsor of the damn festival, the security guard would not let me back into the press area.  I was pretty fucking livid.  I tried to call my editor and tried to find someone backstage that could help but it was to no avail.  That is when I just took off running.  I ran all the way down the block until I got to the end of the gates which would let me into the crowd.  I then ran through as much crowd as I could, darting and pushing my way towards Monotonix who were somewhere in a sea of people.  I spotted the drummer and started shooting while being tackled by crowds.  My years of shooting punk bands came in handy and I managed to get a couple shots.  I started looking for their singer, when all of a sudden he arose in the air in front of me on a drum.  I was right under him and started shooting these crazy shots of him going nuts on the drum held above the crowd.  Peoples hands kept getting in my shot so I decided to embrace it and I sank deep beneath the waves of sweaty concert goers.  I used the hands in the shot. What seemed like hours later I realized I needed to get back over to the Main Stage for Built To Spill.  On my way out I shot some long zoom shots of the band who were all playing while being shuttled around the crowd in the air.  I just wish I was back in the crowd.  I think I got some epic shots though.  The irony is that all the photographers who were in the press area had to shoot from the stage and got nothing but zoom shots until Monotonix made the entire crowd sit down Indian style.  What the fuck.  Those guys are so awesome, and I still have no idea what they sound like.

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