Hordes of people flocked to Commonwealth Stadium on a very rainy Sunday night to catch the notorious rock 'n rollers, A.K.A the infamous thunder from down under, AC/DC, as they bashed their way into Edmonton, Alberta on the Rock Or Bust tour. Despite the foul weather, Edmonton's die-hard AC/DC fans of all ages were not phased, as thousands of people could be seen bundled up in rain ponchos with umbrellas in hand and smiles on their faces.

Upon entering the arena, the butterflies in my stomach began to go nuts. This was my first time shooting a show of this magnitude, and I felt like I was in some sort of perfect dream. This was a huge deal for me! Not only seeing, but photographing AC/DC has been on my must-see/shoot bucket-list for years, and finally getting to cross them off of the mile-long list feels pretty surreal.

Kicking off their explosive performance with the title track off of their newest album, Rock or Bust, AC/DC electrified Commonwealth Stadium with a hefty 20 song set, packed with tracks spanning across their incredible 42 year career. Fans could be heard singing along to their favorite songs from blocks away, as the fireworks and cannons of the stage show could equally be seen. With every note that would burst from the amps, the audience would respond with a roar, cheering and singing along to their favorite parts of their favorite AC/DC songs.

Being surrounded by such and overwhelming abundance of positive energy of this degree was amazing, to say the least. The rain couldn't dampen the mood in Commonwealth Stadium, even if it was pouring buckets. All the while, seeing rock 'n roll gods still young at heart; running around and having a total blast on stage, performing to an audience in awe, is truly something magical that's much too sacred to put into words. So on that note, keep on rockin' AC/DC, I salute you!

Shooting press photos has to be one of my most favorite things about being a music photographer. I love being able to connect with the artists on a personal level, as well as catching them in a completely natural state, and making them look like total bad-asses while at it. Plus, hanging out with cool people is always a bonus. After coming home from Armstrong Metalfest, I was scheduled to work with local rockers, Sleep Demon. When hearing a few of their tunes on SoundCloud, I was way too excited to get this shoot underway.

Upon arriving at the location the band chose to work in, I was surprised to find a stellar old hearse in the garage. Immediately, the gears in my head started turning for cool shots with this rad vehicle. I had the guys climbing all over and inside of the old Cadillac, and I think we managed to get some pretty cool snaps. During the Sleep Demon photo shoot, I spotted an old car just across the alley from the garage, and me being a bit of a gear head and a sucker for old cars, I NEEDED to use it in the shoot. So, the guys walked over and knocked on the neighbors door. The neighbor was delighted to have us work with his Buick, and was kind enough to snap a few behind the scenes shots of me working with the guys.

For the following overall favorite shots, I used my trusty Canon 6D and a Canon 600 EX-RT speedlite, but alternated between using artificial and natural light, as well as a few different reflectors and camera/flash settings to achieve the desired look of these snaps. While in post, I tried to stay true the that gritty, 35mm monochrome film, rock 'n roll look that you'd find in a 1970 copy of Rolling Stone magazine. But alas, I had very colourful people to work with, so letting out the 'true colours' of these smiley dudes and their surroundings was totally necessary... Including that jump shot ;)

Photo by John Power

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AC/DC Brings High Voltage Performance to Edmonton - September 20, 2015

Behind the Scenes - Press Photoshoot with Sleep Demon - July 22, 2015