The Empress of Soul

What does one say about a legend? Well after a career that spans 51 years, garnering 22 Grammy nominations that produced 7 wins, how about "Wow! You still look and sound fabulous"? At 73 years of age Gladys Knight does not seem to have lost any of her talent, charm or stage presence. The Empress of Soul was engaging, funny and energetic throughout her set and her voice seemed as powerful as ever. The singer of such R&B classics as "I heard it Though the Grapevine" and "Midnight Train to Georgia" moved effortlessly throughout the evening from one hit to the next to the obvious delight of a very receptive audience.
Usually concert photographers hate being relegated to the soundboard. Distance often creates an energetic disconnect between artist and shooter, a lack of intimacy that most certainly can show in the captured images. Fortunately the house at the Lawrenceburg Event Center is not particularly large and the soundboard is well within the reach of my 200-400mm lens. In many ways i believe my position at the boards for this show presented the better perspective for a change, especially since my focus was mainly on a single performer.  

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All Photos ©David Sorcher 2017

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Welcome to My Nightmare!

Of course, in the macabre musical fantasy world of Alice Cooper one's nightmares can easily transform into dreams come true. Let me tell you why. This isn't my first time photographing this legendary band, but it might be the best of them. Yes, that's right, this 69 year old consummate showman just seems to get better every single time and he's been doing this for the past 48 years. Still building his stage act upon horror and carnival themes begun in the 1970s Cooper seems to be continually honing and refining his over-the-top funhouse presentation. He brings Halloween to the stage every night, weaving tales of gleeful terror as the spidermaster in a three-ring circus of guillotines, electric chairs, fake blood and baby doll corpses. But it is more than the mere artifice and spectacle that draws the fans. It's even more than the incredibly talented crew of musicians that he surrounds himself with (Nita Strauss, Ryan Roxie, Chuck Garric, Tommy Henriksen and Glen Sobel), musicians who throw themselves with complete and unbridled abandon into Cooper's fast-paced choreography of hard rockin' storytelling. Some might initially see all this extravagance as a distraction from the music and dismiss Cooper as a gimmick act meant to hide the weakness of the band's material, but at the heart of it all is a rich catalog of solid and complex song smithing that meshes perfectly with Alice's strong, raspy voice and his tales-from-the-crypt appearance. Of all the many bands i have shot over the last two decades Alice Cooper stands head and shoulders above the rest. I literally came out of this pit whooping and blowing kisses at the band members in gratitude, riding an adrenalin high that seemed to last for at least the next hour. Yes ladies and gentleman, THIS is a Rock n' Roll show!

(please click on images for an enlarged gallery view)

All Photos ©David Sorcher 2017