IN FLAMES AT SONY HALL IN NEW YORK CITY
Whenever you get to see a musician or band you enjoy live in concert, it is a time of happiness and excitement. How about the opportunity to see that musician or band several times within a year? That is something I had the privilege of experiencing with In Flames as I got to see them multiple times during the 2019 calendar year!
This show took place at Sony Hall in New York City. The place was packed with fans both old and new. Red was the opening act for them and they knew exactly what to do to get this crowd going. The hype that was built as the crowd waited for In Flames to take the stage was surely causing tremors on the streets above!
Tanner Wayne (drums) made his way out to his throne and got the crowd screaming even louder. Bryce Paul (bass), Anders Fridén (vocals), Björn Gelotte (lead guitar), and Chris Broderick (guitar) all followed and made their way to the front of the stage. This tour was in support for their latest album I, The Mask. As many OG fans were hoping for In Flames to play some older tunes, NYC was lucky enough to get a mix of both. As In Flames would apologize at past shows and explain why they wouldn’t be playing many of their older tunes, this certainly was not the case for us NYC fans! As always, In Flames has one hell of a lighting show. Mix that with their massive stage presence and interaction with the fans, and we had ourselves one amazing show.
Anders is always giving fist pumps and high fiving fan as they fly over the crowd while crowd surfing. One lucky fan had a bit of a different experience. Anders reached over and grabbed their cell phone as they were recording him. He took the phone and not only sang in to it, but walked around the stage to all his band mates as they all rocked out to this lucky fan’s video/post. It really makes a show unique and special when someone from the band connects with a fan in such a way! At one point I made my way to stage right. I positioned myself on an angle to capture a shot of Tanner while playing. I was lucky enough to have Tanner catch me in the act and show the camera some love! Yet again proving just how in tune these guys are with the people that are there both shooting and watching them perform.
I have been lucky enough to see In Flames in concert a dozen times now. Being able to shoot them several times is a blessing in itself. The shows are always high energy and pure craziness. This show was just that and more! From the intense guitar and drum solos to Anders engaging with the crowd, they really made yet another show in NYC simply unforgettable.