The Drivers Era | Life in 360

Article and Blog by Chris Sturk

Lead singer Ross Lynch leaning over to get closer to fans while singing and performing. Captured on an Insta360 X2.

This was one of my all-time favorite experiences ever when covering a bands live performance and not only because the band sounded great but also due to the incredible kindness and professional courtesy the band showed when sharing my images from their performance to their Instagram by including f28’s actual Instagram account in their post. Not many bands, if any, will do that with most bands normally just copying the image they like then posting it to their page and tagging us in it, but the way this band did it really made me feel appreciated for my work while also showing love to the f28 team behind the image. It does make a huge difference when bands do this and wish more bands would share our coverage in this way.

Screen shot of the band sharing our post on their Instagram. At the time of this blog post the images have been liked 1,508 times, viewed over 4,000 time and shared 227 times.

Now, to be honest I had no idea who “The Driver Era” band was but learned quickly how much they are loved by their fans. When we put in coverage requests for some bands, we want to experience music we may not listen to or have heard before so we can share our experience with our viewers and subscribers around the world, and this was one of those cases. When I arrived at the venue, there was a very long line of fans standing back-to-back wrapped around the venue waiting for their turn to enter. I have photographed hundreds of bands at this venue over the years and have only seen a handful of instances where fans were wrapped around the venue just waiting to get in, so I knew right away this band must be good. When I entered the venue, I was talking with one of my friends who work there, and they informed me the show was sold out. The energy in the venue was exciting and you could see people just smiling and interacting with each other in a kind and friendly way. When my time came for me to enter the pit for the band’s performance the energy in the venue was intense but in a good way. I looked at one of my friends who works in the pit and we both gave each other this “holy shit, everyone is screaming so loud!” look while laughing in amazement at what we are experiencing. I remember turning around looking at some of the fans in complete shock because I was unaware people could be that loud. One girl looked directly at me and shook her head while jumping up and down and the band had not even hit the stage yet! I will say, it is always so much fun to see fans that excited about a band they love and support, it is a cool thing to see up close.

When the band hit the stage they came out ready to perform. Each band member engaged with the crowd and even with me while embracing us as photographers. It was great to see that because we as professional photographers want to capture these once in a lifetime moments not only for the music fans but for the band members themselves. It only takes one image to tell a story, one image to show the energy and exactment of a bands performance and I push myself to try and capture that image every time of cover a band. I had a great time covering their performance and I became a fan of them after that night. I look forward to hopefully covering them again in the future. The Driver Era is a 360 moment I will never forget.

Editor in Chief Chris Sturk