Concerts Festivals Merriweather Post Pavilion

Kid Cudi @ MTV Ulalume Festival

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Last Friday MTV taped their Halloween special, christened the Ulalume Festival, a week early.  Kid Cudi, Dead By Sunrise, AFI and Paramore played a concert to a wet but enthusiastic crowd at Merriweather Post Pavilion and yours truly was on hand to cover the event for the Washington Post.

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Rapper Kid Cudi was the night’s opening act and did a good job getting the crowd to forget about the crappy weather.  He’s a bit laid back on stage compared to other hip hop artists, but he’s still fun to shoot because he smiles a lot, and moves around the stage quite a bit.  Plus, no hat! That’s generally a big annoyance when shooting a rapper, especially when you’re not allowed to use a flash.

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I shot this gig with my 1Ds Mk II with a 24-70/2.8 attached and also my 40D with a Tamron 17-50/2.8.  I had my 70-200/2.8 with me as well, but the stage is so low at Merriweather that I generally don’t need it, especially for acts that like to use the front of the stage.

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Overall, lighting was good for the most part, at least until Paramore’s set.  But more on that later. If you like these photos and want to buy a print, check out my online shop.

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2 Comments

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    Tweets that mention Photos of Kid Cudi at MTV's Ulalume Festival | photokyle.com >> The Photography of Kyle Gustafson -- Topsy.com
    October 26, 2009 at 7:23 pm

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by kgustafson, Monica Watson. Monica Watson said: RT @kgustafson: [Photos] Kid Cudi @ MTV’s Ulalume Festival http://bit.ly/1poGgt […]

  • Reply
    Tracy
    November 22, 2009 at 11:55 pm

    Great photos Kyle. I had the opportunity to photograph Public Enemy last week at Lisner Auditorium, it was indeed a treat. I can see why you love concert photography. Keep the posts coming, I’m learning a lot.

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