Peter Corrigan - Photographer
My first camera was a Kodak Instamatic and my first attempt at concert photos was the Rolling Stones at the Palace Theater in Albany in 1965. Mind you an early and a late show, went to the early show my with my sister and some friends and snapped off one shot, at least that's all I've been able to find all these many years later.
My next big show was Beatles at Shea Stadium in 1966, from the upper deck way up over home plate. I took a few shots of the Fab Four on stage and in stroke of genius, asked my friends mom to borrow her binoculars. I snapped a shot with the binoculars as a makeshift telephoto lens. Alas my aim was off a bit, but not by much, and that must be when I got the bug. This is a straight on shot from the upper deck.
I seriously began taking concert photos in 1969, B.B. King at the Aerodrome in Schenectady, NY, and I took many photos at the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival in 1969, some of which are currently featured in Woodstock - Peace, Music & Memories by Brad Littleproud and Joanne Hague, a just released book commemorating the 40th anniversary Woodstock. I became a huge Grateful Dead fan, photographing them for the first time at the historic concert at the University of Rochester, 11/20/70, in the University basketball court (The Paleastra as it is known), the night the Jefferson Airplane played across town at the War Memorial and Jorma showed up after Midnight and the Dead and Jorma proceeded to jam into the wee hours of the morning. Saw them many times in 1971, two consecutive nights at Manhattan Center in New York City, at the Catholic Youth Center in Scranton, PA, and at a few other venues that slip my mind.
One of the most memorable shows for me was the Who at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in August 1971. I snuck my camera into SPAC, when the crowd rushed the stage when the Who came on I managed to sneak into one of the first two or three rows where a gentleman was kind enough to share his seat with me for the balance of the Who's set. Probably one of the most intense, loud concert I have ever attended, and I was thrilled to capture it on film.
After 1973 I stopped taking my camera to concerts, probably due to reserved seating and fewer venues that had general admission floor space where you could stake out a good location for photos. I managed to get a few shots of Marilyn Manson at the R.P.I. Fieldhouse in Troy, NY in February 1997 when I took my son John and some of his friends to the show, and John himself took the great shots of Elliott Smith at Higher Ground in Winooskie, VT in 2001.
Check out my new web site, Montreal Street Photos.com, that features the photos that I have taken in Montreal over the last decade.
Check my web site Watkins Glen Race Photos.com, that features photos that I took at Watkins Glen race course from 1974 to 1981 that includes incredible Formula One, Can-Am, and other cars of the period along with legendary drivers including Niki Lauda, Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, Al Unser, James Hunt, Clay Regazzoni, Tom Pryce, and other notable drivers.
Check out my street photo web site, dedicated to the street photos that have been my passion for the last forty years...
