To face the facts: concert photography is slowly creeping towards a culture shock. A DSLR used to be a rare item to own and thanks to the plaid-wearing interns at Google, it may be phased out in favour of tech-heavy eyewear or the same pocket device you use to send Snapchats with. It’s hard to ignore such a reality – especially when art students and their BFFS have already begun taking over music halls, outdoor fests, and your favourite DIY spot that they think is “OMG, so posh” – but as most know, photographs give birth to memories that are handcrafted with precision and ingenuity. This year alone, our rag tag group of inventive photogs followed the code and managed to get visual portraits of close to 250 artists. They covered everything from indie soul to rowdy hip-hop sets to knee-caving punk shows that leave you worn and ecstatic. With that, we present to you The Best Live Photos Of 2013.
For more visual ecstasy, keep tabs on Joel Pilotte, Jeff Filman, Jen Schenkel, Sean Wilkin, Julia Marcello, Katie Maz, Riley Taylor, and Amanda Fotes.
ALT-J at Echo Beach (Toronto, ON)
ARCTIC MONKEYS at Kool Haus (Toronto, ON)
A$AP FERG at SXSW 2013 (Austin, TX)
AUSTRA at RBC Bluesfest (Ottawa, ON)
BIRDS IN ROW at Waiting Room (Buffalo, NY)
BRAND NEW at Riot Fest (Chicago, IL)
THE BRONX at Kool Haus (Toronto, ON)
DEATH GRIPS at RBC Bluesfest (Ottawa, ON)
DEFTONES at Kool Haus (Toronto, ON)
DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN at Sound Academy (Toronto, ON)
EARL SWEATSHIRT at Grove Music Fest (Toronto, ON)
ELLIE GOULDING at Osheaga 2013 (Montreal, QC)
EVERY TIME I DIE at London Music Hall (London, ON)
FALL OUT BOY at Sound Academy (Toronto, ON)
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM at Grove Music Fest (Toronto, ON)
GRIZZLY BEAR at Echo Beach (Toronto, ON)
HUNDREDTH at London Music Hall (London, ON)
JAMES BLAKE at Kool Haus (Toronto, ON)
JENNY OWEN YOUNGS at Lee’s Palace (Toronto, ON)
JIMMY EAT WORLD at Butler’s Barracks (Niagara-On-The-Lake, ON)
KENDRICK LAMAR at SXSW 2013 (Austin, TX)
KITTEN at Sound Academy (Toronto, ON)
LOCAL NATIVES at Kool Haus (Toronto, ON)
MACKLEMORE at SXSW 2013 (Austin, TX)
THE MENZINGERS at Danforth Music Hall (Toronto, ON)
METALLICA at Orion Music + More (Detroit, MI)
METRIC at Butler’s Barracks (Niagara-On-The-Lake, ON)
MEWITHOUTYOU at Lee’s Palace (Toronto, ON)
MOON KING at Wrongbar (Toronto, ON)
NATIVE at Parts & Labour (Toronto, ON)
CROWD at Osheaga 2013 (Montreal, QC)
PARAMORE at SXSW 2013 (Austin, TX)
PIANOS BECOME THE TEETH at HARD LUCK BAR (Toronto, ON)
PISSED JEANS at Pitchfork Music Fest (Chicago, IL)
R. KELLY at Pitchfork Music Fest (Chicago, IL)
SINGLE MOTHERS at Riot Fest (Toronto, ON)
TITLE FIGHT at Virgin Mobile Mod Club (Toronto, ON)
TRASH TALK at SXSW 2013 (Austin, TX)
TWENTY ONE PILOTS at SXSW 2013 (Austin, TX)
THE WEAKERTHANS at Riot Fest (Toronto, ON)
WEEZER at RBC Bluesfest (Ottawa, ON)
