Our holy mother of The Midnight :: June 23, 2019

The Midnight performs at Upstate Concert Hall.

Well it’s been over a month since this concert, and I’ve not neglected this blog purposefully. I was on vacation for two weeks, and I spent the time I’ve had since my return by packing and moving my things from one house to another. That being said, I’m happy to finally be able to talk about this show and show the photos.

The Midnight is one of my favorite bands, and much like FM-84, they are one of the major players, if not the kingpin to the retrowave synthpop niche. For those who don’t know what kind of music that is, I’ll steal a paragraph from my last post:

There’s something about the way it completely steals me away, making me nostalgic for an era I never lived in. Retrowave is based in the sounds of the 1980s, particularly the distinctive sounds of the movie soundtracks and video games. The music swirls with synthesizers and whimsical lyrics that long for lost loves, lost days, or the vibrancy of a sunset. If I were to describe retrowave as a scene, well, let me set it for you. It is South Beach at sunset, the neon lights from the art deco buildings lighting up around you. The convertible top is down, the ocean breaking in the distance, the smells of salt and sand and Cuban food waft into your nose, and the ocean breeze is tousling your hair in the dwindling heat of the day.

The one thing that really separates The Midnight from their comrades in the genre is their use of saxophone. No, not some artificial synthesizer reproduction of a saxophone, but the real thing.

Okay, time to back up. Set your clocks back to March of 2018. It’s a Friday night, and I had driven down to Williamsburg, Brooklyn with a bunch of friends to finally see one of my favorite bands, The Midnight, play their first ever show in New York City. I snuck my one camera in, a lowly Canon T6s with the basic 50mm 1.8 STM. I started snapping photos and moved around the venue the more comfortable I became thinking that no one was going to stop me.

I started posting the photos on Instagram that night, and within a few days I had a private message from the band’s manager, Justin, asking if he could use them on the band’s page. I emailed them to Justin, and that began our working relationship that continued to a show in Philadelphia in October, and of course the one I’m writing about now.

So the moment I found out that The Midnight was coming to Albany, I shot Justin a text message playfully asking if the band was coming to Albany just for me. The show was set to be in Jupiter Hall, a small venue in our local mall. Now if we fast forward to just a few weeks before The Midnight was set to perform, I found out from my acquaintance Frank that Jupiter Hall was closing for good. Strange, because I was scheduled to see and photograph a show there in TWO weeks and I’d seen nor heard of any change of venue.

Confused and searching for denial or confirmation, I called the venue and was met with, “We’re closing for renovations next week.”

“But,”I began, “I’m seeing a show there in two weeks.”

“No you’re not,” she replied flatly, and hung up the phone. (Yes, this really happened).

I suppose the people working the venue had no reason to be kind to me since they no longer had any jobs (the venue was actually bought out by another company and being converted into another space altogether). Immediately I texted Justin, who had not been informed by Jupiter Hall that they were closing.

Well, the show did eventually get moved to Upstate Concert Hall, a venue that has much better lighting and sound systems, but it’s no secret how much I dislike the security staff there. I always feel like I’m bullied by them. Anyway, I sat and waited patiently in the area beside the pit. I spotted Nicole, the band’s tour photographer, and I introduced myself to her. We shared tips of the trade and kind words before the show started and we had to get down to business.

Halfway through the opener, a duo called Savoir Adore, I spotted a familiar face leaning up against the wall beside me. Justin! I was surprised because Justin had told me he wasn’t going to be there. But here he was. There was an exchange of warm hugs and salutations, and a conversation began.

As a relatively new and small photographer to the scene, there are some things that really just warm your innards and make you feel all fuzzy. One of those is having a band you really like share your photos on their social media (and like them in return), and another is being told you’re a great photographer by that band or their team. Justin did exactly that. He informed me that “Of course Tim [the production brains of the operation] knew who I was. He’s shared my photos, and they’re amazing.” Thank goodness for the colored lighting to obscure the embarrassed blush that spread across my face.

There was a point in the pit during the first three songs that I saw Tim recognize me. That distinct look of recognition. The upturning twitch of the corners of the mouth into a slight smile, the mild glint of panic, followed by the glint of relaxation in the eyes.

Thanks to Justin, I also got to be in the pit for the encore. This was a first for me, and I wasn’t about to let it go to waste. Being in the pit, I got to watch Tim bounce his drumsticks on the stage with a childlike amusement, and to see the confident strut of the saxophonist, Jesse Molloy, from up close. You also get the looks of pleasure and serenity from Tyler Lyle, the lead vocalist and guitarist, as he sings the power ballads, holding his microphone over the audience to allow them to help him carry the tune through the chorus.

Tim bounces his drumsticks on the stage.

There is something so ethereal about a moment like that. And by “that” I mean doing what you love, listening to a band you love, singing a song that takes you back to a specific moment in time, all while watching the joy of doing what they love play out across their features from no more than three feet away. It is moments like that which make up for all the frustrating security snafus, sweat-stained shirts, and dirty glances from audience members.

To top the night all off, I had brought some prints from the last show to have the band sign after the show. In the minutes after the encore performances had ended and the house lights had come on,and the staff was starting to mop away the evidence of spilled drinks, I was standing with the friends who had attended the show with me. Justin and Tim come parading past me, and Justin calls “Elissa, come with me!”

I followed the pair to a small table at the back, where Tim greeted me with a hug of familiarity. You know, not the one-armed awkward feeling obligated hugs he gives to fans, but the kind that radiated that same warmth I saw in the glint behind his eyes earlier in the evening when he spotted me in the pit. I mean, I could just be imagining all of that, but based on the evidence of the evening, I’m inclined to believe it was just as I described. After all, I did just get to skip the entire line of audience members who were waiting on the other side of the wall to meet the band.

Tim, a Dane, exchanged a few conversational words in the little Danish that I knew, and Tim graciously signed all of the prints I had brought while making mild conversation. At the same time as I was conversing with Tim, Justin brought the prints to the other side to make Tyler sign them. He emerged a few moments later with my prints, gleaming with the silvery wet ink of Tyler’s swooping script. With all signed, Tim offered up another hug.

I sought out Jesse to sign a print, and then stood in line with my friends while they waited to meet the band. Justin ushered me in with my friends, and we got a photo with Tyler and Tim.

From left to right: Tim McEwan, Me, Friends Tim and Cerisa, and Tyler

I wouldn’t say these little moments of interaction make me feel like I’m inner circle, because I’m not with this band, but they make me feel familiar and friendly. And they are the moments I will remember forever. And I can’t wait for the next show.

Set List:
Youth
Wave
Lost Boy
Gloria
Days of Thunder
The Boys of Summer
Nocturnal
Collateral
Shadows
Crystalline
The Comeback Kid
Vampires
America 2
Los Angeles
–
Lost & Found
Sunset