Sooooooo. This time, I will not talk about a day or a special event. Nope. I’ll just show one of my photographical habit. I’ve got several, publishing more than weekly some snaps is helping, I started creating collection, about stupid stuff, about repetiting stuff, about the idea of everything seems the same but is so different. Of course i’ll cross this habit more often when it comes to Music, here it is… crowd.. yeah.. just crowd. More over actually just the chance I have sometimes to be at some spot where some of this crowd would like to be. And that is just a deadly feeling.

Of course, people are not looking at me, but sometimes, I’m really like « in front of them », and honestly, what a view that can be. Thousands of people, waiting on someone or something, just here for an artist, for a song, for a moment to share and love. That were you see there is different types of Crowd. Let’s start with an easy one, the quiet one. The one that will not interfer whatsoever, no clapping, no moving, no hands in the air. A crowd, in communion with the music, appreciating.

Then come the crowd that is more into it, that will clap, that will raise the arms, to a spanish wave, that will follow the singer that is waving the hands.. you know.. we’ve all done it, we’ve all liked it, arms to have an idea of ocean of people, feeling, happiness and moment that is never

Congrats to those who actually spotted me taking the snap ahah, there not usually a lot of people looking at the camera, but I could definitely spot a few up to you to find them ahah

The crowd is also a « i wanna touche the sky, let me touch heaven and hammer this beat so that i will never forget this moment ». I’m also like that, we all are, to physically live the experience and the music, to dance, giggle, move, anything that will express this feeling of just being well, and seizing the moment. And that is always a nice thing to remember, how much the crowd needs to get involved for the gig to be more than just « ok », luckily for me, in Belgium, crowd is great, honestly, responsive, loving music, happy, partying. Close as heaven as never. And i got a few gigs were i could say so…

My favorite as to be Arno in the Couleur Cafe Festival this summer. Singin « les filles du bord de mer », he asked everyone to raise their hands, 18 000 people  immediately did so. What a view, what a feeling. He’s a Belgian singing icon, saw him back in Les Ardentes Festival in 08, didn’t know much, learned to know, discovered a talented fellow who’s struggling with life, and a Belgian Crowd who was there for him, waiting for this moments along with two other of his classics songs. And as expected. I had a blast without knowing the 1st time I saw him. Now that I know. It’s just absolutely awesome, especially when ur the only photographer up there bc they were all somewhere else doing god knows what. My little own private moment of communion, of being happy to be there, from this year that changed a lot, that might stop as quickly as it started, but damn, what a great thing that leaves you speechless, and wirth the hours of lack of sleep, the physical fatigue after all of that. Right now i’m just happy, and kinda proud. The best way is to see it larger by clicking here to realise how this could have felt.

In the crowd, you also have got to go with the crowd surfer. This lad (oftenly, way more dangerous for a woman, saw some during the « Les cowboys fringants » concert tho) surfing on the crowd, sometimes the singer, sometimes just someone from the crowd. Never tried (who said « too heavy of course dude ».. yeah well)… i might someday, just to get snaps from up there ahah… I remember the singer from Dionysos crowd surfing to get to the other side to finish the song, i remember having someone almost falling on me in another crowd, i remember this lady under heavy substance in the Venetian Snare gig going on stage, diving, without anyone ready to catch her. That probably hurts a lot. She didn’t seemed to care ahah ^^

I sometimes just look at details, of people being above everyone on someone’s shoulder. We also all remember singing along in the crowd (confession : loved doin’ so on Hey there Delihlah, on open your eyes, on Let Love Rule, on Take Me Out, on La Ouache and so on). Those kind of moments is what makes concert so special as well.

In the end, the most important is actually who’s next to you in the crowd, i like going alone to concert, i like having some friends with me, i like to have special occasion where some friends come to concerts, and so many things to share afterwards, some lyrics, some moments, some moves, some look, some gesture. Crowds are great. Being in it is awesome. Living for it and as one for more than an hour, being a nobody in a bigger moving and loving body. I certainly never said enough to those around me in some concerts how much it was great to live that moment together. Consider this as the « i wish i should have told you so when we were there »

The best way to see all those clichés in a reasonable size is to go and see the album of almost 200 shots on Flickr as usual

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Tom waits -I Hope that I don’t fall in love with you- ♫ « Well I hope that I dont fall in love with you/ cause falling in love just makes me blue,/ Well the music plays and you display/ Your heart for me to see,/ I had a beer and now I hear you/ Calling out for me/ And I hope that I dont fall in love with you. » ♫