Madison Square Garden Empty Arena Photos Of A Famous Concert Venue

February 23, 2024

During the summer of 2023, I had the opportunity for a quick trip to New York City, my sixth. I took my nephew on a sightseeing trip to some of NYC’s most iconic locations. Near the top of that list for me, a concert photographer and concert lover, was touring Madison Square Garden. This is the most famous venue in the world, and I had to photograph it. On this tour, there were only about 10 of us, so there was no problem photographing the venue. My intention is to always photograph empty venues. This gives a true sense of what the venue looks like.

Madison Square Garden Empty Concert Venue Photos New York City

The Madison Square Garden tour guide took us around the inside of the venue and gave us tons of information. He showed us the ring of photos that show 365 historic events that occurred there, one per day. We got to sit in the press and see the locker rooms of the Rangers and the Knicks. For the sports fans on the tour, that was a highlight. For me, there was something much better to come. While it is cool to see locker rooms and training facilities, I prefer other things.

Madison Square Garden Tour High Point

This was a great tour of the history of MSG but the real high point for me was being able to be on the arena floor with almost no one else in the building. As a concert photographer, I love the musicians and music. I also love getting behind the scenes in these venues such as MSG. When we walked down to the floor, we were free to photograph as we pleased. Usually, venues with stage setups don’t allow tours, so I was surprised that we were let in with Phish in town. I was even more amazed when we stood just feet away on the floor of MSG—the same floor where countless famous musicians have performed.

There was a stage set up at one end for the 6-night residency of Phish. So yeah, the floor was empty of people but had a stage. That was great for me. I was really glad there was no basketball court or hockey ice which would be there at other parts of the year. Madison Square Garden is home to the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers.

In 2022 I had taken my wife to open night of the Harry Styles residency at Madison Square Garden. It was a life-changing concert and ignited my love of this venue. I was very excited in 2023 to revisit it. Next on my must-do list is to photograph a concert here.

Madison Square Garden Before A Sold Out Harry Styles Concert In Manhattan

In August 2022 I took my wife on our fifth trip to New York City. This trip was a birthday surprise to see the Harry Styles concert opening night at Madison Square Garden. While we spent a few nights in the West Village, we did plenty of sightseeing. Here are some photos of Madison Square Garden’s exterior taken from Moynihan Train Hall.

I am a Dayton Ohio based travel photographer.

The feeling outside and inside was electric with anticipation as we (and 20000 others) streamed into Madison Square Garden for the sold-out Harry Styles concert in Manhattan. This was the opening night for the MSG residency, and it was about to be epic.

As a concert photographer and lover of concerts, I was equally excited to see this venue. The historic structure passed by thousands of commuters per day in Manhattan is a testament to the enduring appeal of music and the power of live performances and sports. The Knicks and the Rangers both call MSG home.

Inside, the mood was bubbly, with everyone eagerly awaiting their British pop star and former One Direction member. They were dressed in Harry Styles t-shirts and their homemade posters much like Swifties, fans of Taylor Swift. I was not dressed up, in case you were wondering.

As a warm-up for the crowd, the stage crew played the most famous One Direction song, and every single person in this arena sang along. I have never seen this at a concert before this one. It was about to be the most amazing night.

As the lights dimmed and Harry Styles took the stage, the crowd figuratively exploded. In my 30 years of concerts, I have never felt a singular energy like I did this night. It was truly unbelievable!