Pearl Jam’s 2024 Concert At Ruoff Music Center Noblesville Indiana

Seeing Pearl Jam In Concert

During the summer of 2024, I finally got to see Pearl Jam (my favorite band) in concert for the second time.  The Ruoff Music Center (Noblesville, Indiana) concert was a make-up for the postponed 2023 show.  The show was sold-out and was outstanding.  The only other time I have seen this Seattle grunge bad was 20 years ago in Cincinnati.

Why I Am Glad I Didn’t Photograph The Band

Pearl Jam is at the top of my must-photograph list.  For 2024’s concert, I was on the request list with my main publication, CityBeat Cincinnati.  Our request to shoot the show was submitted to LiveNation (Ruoff), but we were denied.  Of course, I was disappointed.  However, once the show began, I was happy I wasn’t shooting the show.  I had a ticket, and it was an amazing show.  The first three songs were all back-lit with a giant white backdrop, making photography nearly impossible.  Once the first three songs were done, the lights came up and beautifully lit the band.  I would have been photographing the first three and would have been upset with the intentionally poor lighting.

Once I submit my request to CityBeat, I have to wait until two weeks prior to the concert.  Around 2 weeks out, the editor will submit the photographer to the venue for approval.  Between submission and the concert date, the venue works with the publicist, manager, tour manager, or band to approve or deny the photography requests for a specific show.  Occasionally, a week in advance, I am notified of approval or denial.  Normally, the day before the show, I get confirmation that I will be shooting the show.  This is the approval process that nearly all concert photographers experience.