Melissa, Teresa, Adam and I met around 11 am to pack my car, run errands and mob to the Gorge. We made a few stops along the way to take in the scenery, stretch our legs and take photos. As always, Adam is such a sport with three girls.
We arrived at the campsite around 2, set up our spot and made the campground rounds. I ran into at least twenty friends who came from around the Northwest to enjoy the show. Before we knew it, we needed to change and head to the venue. The show was about to start!
Initially we posted up at the top of the hill, but when it comes to concerts I tend to take matters into my own hands. I ran into my friend Bobby, where we sized up the situation and weaseled our way into the ground level. One of the guards kicked me out and threatened to take away my camera. Not cool, but undeterred I looked for a solution. I went to another entrance and started snapping pics over the fence. A group of people noticed my camera and offered to help me over the fence because “with a camera like that you need to be closer!”
I hopped the fence and bolted when I felt a hand grab my shoulder. One of the guards asked me why I just hopped the fence. I gave him some story about friends having my media pass, needing photos for my website, etc. and he let me go. Boom! That’s how it’s done folks. From there, I crept forward row by row, until I made it to the 14th row in time for the encore.
I about died while taking photos. Hearing “Use Somebody” literally gave me goosebumps. Kings of Leon 25 feet away from me and I’m snapping some seriously amazing photos. Thank goodness for my Nikon D60 and a 300mm lens. In a matter of minutes I took almost 300 pictures!
Somehow I ran into Bobby again after the concert and we used our internal GPS to get us back to the campsite. I honestly have no idea how we found our spot, but thankfully we did. Teresa and I wandered the campsite in search of some killer night shots. Teresa carried my tripod and we approached the largest RV we could find. She asked the owner, a 25-year-old in a viking hat with a glowing lava lamp cup, if we could climb to the top of the RV to take some night photos. Excited, and probably drunk, Josh said we could. I climbed up the ladder, took a breath and absorbed the scenery. Thousands of cars packed the campsite. Stars sparkled unlike anything I’ve seen. Someone lit off a mortar while I snapped my shot. This is the Gorge. There is no other place like it in the world.
We woke up early thanks to sunshine and a roasting hot tent. Watching the line of cars creep out the campsite, we laid low, ate breakfast and packed our car. Driving home it sunk in that we actually heard Kings of Leon live. What an experience. The band sounded spectacular live. I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world. The Gorge is something you can’t put into words. The music, the people and the atmosphere make for a truly priceless experience.
If you haven’t been to the Gorge, it is something you must put on your Bucket List. Also, if you haven’t heard of Kings of Leon I encourage you to check out their music on iTunes. They are a truly talented group of guys and their music has something for everyone.
Who went to Kings of Leon? Have you been to the Gorge? Thoughts on the venue, bands, etc.?
♥ BB
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