FKJ - Red Rocks

My most recent all-access gig was working with FKJ (French Kiwi Juice), documenting his largest (to date) headlining event @ Red Rocks Amphitheater.

When doing coverage for bands, candidly you never know how the artist or MGMT will behave. You’re constantly thrust into situations with several unknown variables and people can often be brutal. I’ve heard several horror stories, though aside from minor frustrations, my experiences have been overwhelmingly positive so far.

Upon arriving to the event, I met with FKJ’s MGMT, who could not have been nicer. I sat with FKJ and talked to him about his goals for my photo coverage. The assignment he gave me for the show was “do your thing,” which is my favourite assignment to get.

FKJ and I talked for a bit about life, travel, and artistry before he headed out to prepare for the show. I’ve covered a lot of shows and interacted with many celebrities, and I can honestly say FKJ and his MGMT were some of the nicest / most welcoming people I have met behind the scenes.

FKJ’s set was fantastic, displaying his unique talent as an artist. Center stage were several instruments, including guitars, keyboards, synths, sequencers, and much more. Seamlessly, FKJ flowed between all of these inputs, performing in a unique/multi-faceted set. The skill needed to fulfill all of these functions (often playing multiple instruments simultaneously) cannot be understated.

Coupled with the absolutely jaw-dropping LED visuals behind FKJ - his set was truly unbelievable. At times I was taken out of my photo captures just to have a second to take in the environment.

The one assignment FKJ did give me was to capture some video if the moment was right. Towards the end of the set, a flurry of LED background landscapes flowed between different sets and settings. I instantly knew what I needed to do and flipped my settings to video. Below is a clip of that moment.

To give you perspective, every single song from the set had unique backgrounds exploring so much diverse subject matter. As I’m sure you can tell I couldn’t say enough positive things about this set.

This was one of the most intriguing sets I've seen all year, and I would highly recommend buying a ticket to his upcoming shows.