I recently joined the KTSW staff this semester as part of the multimedia team, and this was the my first big concert that I covered for them. I’ve never had an official press badge for any concert, but thanks to KTSW I was able to finally be in the front photo pit in a big venue in Austin, Texas. Even though I’ve never shot photos of a rock band before, I was up for the challenge.
Coming into the venue I didn’t know much about the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants besides knowing that they made the “Malcom in the Middle” and “Micky Mouse Clubhouse” theme songs and a song I know from my high school history class called “Istanbul.” After doing some research on the band I found out that the band consisted of the duo of John Flansburgh on rhythm guitar, and John Linnell on piano, sax and ukulele, featuring backing by Marty Beller on drums, Dan Miller on guitar and Danny Weinkauf on bass.
Even though the band has been around since the late ’80s, their support is still strong as the many late 20- to 40-year-olds filled the majority of the crowd. They Might Be Giants played a total of two sets that night, including songs from their early work, like “Particle Man,” to some off of their new album, I Like Fun. Flansburgh and Linnell were very great at entertaining and connecting with the crowd with old stories about their tours, stories about their songs, and making jokes about each other in between songs. I had a great time shooting at the show and seeing They Might Be Giants perform and hope to do more for KTSW as the year goes on. Feel free to check out some of my work @JPEG.io on Instagram.