Got the artist’s approval to shoot them at their next show but was never able to get in contact with their management. With less than a week and still no contact, my photo classmates and professor suggested showing up and just trying to make my way in. Getting the artists OK is cool and all but I feel like management has all the control and final say. Has anyone just showed up and smooth-talked their way into shooting a show?
I used to do this a lot at a medium sized venue. They changed ownership and got a lot tighter on these sort of things. But I usually reached out to bands however I could, social media, email if available, whatever. They’d say yes, I’d reply asking them to make sure I’m on the list at the door. Then no problem. There was 1 time I wasn’t on the list, I showed the message from the band giving me the OK to the security guard at the door and he hesitated but let me in.
It’s worth a try, but don’t expect anything. If you’re going to the show anyway, just have a plan for storing your gear if you’re denied.