Back to the Fargodome
The Fargodome.
I hadn’t been back to this venue since The Offspring rolled through in February of this year, and this time around, I remembered to bring cash for parking. Or at least, I thought I needed to.
To my surprise, the Fargodome now has card readers for parking. Progress!
The downside? Parking has doubled from $5 to $10 in just six months. You win some, you lose some.
But parking prices weren’t the reason I made the trip back to Fargo. I was there for the next stop on the Dance, Kid, Dance Act II tour, and this time, I had the unique opportunity to photograph a tour I had already covered just three months earlier.
That doesn’t happen very often.
A Second Chance at the Same Tour
When a tour has geographically close dates, the stops are usually scheduled close together, which can make it difficult to cover the same tour twice. You might have a Sioux Falls date followed by Minneapolis, Omaha, or another nearby market only days later. That makes traveling back and forth for another show pretty difficult.
This tour was different.
I photographed Dance, Kid, Dance Act II previously when it came through Sioux Falls in May. Three months later, the tour made its way to Fargo, giving me another opportunity to experience the same production while also bringing a new opening act along for the ride.
And there was another familiar face waiting for me when I arrived.
Sarah, the Fargodome correspondent who assists with escorting photographers to and from our assigned locations, was once again absolutely top notch. Having someone who knows the venue, understands the media process, and makes getting where you need to go easy is something I never take for granted.
The setup itself also gave me a slight advantage over the Sioux Falls show.
While the Fargodome feels larger width wise, the arena is actually shorter length wise than the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. That means front of house, where we were positioned for the night, is noticeably closer to the stage.
And what does closer mean for a photographer?
Better faces.
More expressions.
More detail.
More personal shots.
Being just a little closer allowed me to capture some images that felt more intimate and in your face, something I always appreciate when I’m working from a front of house position.
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From Ashes to New Brings the Energy
First to the stage was the newest addition to this leg of the tour, From Ashes to New.
This was my third time seeing the band live.
The first was when they opened for P.O.D. back in 2021. The second came in 2023 when they opened for In This Moment. And now, three years later, I was seeing them again as part of this tour.
One thing was immediately obvious. These guys have only gotten stronger.
There are some opening bands where the first three songs, which are typically the only songs photographers are allowed to shoot from the pit or designated photo position, can feel like a challenge. You’re trying to figure out lighting, positioning, movement, and composition while also trying to make sure you don’t miss anything.
From Ashes to New made that especially difficult.
Not because they weren’t giving me anything to photograph.
Because they were giving me too much.
The three song photo window featured “My Disease,” “Nightmare,” and “Heartache.”
Three straight bangers.
Three songs that made me want to put the camera down and just sing along.
That’s the strange balance of concert photography. You can be standing there watching a band you enjoy, but instead of experiencing the show like everyone else, you’re constantly thinking about shutter speed, lighting, angles, movement, and where the next moment is going to happen.
And yet, those are also the moments that make the photographs more memorable.
When I look back at the photos from this set, I know exactly what songs they represent. The energy of those tracks translates directly into the images.
And the band brought that energy in abundance.
Matt and Danny played off each other incredibly well, feeding off one another while keeping the crowd engaged. The entire band seemed determined to make sure nobody in that building was going to sit quietly through their set.
They took an opening slot and made it feel like the final act of the evening.
That’s not an easy thing to do.
The crowd was moving, the energy was high, and by the time they finished, everyone was warmed up and ready for what came next.
Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better opener for this leg of the tour.
After seeing them three times now, I genuinely hope I get another opportunity to photograph From Ashes to New again.
Coheed & Cambria: A Familiar Voice
Next came what many people have referred to as the co headliner of this tour, Coheed & Cambria.
It’s still wild to think that just a few months ago, I had never seen this band live.
Now I’ve seen them twice in three months.
What a blessing.
The Fargodome offered another advantage when it came to photographing the band. The lighting on Claudio Sanchez seemed noticeably better than it had been in Sioux Falls, giving me more opportunities to capture his face and expressions.
And then there was the front of house setup itself.
The railing positioned in front of us is similar to the kind of railing you would find along the barricade at the stage. That meant I could step up slightly above the crowd and change my perspective.
Sometimes, getting just a few inches higher is enough to completely change a photograph.
Claudio’s voice remains one of the most recognizable in rock.
There’s something about it that immediately identifies a Coheed & Cambria song. You could put Claudio’s voice in a lineup with a dozen other singers and I genuinely think fans would be able to pick him out almost instantly.
And then there was Josh Eppard.
The drummer was his usual animated self, which made it almost impossible not to find myself focusing my lens on him whenever he was in position for a shot.
The set itself did feel a little more restrained than I remembered from Sioux Falls.
The band still sounded great, but the energy from the crowd seemed to settle down a bit. There wasn’t quite as much movement throughout the set, and the audience seemed content to watch rather than completely lose themselves in the performance.
That changed with the final song. “Welcome Home.”
As soon as that iconic opening riff hit, everything changed.
Claudio came out sporting his traditional double axe, and suddenly the entire band seemed to find another gear.
For the first time during the set, members were moving all over the stage. They utilized the catwalk, jumped off different parts of the stage, and even pulled out some impressive guitar theatrics, including playing behind the head.
After a set that had felt somewhat restrained from a movement standpoint, it was the perfect way to finish.
It felt like a true finale.
And more importantly, it left the crowd with the energy needed for the band everyone had been waiting for.
Shinedown Takes Over Fargo
While we waited for Shinedown to take the stage, Sarah shared a pretty cool piece of information.
This show marked Shinedown’s sixth time headlining the Fargodome.
And it was their biggest turnout yet.
That alone says something about the relationship between this band and its audience.
There was even a fun little story behind the bands delayed start. The Fargodome had prepared a gift for the band to celebrate the accomplishment, but the presentation apparently went a little longer than expected, causing the set to start slightly late.
Honestly, I don’t think anyone in the building was going to complain.
The other advantage of covering the same tour twice is that you get to remember what’s coming.
Not in a spoiler kind of way. More in a photographer’s way.
You remember where the big moments happened. You remember when the lights changed. You remember when the pyro hit. You remember which member tends to move where.
And this time, I felt like I was able to take full advantage of that knowledge.
When Shinedown finally took the stage, I was ready.
The Missing Bassist
One of the first things you noticed was that someone was missing.
Eric Bass, Shinedown’s longtime bassist, was absent from this leg of the tour after announcing earlier this year that he would step away to focus on his mental health and treatment.
I sincerely wish Eric the best and hope that he’s able to take the time he needs.
There’s always something strange about seeing a band without one of its longtime members, especially when you’ve become accustomed to seeing the same lineup over the years.
But the show had to go on.
And Shinedown made sure it did.
Lights, Pyro, and Fireworks, Oh My!
Shinedown came out with what was easily the most pyro and fireworks I’ve ever seen during an opening three song photo window.
And from a photography standpoint?
It was glorious.
From the first moments of the set, Brent Smith and Zach Meyers were everywhere.
Running across the catwalks.
Engaging with the crowd.
Moving from one side of the stage to the other.
Feeding off the energy of thousands of people in the Fargodome.
The show felt less like a concert and more like an experience.
This is one of those moments where the three song photo limit can be both a blessing and a curse. You have three songs to capture everything, and with a production this large, there’s always something happening somewhere.
By the time my three songs were finished, I was exhausted.
And for the first time in a while, I seriously considered leaving immediately.
Not because the show wasn’t good.
Quite the opposite.
I had a three and a half hour drive ahead of me.
At that point, the practical part of my brain was saying, “You have work tomorrow. Go home.”
Thankfully, I ignored it.
The Fan Interaction I Almost Missed
I headed back to my seat. And boy, am I glad I did.
While Brent was in the middle of a monologue, drummer Barry Kerch suddenly ran off the stage and into the crowd.
He made his way over to a fan in my section, gave them a drumstick, and took a selfie with them before heading back toward the stage.
I have absolutely no idea what sparked the interaction.
But that’s exactly what made it so cool.
It wasn’t some massive planned production moment.
It was a band member seeing a fan and deciding to make their night.
That kind of interaction can mean more to someone than any pyro or lighting effect ever could.
And it was a great reminder that, even in an arena packed with thousands of people, these artists can still find ways to make individual fans feel seen.
Three Six Five, Devil, and an Explosive Exit
The songs that followed continued to deliver visually.
One of my favorite production elements involved several disco balls placed throughout the venue, reflecting light from one to another before eventually leading toward a massive disco ball positioned above center stage.
Then came “Three Six Five.”
The enormous disco ball became the centerpiece of the moment, filling the arena with reflections and adding an entirely different visual atmosphere to the performance.
And then there was “Devil.”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much indoor fireworks packed into one song.
The verses featured fireworks erupting throughout the production, eventually melting into pyro during the chorus.
It was ridiculous. In the best possible way.
The kind of production where you almost forget you’re watching a concert because you’re watching an entire visual spectacle unfold around you.
And that was where I finally had to call it a night.
Afterglow
Leaving when I did meant I got home around 1:15 a.m. My alarm went off at 5:00 a.m.
So yes, the next day was rough.
Three hours and forty five minutes of sleep after driving three and a half hours home from Fargo isn’t exactly the recipe for feeling refreshed at your day job.
But honestly?
The lack of sleep was worth it.
There’re some nights where the exhaustion feels like a mistake.
This wasn’t one of them.
Getting the opportunity to photograph Dance, Kid, Dance Act II for a second time was special on its own. Getting to see how the production looked in another venue, with a different opening act and a different photo position, made it even more worthwhile.
From Ashes to New brought the aggression and energy.
Coheed & Cambria brought the sci-fi storytelling, Claudio’s unmistakable voice, and a finale that reminded everyone why “Welcome Home” is such an iconic song.
And then Shinedown brought the spectacle.
Pyro.
Fireworks.
Disco balls.
Catwalks.
Fan interactions.
Big personalities.
And the kind of production that makes an arena show feel like cinema.
The combination made for an incredible night.
If you haven’t seen Dance, Kid, Dance Act II yet, there are still several dates ahead for the tour. If the opportunity presents itself, take the time to go.
Just maybe check your work schedule first.
And bring an extra coffee for the next morning.
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