Mike Petrello was a fan casually taking photos at a 1974 Genesis concert at the Allen Theater when one frame caught his eye. It pictured original lead singer Peter Gabriel in makeup and a silver suit, beside his guitarist and bassist, Mike Rutherford, playing a double-neck guitar as a smoke bomb went off.
“It had all the elements that you would want in a photo. It’s very theatrical and dramatic,” says Petrello, an Auburn resident who runs Mike Petrello Photography. “I thought, This is an art form I think I might be interested in pursuing.”
He worked at record stores, so he got connections for concert tickets and started shooting. From 1974 to 1983, he attended over 200 concerts, photographed over 100 bands and amassed a catalog of over 15,000 concert photos featuring over 50 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. See 400 of those photographs in his Rock Shots book, available on Amazon, eBay and Petrello’s website.
In the ‘70s and ‘80s, it was challenging to shoot film concert images in low light. But Petrello worked at a camera store, took photography classes, upgraded his camera equipment and developed photos in his home darkroom to sharpen his craft. The first Blossom Music Center concert he photographed was Linda Ronstadt, for her “Simple Dreams” tour in 1977. Petrello shares his stories of photographing the iconic venue, including some documenting the record-setting sold-out Michael Stanley Band shows in 1982.
“I didn’t realize how emotional you get at concerts. It’s hard to separate the emotion you feel at a live concert, the volume and everything that’s going on onstage, and then at the same time, trying to hold your camera steady and take a nice photo.
Through my different connections, I was able to get seats in the first several rows. That’s really where you want to be.
I shot … Moody Blues in ’81, and I had some really good seats there. I’ve seen them there three times. … Band members Justin Hayward, John Lodge, are some of my favorite guys.
I love the one of John Lodge. … He’s got curly hair, and the light is highlighting him from behind. If you look closely, he’s winking.
That shot was between songs. They had the lights up a little bit. Any time you get bright white lights, you gotta shoot. It was one of those nice moments when the band was just relaxing.
[Stanley] he’s the man in Northeast Ohio. His energy is almost Springsteen-ish. People that haven’t seen him really missed out on something special.
I got that shot of Michael looking right in the camera. You can’t say enough about that band. … The energy for the Michael Stanley Band concerts, there’s very few bands that put it out like him. … If somebody is doing a solo, everybody [would] be up on their feet like they were watching the Rolling Stones or something.
Just having that kind of venue is special. … It’s kind of like a festival concert, people mingling around, drinking and talking.
It’s out in the country. … It relaxes you as you’re entering the place. It’s unique. We’re lucky to have it.”
— as told to Kelly Petryszyn
mikepetrellophotography.com
Mike Petrello
Mike Petrello
Mike Petrello
Sprout Dickerson
