Tommy James – BergenPac, Englewood, NJ 11-22-25
The last concert I shot was 22 months ago, when I photographed ……………..Tommy James.
What can I say? I like his shows, they’re nearby, and his manager (and now wife – as of 4-5-25) is someone I’ve known since the ‘70s when she did publicity – and gave me photo passes – for bands like KISS and others.
This was a 7pm show with no opening act and I was to meet my friends Eric Leefe and John Auli in the lobby at 6:15, so we could go upstairs to the dressing room and do pre-show photos with Tommy.
I got there a little late because the highway I take to get there (Rt. 4) was jam-packed-stopped-dead and I had to take all side streets through Teaneck and Englewood. Fortunately, I’ve lived in both towns and knew my way, so I wasn’t TOO late.
I picked up my ticket and photo pass at the box office (click to enlarge):
……..and we waited in the lobby for someone to come down and get us because security wouldn’t let us go up there without backstage passes. I told the security guy that I was supposed to do photos with Tommy and showed him my photo pass, but what worked 22 months ago, didn’t this time and it was getting too close to showtime, so seeing Tommy before the show didn’t happen.
The security guy started giving me orders about where I could shoot in the house and I stopped him:
“I know the routine – I’ve shot here many times before”.
He gave me a dirty look and walked away.
John and Eric went to their seats, which were in a handicapped section to accommodate Eric’s wheelchair. They were in the last row of the far right corner of the orchestra – 32 rows from the stage. This is a difficult place for Eric because the audience stands up a lot during the show and he’s not able to do that, so he can’t see most of the show.
My ticket was in the next section over, on the aisle, 20 rows from the stage.
Here’s the seating plan:
The green, red and purple sections are X’d-out because they’re upstairs and the blue section is the orchestra. You can see where the stage is.
My seat’s circled in red and John and Eric’s location is circled in green. I never got to sit in my seat because I was shooting from the corners nearest the stage (where “BL1” and “BL2” are).
Note “Door to Stage” near BL1. Previously, I had used that to alternate between shots from the wings and near the stage. I thought that the hard-ass security guy would never let me use that door.
Suddenly, he comes down that orchestra side aisle to talk to the security person assigned to that stage corner. As soon as he turned his back to me, I bolted through that stage door and found an empty chair near where the band gathers before they go on. Thankfully, he didn’t follow me.
Here’s a phone shot I took from my chair in the wings that shows the stage and a bit of the audience (and where Tommy enters the stage):
There were still about 10 minutes before showtime. Some band members drifted in from the elevator they took from the second-floor dressing rooms.
Suddenly, I saw Carol and Tommy a few feet behind me. I stood up. Carol saw me and came right over with a nice hug and kind words about all the photo blog posts I send her. She always writes such nice things about them. I told her I thought she was my biggest fan.
Tommy joined us and Carol introduced me (again). Hey, it’s only been 22 months since the first time and Tommy’s only met 50 bazillion people since then.
I reminded him that he knew my name well because Eric Leefe’s father – Bob Leefe – was Tommy’s recording engineer for many of his hits (he also recorded Elvis’ “Jailhouse Rock” and many of HIS hits, plus dozens of hits by many early music luminaries – and that’s why Bob Leefe is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame…………where Tommy should also be).
A minute or two later, Tommy and Carol were standing together checking out a couple of band members already on stage. I walked over there and asked if I could shoot a quickie of them with my phone.
“VERY quickly”, said Tommy.
Here it is (half-lit by the stage lights):
Tommy hits the stage and straps up:
The last time, I couldn’t get any good shots of the drummer or the keyboards guys from the house, so I took a couple from the side while I was still in the wings:
That last one may be one of the best wings shots I’ve ever taken.
But wings shots get old very quickly because of the limited side angle, so it’s off to that near corner by the stage, where I only took 3 shots:
Why only 3 shots?
Because most of what I shot 22 months ago was taken from that corner and I was already getting bored with the same angles/shots, so I walked around the orchestra to the BL2 corner, where I shot the rest of the show.
Here are a dozen “shots” that actually contain 18 separate images. Some of the pairings contain similar, opposite or connective images that I noticed and found interesting (your reaction may vary):
But I still had 4 unconnected images. This was the only way to connect them that I could think of:
- LABORed breathing:
- “IT’S A BOY!”
- “CONGRATULATIONS!”
- “He’s also the father!”
Yikes! I’m afraid to ask who the mother is!
Lastly, I have to photographically address Tommy’s sashay through the audience (while the band plays on).
The best camera for this is my iPhone.
I’m on one side of the orchestra and Tommy starts out on the other, so I had to wait a while. Meanwhile, all sorts of people on my side are pushing through the front aisle to get over to Tommy’s side. I guess they don’t know that he’ll make his way over here eventually.
When he got to the middle of the front aisle, I started inching forward because I could then see what he was doing and I could just hold my phone up high and let its auto-everything take over:
As he got near to my original position (where the second stage door – his escape – was), some guy seems to have his attention exclusively.
These 3 pix were taken with that stage door open, but Tommy seems to be enjoying the conversation. In the bottom of the 3 shots, someone from either the house or Tommy’s stage crew, seems to want Tommy to come in and finish the song (as does the audience……………and the band):
Finally, the show ends and the audience files out. Time to take two iPhone PANO shots of the house from both my BL2 position and from the other side, under the mezzanine and balcony seats:
This was a GREAT show and I’ll be happy to come out of retirement to shoot it again when I’m 97.
Final note: apologies to Eric and John…………I meant to take a picture of them at the show to make up for the less-than-stellar one I took at the same venue the last time Tommy played here. Here’s that on-stage picture:
This means you’ll HAVE to play BergenPac again soon, Tommy.
Meanwhile, thanks for this show.
Looks like a great time after the problems in the beginning. ❤️