REVIEW: Porno For Pyros, Tigercub at The Wellmont Theater | 03.10.2024

Porno For Pyros hit the road last month for the first time in 25 years. Billed as a “farewell” tour, the band’s 16-city trek kicked off on February 13th with a live-streamed performance in their hometown of Los Angeles, and came to a close this past Sunday at The Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ. 

For a band that’s planning to hang up their hats, Porno For Pyros still have an awful lot of creative juice left in the tank – if their new music and final performance in Jersey serve as any indicators. It would seem that this is more of a “maybe we’ll do it again, maybe we won’t” kind of goodbye; frontman Perry Farrell already indicated as much in a recent interview.

But while the question of whether the band have actually taken their final bow is up for debate, the quality of the performance that preceded that bow was undeniable. And what a fun show it was to shoot as well.

Notice something different? The photos are (mostly) in color. I'll explain why I finally made the leap into color on Dangit Bee! in a bit, but first let's talk about the show.

THE SHOW

UK-based trio and supporting act Tigercub were up first to warm up the crowd; and warm up the crowd they did. “Here it comes,” frontman and guitarist Jamie Hall said as the band’s opening tune, “Swoon” kicked off the evening. Hall knew what the crowd was in for a great time.

Tigercub delivered 40 minutes of pure rock and roll, the fans getting louder and rowdier with every song. The band's set got heavier too as it progressed, with songs like "The Perfume of Decay" in particular showcasing some killer riffs, exploding bass and kick drum punches.

Before the band closed with "Stop Beating on My Heart (Like a Bass Drum)," Jamie Hall took a moment to thank the crowd for showing up early, to acknowledge the road crew for all of their hard work, and to recognize that we were all about to experience Porno For Pyros' final performance. Hall hyped it enough to give me pause and wonder if perhaps this really was it for Porno For Pyros; the anticipation of their performance growing more in turn.

One by one, the members of Porno for Pyros took the stage. Bassist Mike Watt and drummer Stephen Perkins began the opening rhythm of "Orgasm," much to the crowd's delight. Guitarist Peter DiStefano glided a cello bow across the strings of his guitar to add ambient distorted textures. Perry Farrell, dressed like a prohibition-era gangster with wine bottle in hand, walked onto the stage with a big smile. He tipped his hat to the crowd, made a few adjustments to his mic, and then launched into the first verse.

When I say that The Wellmont Theater was packed for this show, I mean it was packed. It felt like there were more people in the building than the population of the town outside of it. The fans were ecstatic, many waiting decades for the opportunity to have this experience, and Porno For Pyros could feel that energy. They were soaking it up.

Porno For Pyro's 18-song setlist included both of their albums in near-entirety along with an Iggy and The Stooges cover and the band's newest single, "Agua," released late last year. Every track was played with passion and intensity, but it was clear the band was having a great time too. There were so many good vibes in the room that Perry Ferrell didn't want the night to end. "I just wish I knew everybody's name," Ferrell said to the crowd. "Just remember tonight – because we care, and we love you."

Porno For Pyros closed with "Tahitian Moon" before waving goodbye and sending the crowd out happily into the snow-flurried night. If this really is the end, the band put on one hell of a final show.

THE SHOOT

Upon my arrival to The Wellmont, I opened my bag to begin setting up my cameras for the evening. It was in that moment that I realized my 70-200mm lens was not in my bag but instead resting comfortably in a drawer in my apartment. Over an hour away. In another state. God fucking dammit.

This was not the start to the evening that I had in mind, and it took a while for the sting of absentmindedness to wear off. I'd need to rely entirely on my 24-70mm. This would not be a problem while I'm in the pit, but shooting from the house was no longer a meaningful option. I'd need to make those shots from the pit count.

Much to my delight, the lighting for both Tigercub and Porno For Pyros was plenty bright and not overly saturated. I was able to shoot both bands without much stress. By being limited to the 24-70mm lens, I think it made me use the lens in a more versatile way. I played with some new compositions and took my time framing them.

I also used manual focus when shooting the drummers, as the distance was sure to cause the autofocus to fixate on the toms or cymbals. This approach is something I should have been doing all along, but it took this predicament to bring me to that realization. A silver lining for sure.

The quality of the lighting mixed with the vibes produced by the colors had me torn once I pulled the photos into Lightroom. Should I really do all of these in black in white? Perhaps this was the right moment to start editing in color. A bit unceremoniously, that's exactly what I ended up doing. Dangit Bee! is officially now in color and black and white – unless I end up changing my mind later.

Why wasn't I always editing in color? Using the edits below as an example, I'm comfortable with the results but if I look at the photos for too long I start rattling off adjustments that I should have done. Black and white feels more finite whereas with color a few adjustments can change the image entirely. There are so many options – what if I go with the wrong one?

The truth is that it's not about there being a right edit or wrong edit. It all boils down to preference. And it can be hard to use color, given how loud color can be, when I'm not sure yet what I want to say. Or I may know exactly what I want to say, but have no idea how to "say it" by way of my edits. Black and white felt (and feels) safe. I know how to tell my story.

Color is an uphill but necessary battle, and I am finally willing to deal with the barrage of creative self-questioning if that's what it takes to find my voice in this medium.

So the journey begins.

TIGERCUB

PORNO FOR PYROS