Death Grips @ Agora (8/2/23)
When I was approved to shoot Death Grips I was surprised to learn there would be no opener for the show. Just Death Grips playing exactly an hour and a half after doors. This would only be the first unique aspect of the night, as I would later learn that nothing about a Death Grips performance is "normal". I'm familiar with Death Grips music, I love their 2012 album The Money Store, but going into the show I was not familiar with Death Grips lore or their fan base. When I got to Agora Wednesday night I was surprised to see the venue packed full. The show was almost completely sold out and the theatre felt like it, once inside. This tour is the first time Death Grips have played shows since 2019, and Agora was packed with eager fans that were ready to get rowdy.
At 9:30 on the nose the house lights dimmed and faint red floor lights illuminated the stage. Death Grips came out to a screaming crowd and immediately started playing their song "System Blower", followed by fan favorite (and my favorite) "I've Seen Footage", then "Spread Eagle Cross the Block". Vocalist, Stefan Burnett, has such a unique stage presence. No verbal interaction with the crowd at all, but the way he moves his body while performing feels even more intimate. At moments it felt like he was completely possessed by the words that were coming out of him. Along with the vague lighting that only illuminated him from the back, the performance felt like something so much more abstract than shows I'm used to covering. It felt like the absence of what was being shown left room for the audience to just listen to the music and be present. Also in the band are members, Zach Hill on drums, and Andy Morin on keyboard/guitar. While slightly more illuminated than Stefan their performance was similarly punchy, impactful, and mysterious.
During the show I couldn't help but think of all the "technical" photographers that I've met. The ones that won't go above ISO 800. The ones that strive for the sharpest image possible. The ones that need the perfect lighting. This show would've totally derailed those guys because it broke every rule. The house lights were on the floor. They only shined monochromatic red. There was no front facing lights, besides the occasional flash from someone's phone in the front row of the audience. From a photographers standpoint, this is a show you're never going to be able to get those technically solid photos, the lighting conditions just weren't built for that. I shot on my 50mm 1.4 lens the entire night and got so many shots that were out of focus , blurry, underexposed, ect. But I got to try to capture a performance unlike any other, and I got to try something new. I think my experience shooting the show is a good mirror of Death Grips as an act as well. If you only enjoy technically sound music and traditional show experiences, you're not going to have a fun time at their show. But if you open yourself up to just living within the current experience, taking it for what it is, you'll be surprised at what you'll find and how much fun you can have.
I've never seen another show like this on such a big stage, and I don't think I will again, until the next time I see Death Grips.
Photos and words by Shelly Duncan
