Through Our Lenses

Through our Lenses:

5 NYC Photographers on the Most Memorable Shows They Shot in 2024

by Tori Spadaro Weintraub 

Set against a backdrop of the huge names and mega tours of the year, and fans who are more willing than ever to drop everything (namely: cash) to fly to other countries to catch a show, it’s exhilarating to see similar energy surges trickling all the way down to the small indie bands and electronic/dance artists fueling the NYC music scene. The more I immersed myself in the music photography community, the more apparent it became that there’s something very special happening right now in New York.

In a recent conversation about this, I was asked, “What was the best show you shot this year?” As I reflected, my life as a photographer flashed before me; memories of photo pits, bouncing crowds, green room portraits, guitar solos, encores, artists creating their breakthrough moments, me breaking a sweat running up and down venue staircases, perpetually (and somewhat nervously) lugging my camera bag through the city, film drop-offs, dollar slices, 3am editing sessions, and many, many trains.

As I considered the question (more seriously than the asker bargained for) I began to wonder how other photographers in my circle and the greater New York City photography community would answer.

So, I asked four other NYC photographers to name the most memorable shows they shot in 2024.

I asked them to share what it was about these shows that made them feel like they couldn’t get that SD card in their laptop quickly enough, or had them in a mad rush to get their film developed. I was blown away by their enthusiasm. Practically overnight, I received personal narratives and amazing images that transported me to those magic moments they each hold in their memory. For some, it was an especially unique or unconventional setting that made it unforgettable; for others, the performance itself. Here are their answers... and my own.

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Tori Spadaro Weintraub (@tor__rae)

The Dare, Webster Hall, 9/5/24

Out for 2025: people determined to hate on The Dare. 

Very rarely, you find yourself in the middle of a show, struck with the realization that you’re witnessing an artist becoming themselves. You realize that years down the line, you might find yourself saying “I was there…”  

I was there for Harrison’s sold-out album release show at Webster Hall. I was up front. I had tried to get a photopass. I failed. I snuck my camera in. I stood alone. I let myself lose it. I felt the floorboards bouncing up and down beneath my feet and my hair getting pulled out from the shoulder to shoulder jumping sea of fans enveloping me. It was a weekday. And I was there. 

It all seemed too big for the room. It felt like The Dare had outgrown Webster Hall before he had even played it. He brought all the electronic tracks he’s known for to life, and gracefully displayed his dynamic range in slowing to an intimate and powerful performance of “Elevation.” The highlight for me came when Harrison crowd-surfed near the end of the show. I genuinely found myself likening the sight before me to videos of early Beatlemania, in that the degree of star power had grown at a rate aggressively disproportionate to the level of physical accessibility. I watched as fans screamed and shoved closer in a frenzied attempt to get a hand on the man.

This was easily the most electrifying and fun to watch performance I’d experienced in years. Being that The Dare is in fact, not a band, but one single person, that’s no small feat. This was the first live performance of his that most of the crowd had seen, and therefore, it was a test. Many had gone into the night ambivalent, but by the end of the night, there was a consensus that Harrison had not only solidified his status as someone who “deserves to be here,” but as a musical force to be reckoned with. And he’s just getting started. 

Remi Wolf, Kings Theater, 9/30/24-10/2/24

What does one say about Remi Wolf? Where to begin? The range! The artistry! The flexibility! Peeled back, Remi is a powerhouse; a mega talented vocalist and performer whose three consecutive sold out Brooklyn shows along the Big Ideas Tour were among my all time favorites. 

Remi’s unique ability to connect with a crowd is to be recognized for its brilliance. She began the night by requesting that each of the 3250 people standing before her grant themselves permission to fully escape into the music; that we forget anything weighing us down, even just for a few hours, and that we commit then and there to “having the best f*cking night our lives.” As if all this wasn’t enough, the venue was the exquisite, architecturally stunning King’s Theater. You couldn’t help but to look up in awe when the lights illuminated the upper levels, packed to the brim with singing fans. I felt inspired just being there. Remi pranced, ran, and skipped across the stage for hours, flaunting seemingly endless energy and a rockstar bravado comparable to that of Freddie Mercury.

Photos and narrative by Tori Spadaro Weintraub (@tor__rae) 

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Amanda Laferriere (@ajpgphoto) 

Del Water Gap, Madison Square Garden, June 13th and 14th, 2024

This was actually my first NY show as a resident and it was my first time ever even being at Madison Square Garden. We had this show just a few weeks into our summer tour supporting Niall Horan. This was the biggest tour any of us had done and getting to check MSG off together was really so special. The whole tour really was so surreal but the two nights here really stood out. Had so many wow moments just looking around the room - I started shooting shows in backyards 10 years ago so getting to do a show in one of the most legendary rooms with people who are so important to me was really a big moment. I had also just moved to the city maybe a month prior to this show - To be able to say that my first show as a NY resident was at Madison Square Garden is still so crazy to me. I’ve been working with Del Water Gap for a little over a year now and genuinely love working with him and his whole team so much - Really can’t put into words how much it means that this show was what it was.

Photos and narrative by Amanda Laferriere (@ajpgphoto) 

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Matt Weinberger (@mweinbergerr)

Charli XCX, Boiler Room at 99 Scott, 2/22/24

Charli XCX: pre-brat summer, just as her global phenomenon energy was building up and the whole world was falling in love. 

In many ways, this night felt like the primer being laid out before the spark of the best drop led to the explosion of epicness that Charli brought out to the world.

Photos and narrative by Matt Weinberger (@mweinbergerr)

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Tommy Krause (@_tommykrause_)

Pan Arcadia, show in an abandoned church, 9/26/24

This shoot with Pan Arcadia at an abandoned church in the Lower East Side was truly unforgettable. Known for their rising prominence in Brooklyn’s music scene, with three tours and features in outlets like WFUV and Clash Magazine, the band created a DIY show that radiated authenticity and energy.

The venue—a weathered church with peeling walls and an ornate dome—added a striking backdrop to an already unique experience. Fans began the night seated in pews, enjoying free beer and homemade wine, but the atmosphere soon shifted as everyone abandoned their seats to join the band in a euphoric sing-along at the altar. The crowd, composed of fellow musicians and devoted fans, fostered a tight-knit, familial vibe, blurring the line between performer and audience.

The evening was an electrifying fusion of art, community, and raw emotion—a perfect reflection of Pan Arcadia’s spirit.

Photos and narrative by Tommy Krause (@_tommykrause_)

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Michelle Paradís (@_himynameismichelle)

Telescreens, Le Bain, 5/25/24;

FCUKERS, 88 Palace, 9/9/24;

The Dare, Webster Hall, 9/5/24

NYC will always hold some of the most unforgettable nights l've ever experienced, with its music scene running rampant in underground spaces and intimate venues. One of the highlights kicked off the summer in the most perfect NYC setting: a pool at Le Bain, where Telescreens stepped onto a platform on the poolside edge and the audience (consisting most of our friends and le Bain regulars) splashed and danced below to the gritty rock sounds of Jackson Hamm. 

I thought that moment couldn't be topped-until I caught The Dare at Webster Hall, my favourite venue, where Harrison, backlit by rave lights, poured his soul into the performance: collapsing to the floor in euphoric abandon, like someone lost in their room with their favourite songs. After documenting it, I had to jump in the crowd and experience the chaos as well. 

Finally, the clandestine nature of slipping through the doors of 88 Palace, an abandoned mall in Chinatown, to see FCUKERS perform, booming in the dark, sweaty lobby after their EP release felt like stepping into an underground space in Berlin. Each night held exactly what I knew to be the wild spirit of NYC. Bridging together artists and cultural experience really made it memorable. And I was lucky enough to capture it all.

Telescreens, Le Bain, 5/25/24

FCUKERS, 88 Palace, 9/9/24

The Dare, Webster Hall, 9/5/24

Photos and narrative by Michelle Paradís (@_himynameismichelle)

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