I went into Cowapalooza this year with a bit of a plan. I was originally going to spend some time documenting the overall festival experience and put

together a little video showing what the event was all about. But sometimes you show up to a concert with one idea in your head, and the night quickly gives you a better one. When I arrived at Cowapalooza in Woodstock, Ontario, a band was already on stage — and they were really good. So the camera came out immediately. From that point on, I ended up photographing every band that took the stage. Not because I had planned to, but because every single one gave me a reason to keep shooting.

Paper Tides

The first band I caught was Paper Tides, from the Kitchener-Waterloo area, and they immediately grabbed my attention. Their sound had this really cool funky, jazz-rock influence that felt different from what you might expect at a festival like this. And their lead vocalist was outstanding. There was a great combination of musicianship, energy and personality happening on stage, and it made them one of those bands that was impossible to just casually watch from the sidelines. I had only just arrived, and already I was thinking, Okay... this is going to be a good night.

Chris Koster

Next up was Chris Koster, from Kingston, Ontario. I'll admit, I was surprised to see him playing as early in the lineup as he was. I figured someone with his background would probably be coming later in the evening. Chris previously played guitar with The Glorious Sons, but he's now doing his own thing and judging by the show he put on at Cowapalooza, he's doing it very well. The guy is a straight-up rocker. He brought a ton of energy to the stage, and you could tell he was completely comfortable up there. There was no easing into the set. He came out and went for it. It was one of those performances where you find yourself thinking, Yeah, I could watch this guy play for a lot longer.

Madison Galloway

Then came Madison Galloway from Fergus, Ontario. And wow. That's probably the simplest way I can describe it. Her vocals were incredible, but it wasn't just the voice. Madison had the kind of stage presence that grabs your attention and doesn't let go. Her music has this powerful bluesy, roots-rock sound that hits hard, and she brought every bit of that energy into her live performance. And she kept switching things up guitar, harmonica, tambourine while completely owning the stage. She absolutely killed that set. As a photographer, those are the performances you love because there is always something happening. As a music fan, they're even better. I'd go see Madison perform again without hesitation.

Stuck On Planet Earth

Next came Stuck On Planet Earth, a three-piece alternative rock band from Vaughan, Ontario. And these guys have a big sound. Sometimes you see a three-piece and expect the sound to feel a little stripped down. That definitely wasn't the case here. They filled the stage with energy and attacked their live performance with everything they had. There's also a pretty cool connection between these guys and the headliners. Stuck On Planet Earth have written with members of Finger Eleven, so seeing them perform at Cowapalooza and then later watching Finger Eleven headline the night made for a pretty fitting lineup. Their set was loud, energetic and full. Another band that made it very easy to keep the camera pointed at the stage.

FINGER ELEVEN

And then, of course, came the band everyone was waiting for. FINGER ELEVEN. I've been around long enough to remember watching their music videos on MuchMusic when I was younger. Back then, I thought these guys were damn good. Fast-forward all these years later...They still are. The band came out and absolutely delivered. The vocals haven't weakened. The musicianship is still there. The energy is still there. And they still sound like a band that belongs on a big stage. Then there's Rick Jackett. That guy is a wild beast. Watching him throw his guitar around, spinning it with the strap above his head and generally looking like he's been musically possessed for the entire performance was incredible. And somehow, through all of that chaos, he's still hitting everything. It's the kind of thing that's almost distracting when you're trying to photograph it because you're constantly wondering what he's going to do next. The park was absolutely packed for Finger Eleven. And I mean packed. I knew going in that getting close to the stage was probably going to be difficult, so I came prepared with my Nikon Z8 and both my 70-200mm and 200-500mm lenses. That turned out to be a very good decision. I couldn't get anywhere near the stage, and shooting from that far back with long lenses, challenging lighting and a massive crowd between me and the performers was definitely not ideal. But that's where experience comes into play. After more than 20 years of photographing bands and live performances, you learn how to take a difficult situation and make it work. The lighting wasn't easy. The distance wasn't easy. The crowd certainly wasn't easy. But I still walked away with images I was happy with. And honestly, that's one of the things I enjoy most about concert photography. You're rarely handed perfect conditions. Sometimes you have a photo pit, perfect lighting and a performer standing exactly where you want them. Other times you're standing in the middle of thousands of people, shooting through gaps, fighting the light and trying to make something out of whatever you're given. You make it work.

A Night Worth Photographing. What started as a plan to document the overall Cowapalooza experience ended up becoming something a little different. I didn't make the video I originally had in mind. Instead, I spent the night photographing every band that performed. And I'm glad I did. Because Cowapalooza wasn't just about the headliner. Paper Tides brought a funky, jazz-infused rock sound. Chris Koster brought straight-up rock and roll energy. Madison Galloway delivered powerful bluesy roots-rock. Stuck On Planet Earth proved just how massive a three-piece can sound. And then Finger Eleven came out and reminded everyone why they've been doing this for so long. That's a pretty damn good night of Canadian music.

For me, Cowapalooza ended up being a reminder of why I love photographing live music in the first place. You never really know what you're going to walk into. Sometimes you show up with a plan. Sometimes the first band hits the stage, you grab your camera, and the plan goes completely out the window. And that's perfectly fine. Because sometimes the best stories are the ones you didn't plan on telling