2024 was my first full year shooting for Parklife DC, and I was genuinely shocked and humbled looking back at this last year.  I shot nearly 70 shows for Parklife DC, including a 4-day-long festival, taking over 25,000 photos of several hundred bands.  Thanks to Parklife DC, I was able to capture artists I’ve loved all my life – some I’d seen live multiple times, some for the first time. I’ve been there to see friends of mine celebrate their first album releases, and I’ve seen huge artists sell out baseball stadiums. I’ve been introduced to bands I’d never heard of that I hope to follow forever, and I’ve seen some artists I first saw as openers headline their own tours.

Here are some of my favorite shots of 2024.

1 – Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band @ Nationals Park — 9/7/24

The absolute bucket-list highlight of the year for me was shooting Bruce Springsteen at Nationals Stadium. I still can’t really believe this happened, so I have to look at the pictures to remind myself it wasn’t a dream. If there’s a musician who I can say changed my life, it’s Bruce. My whole view of the world changed when my Uncle Larry gave me Darkness on the Edge of Town as a thank you for babysitting my cousins. Here’s my favorite shot from that show – The Boss and Miami Steve.

2 – Marcus Miller @ Rams Head on Stage — 8/24/24

This is Marcus Miller at Rams Head Onstage in Annapolis.  One of the greatest bass players the world has ever seen, having a great time and putting on a great show.  His band is also tremendously talented.

3 – Daphne Eckman @ Rams Head on Stage — 1/19/24
3 – Gage Rhodes @ The Fillmore Silver Spring — 10/18/24

This one is a two-fer.  One of my favorite parts of this job is watching artists grow and helping to spread the word about musicians who aren’t yet well-known. I live in Annapolis, which is an amazing town for music, and I was able to cover several local musicians I know for Parklife DC, in the hopes of helping them reach a wider audience, including Honest Lee Soul, Heartside, Dan Haas, Daphne Eckman and Gage Rhodes. I first saw Daphne and Gage at open mic nights, and this year I covered their first album release shows. I encourage you to check out their music.

4 – Empris @ Annapolis Songwriters Festival — 9/12/24

Every once in a while, I get a little artsy.  This is a photo of Empris during the Annapolis Songwriters Festival.

5 – Kingfish Ingram @ The Fillmore Silver Spring — 7/2/24

This photo of Kingfish Ingram seemed to get a lot of love this year, so I’m including it as the people’s choice photo.

6 – Steve Cyphers @ Annapolis Songwriters Festival — 9/12/24
6 – G. Love w/ Jakob’s Castle @ Rams Head on Live — 2/1/24
6 – Circle Jerks @ The Fillmore Silver Spring — 9/6/24

As a drummer myself, I always try to get a few shots of the drummers, no matter how dark it is back there.  Here are a couple of my favorites.  This is Steve Cyphers sitting in with Twinnie at the Annapolis Songwriters Festival, Jordan Starke playing with Jakobs Castle, and Circle Jerks’ Joey Castillo.

7 – Grouplove @ 9:30 Club — 3/26/24
7 – The Dirty Nil @ Rams Head Live! — 6/9/24

Every top 10 list needs have to include at least one jump photo, so here’s three.  The first is by Christian Zucconi from the band Grouplove.  Very high-energy live band, whom I saw for the first time this year.  The other two are by members of the band The Dirty Nil.

8 – Green Day @ Nationals Park — 7/29/24

Green Day’s performance at Nationals Park was spectacular! I felt like I was in the middle of a racetrack, just nonstop energy from the moment they walked on stage, until we left the pit after what seemed like only seconds. All of the photographers seemed to be buzzing as much as I was as we left. The rest of the show was non-stop screaming all of their songs until the night ended. Extra special because I got to take my son with me, about 15 years after the first time I took them to see Green Day.

9 – Hozier w/ Allison Russell @ Merriweather Post Pavilion — 5/17/24

Allison Russell’s set at Merriweather Post before Hozier was one of the best opening performances I saw this year.  I’m looking forward to catching her on a headlining tour next time she comes through.  Bonus shot of her bass player, Ganessa James, just cause I really like it.

10 – Herbie Hancock @ The Lyric Baltimore — 9/28/24

Herbie Hancock.  Seriously.  Herbie Hancock!  To see him dancing around the stage and jumping around with what looked to be the original keytar from Rockit was simply joyous.  No pictures of that because it happened after I had to stop shooting.

11 – Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors @ Annapolis Songwriters Festival — 9/12/24
11 – Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors @ 9:30 Club —  4/10/24

Drew Holcomb has rapidly become one of my favorite performers, and I was fortunate enough to catch him twice this year — once at the 9:30 Club and once as part of the Annapolis Songwriters Festival.

12  – Charly Bliss @ 9:30 Club — 9/5/24

And finally, my most surprising and joyous concert this year was Charly Bliss. I’ve been listening to this band since I first heard their second album, but this was the first time I ever saw them live. As much as I’ve enjoyed their recorded music, it’s nothing compared to seeing them live. They are a great live band, and lead singer Eva Hendricks is a bona fide rock star.

That’s it.  I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at some of my favorite shots from 2024.  It was quite a year. It’s all a little hard to believe, looking back on it, but it was a tremendous amount of fun. And it leaves me looking forward to the rest of this year, including what should be a fun New Year’s Eve show with Sammy Rae & The Friends, and wondering what surprises await next year.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reminiscing with me.

Cheers,
Steve