Alt-J @ Bayfront Park

"Like all good fruit, the balance of life is in the ripe and ruin." ∆

Alt-J came to Miami for the first time Thursday night, October 1, for a show opened by San Fermin at Bayfront Park. I held out on buying tickets for this in hopes I'd be able to cover it, and I was ecstatic when I got the email a week beforehand asking if I was available to shoot.

Both bands sounded incredible live - I really enjoyed the strings in San Fermin - but Bayfront was strict about shooting. Pit access for the first three songs of each artist and no flash is standard, but usually you're allowed to also shoot from farther back after those three songs - they actually made me put my camera away after Alt-J opened. It was so dark when San Fermin played (and in between sets) that I didn't have enough existing light to get any crowd shots, and it was a bummer I couldn't get anything wider of the stage including the crowd after the bands opened - this slideshow feels incomplete, but it was the most I could do and I'm thrilled I got to be there. 

Alt-J played the majority of both albums they've put out - An Awesome Wave & This Is All Yours - the latter of which earned them a Grammy nomination last year. It's always refreshing when a group sounds even better live than on the perfectly tuned studio recording. Check out the full review for Miami New Times.