Photographing Bad Suns: A Night of Energy, Emotion, and Flashing Lights

Bad Suns lit up Summit Music Hall with a show that was pure energy from start to finish — and I had the honor of capturing it all.

The room at Summit was alive before a single note played. Fans were packed in like sardines, buzzing with anticipation and joy, the air humming with excitement. You could feel it. The kind of contagious energy that builds before a long awaited moment finally arrives. Smiles stretched across the crowd as people exchanged stories and Instagram’s, met new friends, and snapped photos of the empty stage glowing under dim lights. There’s something special about seeing fans in their element — hearts full, cameras up, and that shared, collective vibe of “we’ve been waiting for this.”

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Behind the Lens

The lighting at Summit Music Hall was absolutely wild. Jumping from the most Shrek of greens to the Barney-est of purples in seconds. It was both beautiful and brutal. Don’t get me wrong, the lighting was a total vibe. It painted the faces of the screaming crowd in surreal color and set the mood for the dance parties that were happening in the pit. But behind the camera, it felt like I was at war. I caught myself waiting for better lighting before finally accepting it was never coming. This was the look, and it was my job to make it work.

For gear, I ran my Canon R5 with two lenses: the RF 35mm f/1.8 for close-ups in the pit and the 100mm for distance shots from the crowd and balcony. Both had diffusion filters – white mist on the 35mm, black mist on the 100mm. The 35mm let in more light, giving the close-up shots that bright, dreamy haze I love. The 100mm softened the blacks just enough to make the darker frames feel cinematic, almost nostalgic. Those filters have become part of my signature look and I use them every single shoot.

I had the first three songs in the photo pit, and those minutes always go by in a blur. Two other photographers beside me, a wall of sound blasting from the speakers, and hundreds of fans pressed right behind us. It’s chaotically peaceful magic. The adrenaline kicks in, and suddenly I’m in my zone: locking focus, changing lenses, scanning the stage, trying to freeze the energy before my time’s up. You don’t have time to think — just shoot, breathe, and shoot again. By the time the third song ends, I’m drenched in sound and light and grinning like a maniac. It’s an honor every time.

Once the pit time ended, I roamed the venue — the balcony at Summit wraps around the stage, giving these killer, almost cinematic angles you don’t find at every venue. I also made sure to make my way back down to get wide shots from the back of the floor.

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The Emotion of the Performance

There’s something about a Bad Suns show that hits different. It’s not just the lights or the sound, it’s the feeling. Everywhere I looked, there were smiling faces, arms flying through the air, and voices shouting every lyric like it was a personal anthem. When they played one of their new songs, the entire crowd already knew every word. It was this unspoken connection between the band and the fans. It was a loud joy filling every inch of Summit Music Hall.

From the pit, you can feel that energy vibrating through the floorboards. The crowd wasn’t just watching; they were part of it. You could see it in the way people leaned forward during their favorite moments, in the way every chorus turned into a collective scream. That’s the kind of energy that makes photographing live music so addictive. It’s more than just a show, it’s a shared memory and connection that brings all of us closer together.. Literally..

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Overall, Bad Suns delivered an unforgettable performance. Their mix of indie-rock rhythm and synth-pop glow made the night feel both nostalgic and brand new.

But as always, at the end of the night, the lights fade, the last notes echo, and the crowd spills out into the Denver night. Still buzzing, still humming the melodies that carried them. I’m standing there, camera in hand, knowing I just witnessed something worth remembering. Photographing live music isn’t just about the images; it’s about chasing moments that make people feel. Bad Suns gave us that. And I got to freeze a few of those moments in time.

I’m so grateful to have had the chance to shoot this show. Huge thank you to Bad Suns and their team for the opportunity and for putting on such an incredible performance.

See the full gallery from the Bad Suns show here →

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Shot on Canon R5 with the RF 100mm f/2.8L and 35mm f/1.8.
Venue: Summit Music Hall, Denver, CO.
For licensing or tour photography inquiries, contact me here.
Written and photographed by Kenedy Rae.
View Bad Suns work, here.

For more live concert photography, gear reviews, and behind-the-scenes stories, visit KRX Media — written by photographer Kenedy Rae.

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