Tommy Lee drops some electro house at The Playground in Park City, UT.

The gig was fun. I only had ten minutes to shoot while he was playing, so I only nailed a few really good shots. We were supposed to hang around after and get some more intimate portraits with Tommy but I guess he was having an off night. He hid in the green room after his set with his tour manager popping his head out every few minutes and saying, "Yeah, we're gonna do the photos", and then he'd vanish back into the room and close the door. After waiting around for about 30 minutes, the entourage comes out, makes a b-line to the door and into their waiting truck without a word.

Maybe he wasn't feeling it. Maybe he was in a bad mood (though if he was, it didn't show -- he was friendly in a very detached way, smiling and waving). The opening DJ, Skeet Skeet was really cool. He grew up with The Cobra Snake -- probably in the top 5 most famous nightlife photographers. We talked a little about him, and shared stories about going days without sleep while working back-to-back nightlife gigs.

The crowd was terrific. Some of the most friendly people I've met, and very diverse. The electronic music nightlife scene in Salt Lake City is pretty incestuous, as a rule, and most of the people here already know who I am and where to find my photos... at this gig I gave out over 100 business cards, which is a rarity these days, because I frequently try to hand somebody my card and they're like, "dude, I know who you are, I look at your photos all the time!"

It was cool to meet some new people who'd never heard of me. Refreshing and really fun. I almost felt normal again. I haven't really experienced that since last October. I generally feel a bit awkward when people know so much about me and I have never met them before. It's kindof weird. Truthfully, I wasn't prepared for all the scrutiny I've had in recent months, it kindof hit me unawares.

One day nobody knows my name, and the next, I'm surprised to meet somebody who doesn't know who I am. I always feel guilty when people are like, "Hi Eric!" and I don't know their names or recognize them at all. I feel like if they know me, I should know them, too, and if I don't, I've somehow let them down...

So it was cool not feeling that at all tonight. I didn't realize how much that was messing with my head. It was a breath of fresh air. I wonder how it must be for somebody who really is famous, and then I am a little more understanding about Tommy bailing out on the photos. It would have been nice to actually talk to him a bit and get some pictures of him just being a regular guy, but over all it was a great experience, and I'm looking forward to my next chance to meet him.

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Labels: celebrity, gallery, nightlife, park city, party, photography, the playground, tommy lee, utah