The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (FMoPA) is now showing “Fandom: Celebrating Rock & Roll with Jay Nolan and Davy Alder." The exhibit features photography from over hundreds of concerts alongside a collection of vintage memorabilia.
It aims to showcase the relationship between artists and their fans and how that exchange contributes to the power of live performance.
The walls of the gallery are adorned with snapshots of musical legends ranging from the “Queen of Rock 'n' Roll” Tina Turner to the Ramones.
The featured artist of this exhibit is Jay Nolan, who said he first got into photography due to "pure foolishness."
One day he picked up a camera, started taking pictures and hasn't stopped since. He found negatives in his attic dating back to his high school days in the early 1970s.
“Photography has always been something I've been highly interested in," said Nolan. "Somewhere along the line, I decided I need to do this full time.”
Nolan worked as a photojournalist for the Tampa Tribune from 1989 to 2011, where he was sent on assignment to cover concerts across the Bay area.
Robin O’Dell is the executive curator at FMoPA and said she had the idea to put the exhibit together after Nolan, who is a member of the museum, stopped in to show her some of his photos.
“He literally started showing me images on his phone," said O'Dell. "And, I was like, these are really good. And he's like, yeah, well, I'm a professional."
When she asked how many he had, he told her it was in the thousands.
"It's almost like a little light bulb went off," said O'Dell.
Legends and contemporaries alike
Other notable bands on display include the Rolling Stones, U2, Aerosmith, Siouxie and the Banshees and many more iconic acts.
Out of all of the photos of his on display, a black and white negative of blues guitar legend B. B. King is one of Nolan's personal favorites. He's seen sitting in his dressing room, where Nolan got the chance to meet him 1-on-1.
"I had no idea that that was going to happen," said Nolan remembering when he was sent on assignment to cover his 1988 Tampa performance.
"There I am, and there's B. B. King sitting there. I was floored. You know, we had a nice conversation. We talked about how he named his guitar Lucille. I was amazed. I absolutely felt privileged to learn the story," said Nolan.
"I had the story for 24 hours and then he went on 'The Tonight Show' the next day and told the entire world. But I really feel good about that show."
Close-ups of singer Harley Flanagan of the New York hardcore punk band the Cro-Mags come with a unique story as well.
"I was down on the floor trying to make pictures of the band, and it got so violent on the floor that they pulled me to the stage so I wouldn't get hurt and get my gear damaged," said Nolan.
"That's where I made most of my pictures of Harley Flanagan from the Cro-Mags. Standing right next to him!"
However, he said some of the best photos aren’t of the performers themselves.
“That's kind of staged. They're there. They're bathed in light. They're performing, but where you're not where you're going to get something totally unscripted. If you turn around, you aim completely in the other direction and take a look at the fans," said Nolan.
"That's raw, that's moment by moment. And I love that.”
Alongside Nolan’s photography is the memorabilia collection of former Virgin Entertainment executive Davy Alder.
Alder began his collection as a young boy in Newcastle, England who fell in love with the glam rock scene.
One of the first pieces of merchandise Alder ever owned was a patch repping the band Sweet (then known as The Sweet), best known for their hit song Ballroom Blitz.
Some of the other items on display include backstage passes, notes passed between crowd members and a specialty can of Heinz beans promoting rock band The Who.
Posters, magazines and framed prints are also part of Alder's wide collection.
A focus on the music fans
While brainstorming how to connect the two bodies of work, O’Dell said it was she and Alder who came up with the focus for the exhibit.
“It was a way of, you know, kind of twisting the idea of rock and roll to focus on the people that really make rock and roll, which is the fans," said O'Dell.
According to Alder, music thrives off of that mutual respect between performers and the people watching.
"Audiences bring artists into their lives in different ways," said Alder. "Whether it's through collecting like I do, or whether it's through photography like Jay, or whether it's just streaming music on a regular basis.”
Nolan said he experienced that kind of connection while shooting blues musician Stevie Ray Vaughan in concert.
“I only had one camera and two lenses. I had one lens on for when he was a long way away from me, and a shorter lens on when he was close. Well, he saw that. So, when I had on a short lens, he went way away from me. He played deep into the stage. When I switched lenses around and got that really long one on he put his toes three feet away from me," said Nolan.
"He did that five or six times. And I went, 'This man is playing with me.' And then we had a great time after that."
Nolan says moments like that are what made his career in music photography less about work and more about the memories he's made.
"I was just having a good time. Actually, I didn't really think too much about, oh, wait till people see this in another 20 years, they're gonna be floored," said Nolan.
"No, I was just having a good time. And the fans were having a good time with me."
“Fandom: Celebrating Rock & Roll with Jay Nolan and Davy Alder” is on display at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts in Ybor City through March 2.
Nolan will be giving an artist talk at the museum on Dec. 19.
FMoPA is also asking visitors to feel free to send in their own concert photos and videos to display in the lobby. The call for entries is open from Nov. 15-March 7.
