In June of 1980, I was hanging out backstage at a Genesis concert when two guys walked up to me and asked me who I was photographing for. I told them I was a freelance photographer. They handed me a card and asked me to come and see them the next day. They were a small merchandising company. When I =brought them my portfolio, they got very excited. One of them picked up his phone and called the band’s manager at their hotel. He asked them if I could join the band on the road for the next couple of days and photograph their next two shows for use on some posters they were getting ready to produce.
This was pretty amazing, as I had never been on the road with a band before!!
So, I packed a bag and went out to the show that night. When the show ended, I was shown out to the bus, and soon was on the road with the band. It was kind of surreal, as I had never been on a tour bus before, and had never really met the band.
We reached Indianapolis that night and checked into a hotel. The next day I met the band in the lobby and we went to sound check. I started wandering around, being a fly on the wall and trying to not get in the way. After sound check, Phil Collins walked up to me and asked me if I played Ping Pong. I told him I played a little. At that moment, a Ping Pong battle erupted!! He was almost professional level, and beat me badly, but it was a great bonding moment. I shot the show that night, and we heade3d for Detroit, where another Ping Pong battle happened, and another show was shot.
The next morning, I flew home, got the film processed, and a few weeks later, I was called to the merchandiser’s office to see the final posters .
My first roads trip, and my first merchandise produced. All in all a great time.