After hearing of this year’s cancellation of Ribfest, I was wondering what the concert picture would look like overall. I am a music journalist and a concert photographer, and one half of that tandem has been dormant for quite some time. I spend most days on Zoom talking to musicians about work they are promoting, and I’ve come to find in my most recent interviews that these musicians finally have tour dates scheduled.
I have started to prep my cameras.
I went to the mailbox last week and received a flyer from our very own Naper Settlement announcing the 2021 Naper Nights Line-Up! If you’ve never attended a Naper Nights concert, I would urge you to put them on your calendar. Seeing families roaming the beautiful grounds of Naper Settlement enjoying food and drink, good music, and the friendship of their neighbors and the community is really something special. The cover and inside pages of the flyer have a couple of my photos from the 2019 concerts, and I was reminded of what a special time that was under the stars. When I shot those photographs, I was taking that live music and the overall moment for granted. This Naper Nights announcement was a reminder to take the time to recognize and really cherish the special moments as they happen.
After the time we’ve spent indoors and at a distance from one another, I’m going to make sure I stop and relish each and every second of this special time outdoors and together with friends… and music.
You can get tickets and find out how to attend all the concerts for free with a Naper Settlement membership at www.napersettlement.org.
