My dear friend Derek called me up and asked me if I wanted to see the U2 concert. U2, the Irish rock band, was performing live at the Hippodrome in Montreal. I asked him if he had the tickets. His answer surprised me. He said that we didn’t need any. I wasn’t sure if Derek was pulling my leg or was really serious. I was puzzled and asked him how he intended watching the concert without the tickets? He asked me to come to an address in 20 minutes and added that we would be changing our location pretty often. For a guy who is innovative to the core, I was sure he had some solid plan for this concert.

I don’t really fancy huge crowds, but Derek had said ‘it would be fun’, which means it would be fun. Being a professional photographer and videographer, I found this opportunity too tempting to pass. Equipped with my camera and lenses, I arrived at the address given by my friend only to reach an airport! While I stared at the vast openness, still puzzled whether I had misheard the address, an usher came along and escorted me to Derek’s ‘machine’, a state of the art Bell 206B3 Jet Ranger helicopter.

I really cannot express the sheer joy of riding in it. Being in the video production business, I have taken rides over the Yanomami Indian Tribes of Amazons to the Golf courses of Arizona to shoot aerial video. However, this one was different. It was the smoothest and the by far the coolest helicopter ride of my life. Aboard the copter we had with us the super talented celebrity photographer, Nico Dupéré the official photographer for U2’s Montreal concert.

Nico and I were both thoroughly impressed with Derek’s flying. Usually during aerial photography, the control over the composition of a photos and the frame of a video is completely in the hands of the pilot and not the photographer. Unless the pilot gives the angle, the photographer cannot click a good picture. Derek was exceptional. You should take a look at the photos and the footage to judge for yourself. We were flying slightly low, right above the Hippodrome to click the massive crowds, the fun atmosphere and of course, to watch the band perform live.

The music was so loud it could be heard for kilometers away up to the Notre Dame de Grâce and even the 55^th Ave. The sight of looking down at 80,000 people immersed in rock music was a delightful experience. The most awesome feel of the day was watching the concert live from air. I’m sure we had the best seats of the day!

However, flying low right above the structure stirred up the security personnel to call up the control tower. They demanded to know who was flying this low, close to the performance area. Thankfully, with official photographer Nico by our side, the security problem was solved.

This was truly a thrill of a lifetime, now I know whom to call when I want the best seat in the house for an open air concert!!