Live & Local: Photographer Ben Perea’s Untold Moments In Denver Rock History
“I've only lived in Denver. Never lived anywhere else. I've only photographed concerts that come to Denver. I've never photographed any concerts anywhere else. This is the history of rock and roll music in Denver from 1979 to 1985, period.”
Wielding a Nikon FM2, Ben Perea photographed iconic rock concerts by legends like The Rolling Stones, Queen, AC/DC, The Who, Van Halen and others, as they brought their tours from coast to coast and stopped to play in Colorado venues like McNichols, Folsom Field, The Ritchie Center at DU, and Red Rocks Amphitheatre. As a completely self-taught photographer fueled by passion, he ended up with hundreds of photos with the sole intention of capturing the memory. Ben Perea shared some of these stories with Abi Clark as they flipped through his curated photo albums.
“When the concert would start, then everyone would rush the stage. I always tried to make sure, at those kind of events, to be right up there against the stage as soon as possible. Because once you get there, you're packed in there like sardines and you can't get close to the stage. I was always concentrating on doing my photography, so I didn't get to really party and have fun with all my friends 'cause I was working! And I did that for six years straight. I went to I think 50-60 shows, and that was my number one thing, to take photographs. So I was always in work mode.”
These negatives were carefully packaged and tucked away in his closet for 40 years before a friend urged him to share his unique archive. So, in December of 2024, he held his very first exhibit made up of a selection of photos across his collection. The exhibit sparked memories and storytelling, and so he listened to the community to decide what concerts to feature next.
“Typically, what I do is I'll ask, what's your favorite band? What's your favorite photo that's here in this exhibit, so that I can get a feel for what people really like? And the overwhelming response was The Rolling Stones. So, I decided to make this exhibit, The Rolling Stones exhibit.”
These photos were taken at the Stones Tattoo You tour in 1981 in Boulder, CO., at Folsom Field, where Mick Jagger famously sported bright yellow football pants and a Philadelphia Eagles jersey, Number 21, worn by Eagles' defensive back, John Scirraa. Ben Perea snapped a few rolls of film, which reveal several photos capturing Jagger’s energy and Keith Richards in guitar bliss. Though he has plans in the future to share this collection outside of The Mile High, Coloradans have the opportunity to relive this iconic show now at the D’Art Gallery at 900 Santa Fe Drive through October 5.
“Well, I know that concert photography from back then, you don't see anywhere. So I know that if I take it to Texas, to Austin or New York, something like this has never been seen, so I know it'll be well received. And that's the main focus is to expose the world to these beautiful photos. I've never seen anything like 'em.”
Details at the D’Art Gallery
Photo credit: Will Ornberg, Radio Multimedia Producer
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