Three and a half hours away from my house in Atlanta, GA – I bore witness to one of the most fun and surprising shows I’ve shot yet. I left my house in a rush, realizing that I had left considerably later than I should’ve, and the Atlanta traffic sure didn’t help. I’d never been to the Variety Playhouse, but I had an idea of what to expect since I’d seen photos of it online. To my pleasure and as someone who appreciates architecture, the beauty of the venue transcended what I’d seen from photos. Fortunately, my worries of being late and missing the opener were proved unnecessary when I approached the venue and noticed fans standing outside, still waiting to be let in. I got my media pass and made my way inside.

As I scoped out a good spot to hang around before the show began, another smiley photographer asked me if I was also there to photograph the show. I was excited now – I treasure meeting kind new people who have the same hobbies and interests as I do. However, this excitement would fade ever so slightly when it was brought to my attention that there was no photo pit – no designated space for photographers to take photos of the artists. I accepted the challenge, though, and my newfound friend reassured me she has shot lots of shows with the same downfall. The lights would dim at eight o’clock sharp, and I readied my camera to capture the opening artists from the right side of the pit.

Hailing all the way from Ireland, Americana-folk duo DUG were not at all what I would’ve expected as an opener for indie-pop musician Peter McPoland. The two made their way to the front of the stage and sat down in chairs adjacent to each other, wielding a resonator guitar and banjo. I quickly became immersed in their performance, and at times was more focused on them than I was on taking photos. Their sound was powerful and unique, and I believe that the patrons surrounding me felt the same way. Conor (Lorkin) O’Rielly (left) and Jonny Pickett (right) frequently referenced the crowd, thanking them for being so kind, and even implemented interactive elements to their performance. During their song “I’m The Promoter, Man,” which they described as being about greedy and power-hungry middlemen, they comedically requested that the crowd boo every time the words “promoter man” were sung.

Throughout their too-short set, I rotated between the left, middle, and right sides of the stage, attempting to get the best angles. I was more than pleasantly surprised with DUG’s performance, and I already knew that I’d be recruiting my dad to listen to their music since I knew it was totally his speed. During the very last song, the duo gave us one last surprise. Conor invited his niece and nephew on stage and addressed them as “the best dancers” he knew. The closing song had smiles painted on the faces of everyone in the room, including myself. DUG is making their way around Europe and North America throughout 2026, and I would love to see them again later this year for their infectious personalities alone.

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Next up was Peter McPoland – and friends Joe Curtin (drums), Landon Laney (bass), and Josh Suarez (electric guitar/keys. The venue had filled out, and the room was exceptionally warm from the collective body heat of everyone in the venue, which I’ve started to notice is a trend when shooting at smaller venues like these. Right away, the bar was raised when Peter began performing – his sound was entirely different from what I’d listened to on Spotify prior. He was upbeat, his live vocals were incredible, and he visibly lost himself in the music during each song. Perpetuating the trend that DUG started, Peter was just as funny, constantly making jokes and laughing with the crowd. He came off so down-to-earth and real, which is one of my favorite qualities in artists, and I’m sure many can agree. I first discovered his music when a few of my Twenty One Pilots friends told me about him, as he’d opened up for their “Icy” tour a couple of years back. I was immediately intrigued and knew I had to come to this tour when I saw he was coming around.

Due to my poor planning, I worked early the next morning, and I was three hours away from home. Yet, I found myself not wanting to pull away from this performance any earlier than I had to. Listening to Peter McPoland‘s music in the car was so drastically different from watching it live, I realized. Watching him perform as if he were before a crowd of 20,000 people, in the hot Variety Playhouse, surrounded by buzzing fans and friends, was exactly as his music was meant to be listened to. My favorite song of the night was “Shit Show” – I loved the catchiness of it, the message, and the upbeat instrumentals. I would also like to give an honorable mention for the brief snippets of songs from the video game Minecraft. I would’ve loved to hear a full-length cover of any of those nostalgic songs.

Right as I was about to make my way toward the exit, a few songs before the show ended, Peter unexpectedly stopped the show due to an apparent medical emergency in the pit. He allowed medics and security to assist the woman in the pit and ensured all was okay before he resumed the show. I deeply appreciated this, as we’ve seen some artists in the past overlook fans needing medical attention during performances. I left shortly after with a newfound respect for this band and a new follow for Peter McPoland on my Spotify. This entire night was nothing short of amazing; both Peter and DUG fully exceeded my expectations.

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