Offbeat crowd shots from New York’s biggest gigs

Close encounters — In a new series, photographer Jeff Mermelstein captures the chaos of Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Centre: ‘There’s a Barbra Streisand aesthetic, a Stevie Wonder aesthetic, a Jay-Z aesthetic and a Barry Manilow aesthetic.’

The Barclay’s Centre in Brooklyn has become a symbol of New York in the new millennium. Sitting smack dab at the intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues, the colossal arena opened in 2012 with a Jay-Z concert heralding the age of gentrification.

For photographer Jeff Mermelstein, it landed on his front doorstep. A year after he and his wife bought their first home on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Pacific Street along the Atlantic Yards, they learned of plans for the Barclay’s.

“It was a beautiful brick and timber loft, with our son coming not long afterwards,” he remembers. “Living there was a beautiful thing, just right for us at the time – and then we needed to give up our home.”

Through the newspapers, Mermelstein became aware of Bruce Ratner, a real estate developer and owner of the Brooklyn Nets. Ratner was transforming the Atlantic Yards into Pacific Park Brooklyn: a $3.5 billion sports arena (the Barclay’s Centre), and a business and residential complex.

“One day I was looking out the window of our loft and saw him walking around the land in that immediate area,” Mermelstein says. “I ran out of the loft and up to him, deeply upset because I was just learning about the process of eminent domain and all of the ramifications and anxieties it can inflict. It started very gruff, but it evolved over 18 years into a friendship.”

From this unlikely encounter, a profound connection came forth – one that brought Mermelstein inside the Barclay’s over and over again in a series of photographs collected for Arena (TBW Books).

Beginning with opening night, and continuing over a period of four years, Mermelstein went to about 365 different events. This included gigs from Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, and the Rolling Stones, as well as basketball, hockey, pro wrestling, graduations, and community fundraisers.

Though he was allowed to photograph inside the pit, Mermelstein’s penchant for pedestrian energy brought him into the corridors. Even indoors, a street photographer must walk, and so he went round and round the bowl capturing the curious, quirky, and unlikely moments that occur when you gather 19,000 people together in celebration of something they love and adore.

“When you go into the arena to see Bob Dylan and be a Dylan head, you’re going to be in a certain state of mind, of excitement maybe almost wonderment,” he says.

“People dressed in a certain way; [there’s a] Barbra Streisand aesthetic, a Stevie Wonder aesthetic, a Jay-Z aesthetic and a Barry Manilow aesthetic. Billy Joel has a character type, and pro wrestling was easy to identify.”

Whether heading to private suites or nosebleed seats, everyone must walk the corridors, and in that way they are much like the streets, making everyone level for just a moment. Yet one thing is different that subtly informs the intensity of his photographs: “it’s all closed in – there is no escape route.”

Arena is available on TBW Books.

Follow Miss Rosen on Twitter.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter


Ad

Latest on Huck

Red shop frontage with "Open Out" branding and appointment-only signage.
Activism

Meet the trans-led hairdressers providing London with gender-affirming trims

Open Out — Since being founded in 2011, the Hoxton salon has become a crucial space the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Hannah Bentley caught up with co-founder Greygory Vass to hear about its growth, breaking down barbering binaries, and the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Cyclists racing past Palestinian flag, yellow barriers, and spectators.
Sport

Gazan amputees secure Para-Cycling World Championships qualification

Gaza Sunbirds — Alaa al-Dali and Mohamed Asfour earned Palestine’s first-ever top-20 finish at the Para-Cycling World Cup in Belgium over the weekend.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Crowded festival site with tents, stalls and an illuminated red double-decker bus. Groups of people, including children, milling about on the muddy ground.
© Alan Tash Lodge
Music

New documentary revisits the radical history of UK free rave culture

Free Party: A Folk History — Directed by Aaron Trinder, it features first-hand stories from key crews including DiY, Spiral Tribe, Bedlam and Circus Warp, with public streaming available from May 30.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Weathered wooden building with a tall spire, person on horseback in foreground.
Culture

Rahim Fortune’s dreamlike vision of the Black American South

Reflections — In the Texas native’s debut solo show, he weaves familial history and documentary photography to challenge the region’s visual tropes.

Written by: Miss Rosen

A collage depicting a giant flup for mankind, with an image of the Earth surrounded by planets and people in sci-fi costumes.
Culture

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind

Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.

Written by: Emma Garland

Three orange book covers with the title "Foreign Fruit" against a dark background.
Culture

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”

Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.

Written by: Katie Goh

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.