Colorado-based photographer Larry Hulst took his first concert pictures in 1967, capturing The Who during one of the group’s early American tours.
Hulst, now in his mid-70s, hasn’t stopped since, photographing live concerts for publications including Guitar Player, Rolling Stone, and Time. His work has been used for album art by Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton and Bruce Springsteen.
Decades of those images are now on view at the D’Armour Museum of Fine Arts in Springfield. “Front Row Center: Icons of Rock, Blues and Soul” offers over 70 photos of celebrated bands and singers across genres and generations: Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, B.B. King, David Bowie, Lauryn Hill and more.
The exhibit, which runs through May 1, is designed to showcase what the museum calls “Hulst’s lifelong passion for the magnetism, immediacy, and unpredictability of live music,” and it also offers portraits of performers in “funk, punk, and beyond.”
“Front Row Center” has text in Spanish and English and features additional audio and video features, as well as an “interactive photo opportunity,” according to exhibit notes.