Punk Rock Retiree
How This Electrical Engineering Graduate Turned His College Hobby Into a Second Life Shooting Concert Photos
By Jenevieve Rowley-Davis
When Rich Russo ’84 retired after 33 years at Connecticut Light & Power Co., the voices of doubt were all around him. Even his accountant couldn’t understand why he would want to retire at 58. But Russo was tired of being tied down, and wanted to live life with no regrets.
At a fateful punk show not long after, Russo and his son were perusing the merch table for Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls. The frontman, Turner, appreciated the sight of a father and son bonding at a concert. Russo followed the band around for a few shows, taking pictures from the audience and becoming fast friends with Turner. One thing led to another, and eventually Russo shared his photos with the official tour photographer, who would go on to mentor Russo in the craft.
As a student, Russo had dabbled in photographing rockabilly artists The Elvis Brothers in the BU Student Center, never knowing he would someday be living his passion. “At BU, being amongst new friends from all walks of life, I was exposed to hard rock, blues, and most importantly, punk rock and new wave music,” Russo said, adding a stint his sophomore year in which he followed The Who on their first farewell tour.
Now, with countless concerts under his belt, Russo travels the country covering bands for Music Madness Magazine. Here, he’s compiled a handful of the shots captured along the way, including some of Gary Numan, KISS, and even a bit of wildlife photography. True to the punk philosophy, Russo really is living with no regrets.
Kiss
One of the most iconic bands in rock history, KISS is known for their stage show as much as their music. I photographed them on the farewell tour stop in Hartford, Conn., in 2022. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, the remaining original members, may be in their 70s but they still have the energy to perform like 30 year olds.
Seeing the boots and outfit that Simmons wears, I doubt I could perform like him when I was a Bradley student!
Less Than Jake
I photographed the last Vans Warped Tour when it hit the sunny beaches of Atlantic City in 2019. The lineup was packed with great artists like Blink-182, The Offspring, Bad Religion, etc., but my favorite photo from that weekend was of Chris DeMakes from the Florida-based ska-punk band Less Than Jake. Chris is known for his enthusiastic stage performance. I happened to be in the right place at the right time to capture his wild energy with the Vans screen displayed on the background monitor.
The Struts
Sometimes, I find images are more striking in black and white than color. This is The Struts lead vocalist, Luke Spiller, from their 2023 performance at Boston’s House of Blues. The colors from the lighting behind him seemed to take the viewer’s attention away from the subject, whereas in black and white, the focus is on Luke.
NOFX
Sometimes, a concert photographer gets to capture some silly moments on stage. NOFX brought their “Punk In Drublic” festival to Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio, where a dinosaur joined the band on stage. The band had as much fun with their guest as the crowd had watching the interaction.
Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls
The band that kickstarted me back into concert photography is Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls. I first saw them in 2010, when they opened for Social Distortion and was taken aback by their energy and stage presence. I followed the tour with my son, who was 16 at the time, and was a big Social D fan. I’ve become friends with Frank and I have full access to their shows which enabled me to get shots of him riding the crowd at his show at Chicago’s House of Blues. One of those photos made it into a photo book that accompanied his greatest hits package.
Gary Numan
I have been fortunate to photograph Gary Numan several times over the years and we’ve become friends. I was a fan of his during my time at Bradley in the early ’80s, and now I have full access when photographing his shows. I was honored to work with him and his band during his 40th anniversary tour at London’s legendary Roundhouse Theater, as well as his 1,000th show at London’s Electric Ballroom.
Ramones
Back in the ’80s, small clubs and bands didn’t care if people brought cameras to shows. I was able to get some shots of the Ramones when they played Toad’s Place in New Haven, Conn. I was also fortunate to meet them and have them sign some photos. Sadly, Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee are no longer with us, but they will forever reside on my wall.
Wildlife
I’ve become a fan of wildlife photography as of late. A few years ago, there were several snowy owls wintering along the Connecticut shoreline. I had seen this old chair along this spit of land in different locations. Not sure who was moving it or why, but one day, I was lucky to capture one of the owls perched on the back of the chair.
If you wish to see some amazing wildlife photography, visit the website of Bradley graduate, Mary Jo Cox ’85.