VIP Drone Pass at the Gorge Amphitheatre

We made our way up to the Pacific North West to cover Imagine Dragons at “The Gorge”. This venue is something else. The back drop is incredible, and the elevation change from the amphitheater allows for some unique angles.

Alberto Diaz piloted his Sub-250g Lumenier Micro whoop FPV drone to capture shots flying over the crowd and up to the main stage. Per FAA restrictions, we’re limited to a 250g weight limit. Which also narrows down the camera choices. We opted to go with a stripped down “Naked” GoPro Hero 13. Bringing the total weight of the drone to 243g.

Martin Novak piloted the DJI Mavic 3 Pro. The main focus of the Mavic for this concert was Drone Photography. Since the show was at night, the beauty of the landscape fell away and the glow of the concert took over. It created a unique setting. As if the whole venue was floating in space.

Usually, we have to worry about near by hazards, but since The Gorge is located out in the countryside we had nothing to worry about outside of the venue perimeter. Not to say there weren’t challenges. Flying music festivals and concerts takes a few extra steps. We have to pre plan flight paths over the crowd, have secondary Landing Zones, get them approved with the venue and talent, plus coordinate with venue Law Enforcement. The local Police Department usually has a drone of their own in the air to monitor the crowd. So we have to communicate with them over radio and let them know where we will be flying and operating from.

Everything went smoothly and we wrapped on a bucket list venue!