For the third consecutive year, Cleveland concert photographers Anastasia Pantsios and Joe Kleon are presenting the largest exhibition of Northeast Ohio concert photography ever assembled in the area. But this year, they are moving to a new location and presenting an even bigger event, filled not only with five decades of concert photography, but also special events, including a three-day opening weekend featuring vendors, performances, book signings and an oral history taping with Michael Stanley.

Reigning Rock opens at 78th Street Studios’ Survival Kit Gallery on Friday October 18- Sunday October 20, and closes Friday November 15. 78th Street Studios is the largest fine arts complex in NE Ohio, located at 1300 W 78th St, Cleveland, OH 44102. The opening and closing Fridays are coordinated with 78th Street’s Third Fridays, Northeast Ohio’s largest art walk, which attracts thousands of people each month.

Anastasia Pantsios and Joe Kleon have dug deep into their archives for this year’s exhibit, printing and exhibiting photos never before seen. Pulling from five decades and millions of photos of Cleveland area concerts, Reigning Rock will feature the biggest acts to ever grace the rock & roll capital, as well as a new section devoted to local and regional performers. Several hundred photographs will be displayed and offered for sale.

Saturday, October 26, The Classic Metal Show will record its six-hour weekly show live from the gallery and re-name itself “The Cleveland Metal Show.” From 12 PM – 6 PM, CMS hosts Chris Akin and Neely will host their outrageous and uncensored radio show, with Cleveland metal musicians from the last 35 years appearing at the gallery and on the air. A mammoth display of Cleveland metal photos will be exhibited and offered for sale. A raffle will also be held for a photo prize package. The entire day will focus on Cleveland metal and the radio show will feature six hours of Cleveland metal musicians and their music. Members from the following bands will be on hand for the radio show: Chimaira, Shok Paris, Destructor, Olathia, Breaker, Wretch, HATE, Sleeplord, and many more. The show will be broadcast back at its normal time that evening from 9 PM-3 AM.

(Photo by: Joe Kleon)

Anastasia and Joe complement each other perfectly. With each working in a different era — most of Anastasia’s work was done from 1975-the early 1990s and Joe has been shooting for the past 17 years — two perspectives emerge. One looks at the classic era when Cleveland put stars like Devo and Bruce Springsteen on these map and superstars like Tina Turner, Prince, The Who and Michael Jackson ruled, while the other captures today’s colorful classic rock and metal monsters such as Alice Cooper, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Rush, Megadeth, and Rolling Stones. Together their work provides a visual history of hundreds of legendary concerts fondly remembered by Clevelanders.

Anastasia started shooting music in Cleveland in the 1970s and did most of her work in the 1980s when she captured such superstars as David Bowie, Prince and U2. Her work appearing locally in The Plain Dealer, as well as in Rolling Stone, Creem, The Village Voice, The New York Times, The Toronto Star, Esquire and many other publications, and on album covers, in tour programs and in books. Her exhibit Girls to the Front: 40 Years of Women in Rock was featured at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in 2011, travelled to Pennsylvania’s Lehigh University and Chicago, and was re-mounted at the Rock Hall in 2017. She has published a book based on that show, expanded with additional photos, which will be available for sale and signing at the gallery.

(Photo by: Anastasia Pantsios)

Joe has been shooting concerts for 17 years and is currently the most prolific concert photographer in Cleveland. He has photographed over 1,200 concerts and shoots an average of 100 concerts a year. His work appears regularly in Scene Magazine, as well as other national and international publications; he has also been hired by many bands to shoot for them. Joe has photographed many of the classic acts that are still touring, ranging from U2, to Springsteen to ZZ Top to Roger Waters, to Metallica and Rush, and a whole host of current top-of-the-charts artists such as Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Pink, Blink-182 and Imagine Dragons.

More than 200 photos will be on display at Reigning Rock, with additional prints available for sale in the biggest offering yet of the work of these two photographers. Come snag a photo of your favorite act, enjoy the many special activities, or pick up some iconic Cleveland photos to give as holiday presents.

(Photo by: Joe Kleon)