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Photos: John Mayer, Battle Studies Tour

For John Mayer’s Battle Studies Tour 2010, the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 proved to be the perfect lens on the Nikon D3.

Photos: Willie Nelson

Shooting a legendary musician like Willie Nelson from the photo pit? A pleasure and an honor. For the second time in half a year? That’s just gravy.

Discussion: 7 Comments »

Concert photography rule #22: Squeezebox players always take editorial priority.
In St. Patrick’s Day come early, Flogging Molly stormed the stage of the Pageant with a fiery performance that had me grinning from ear to ear: these guys are simply a lot of fun to photograph.

Discussion: 24 Comments »

Photos: Flogging Molly Preview

Fancy-pants Nikon DSLR: $3000. Ultra-wide, fat-bodied zoom lens: $1800. Dave King of Flogging Molly flicking you off at 14mm? Priceless.

Discussion: 25 Comments »

Photos: Zed Zepplin Tribute: Celebration Day

Celebration Day, Night Two. After photographing the first night of this Led Zepplin tribute band’s two-gig show, I knew I had to come back for more.

Discussion: 8 Comments »

Photos: Story of the Year

Ego risers, dominating the monitors, and unbridled intensity; these characteristics are some of the things that fans all over the world have come to expect from post-hardcore rockers Story of the Year. At their album release party for The Constant, the hometown boys delivered in force to a sold-out crowd and under explosive lights.

Discussion: 6 Comments »

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

For me, compositions like this are so much more fluidly achieved at small shows in a way that never really seems to click on the high and brightly lit stages of big tours.
While I do love a nice treatment of blazing spotlights and pyrotechnics, sometimes you just have to go back to basics. For [...]

Discussion: 15 Comments »

Celebration Day: Led Zepplin Tribute

After photographing El Monstero late last year, I knew that I’d have to catch Celebration Day. Comprised of many of the same band members and crew as the bigger Pink Floyd tribute, Celebration Day channeled Led Zepplin in an epic, three-hour rock fest of two sold-out shows. Here are the photos from the first night.

Discussion: 14 Comments »

Conquest

Metal-studded gauntlets, cut-off t-shirts and all, Conquest opened up for Anvil on the Anvil experience to rock the Pageant with a little oldschool heavy metal. Even with lighting that had me practically scrambling for primes, this performance was an unexpected surprise and a lot of fun to cover.

Discussion: 6 Comments »

Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses

Country singer Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses performing at Farm Aid 2009.
I just saw the film Crazy Heart, a drama staring Jeff Bridges in a pretty fantastic role as Bad Blake, a hard living country singer in what seems like the twilight of his career. While Bad Blake plays with a string of [...]

Discussion: 2 Comments »

Switchfoot

Returning after a three-year absence, alt-rockers Switchfoot stormed the Pageant to deliver a passionate performance to a crowd of a thousand strong. Many of the fans rocking the barricade had braved freezing weather for their prime real estate – for this music photographer, any band with such dedicated fans is one worth photographing.
On top of [...]

Discussion: 25 Comments »

The Upright Animals

Performing at Pageant in a benefit concert for Haiti earthquake victims, the Upright Animals delivered an intense 40-minute set that was a lot of fun to photograph. The Upright Animals are a band I’ve worked with a good deal in the past and it was a pleasure to photograph them again.
Knowing that lighting treatments would [...]

Discussion: 16 Comments »

John Mellencamp @ Farm Aid

After a day of heartfelt but somewhat mellow performances, I have to admit that I was surprised when John Mellencamp took the stage and Farm Aid 2009 turned into a no-holds-bar rock fest.

Discussion: 8 Comments »

Keller Williams

Performing in a solo show, one-man-jam-band Keller Williams brought his whole bag of tricks to the big stage of the Pageant. And while one might think that such an assignment might be dull from a photography perspective, with just one musician in the middle of a lonely stsage, Keller’s engaging personality made it a thoroughly [...]

Discussion: 12 Comments »

Dave Matthews & Willie Nelson @ Farm Aid

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds performed cozy-feeling acoustic set at Farm Aid, joined by special guest Willie Nelson for the 2009 benefit concert.

Discussion: 10 Comments »

Diane Birch

Opening for Nick Jonas & the Administration, Diane Birch rocked her Rhodes and opened up the night with a big dose of soulful, bluesy pop.

Discussion: 12 Comments »

Nick Jonas & the Administration

Stepping out on his own with a veteran group of musicians, Nick Jonas rocked the Pageant to a sold-out crowd with his new band The Administration. While the two-thousands fans in the audience may have been small by Jonas Brothers standards, the intimate concert was the perfect setting to see the youngest Jonas flex his [...]

Discussion: 4 Comments »

New World Spirits

11-years after their last show together, New World Spirits reunited on the stage of the Pageant in a tour de force performance that thrilled their die-hard fans. With the audience singing back with every song during the two and a half hour concert, this was a party a decade in the making, and no one [...]

Discussion: 9 Comments »

Semi Precious Weapons

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Semi Precious Weapons are my favorite band to photograph. From sweaty, grimy basement dives to the gilded halls of the 5,000-capacity Fox Theater last night, SPW always brings the rock show.

Discussion: 12 Comments »

El Monstero

In the first night of their soldout, six-night residency at the Pageant, El Monster y Los Masked Avengers blazed on stage with a powerhouse spectacle that showed why this show continues to be one of the highlights of the year for so many Pink Floyd fans.

Discussion: 8 Comments »