This blog is nothing but biased today. Collective Soul is my all time favorite band. Hands down. They are rocking', they are positive, they can be moody, they can be sung along with and they are truly nice Southern gentlemen.
Thankfully, Mike and I met Will and Ed at their Gretch/Fender performances at NAMM in January. I hit it off with Will and we became Facebook buddies. When the tour was announced, I new that I wanted to see it, but I also wanted to shoot it. Will hooked me up with the full show for photos instead of their normal first 2 songs. He also gave me my very first Plus 1 of my own so I brought one of my girlfriends with me.
Once we got inside to set up, I saw Will and was able to visit for a few before he had to get back stage. He let me know then that I had the whole show and the name of the tour manager if there were any problems.
Last night was a unique show in that they did not have an opening band. This show was all about spending a evening with Collective Soul. The band came on stage at 8pm and let us know how the show would flow.
1. Perform the 1999 album 'Dosage' in it's entirety. 2. Take a little break 3. Come back and sing the songs we (the fans) love
I did have to laugh a little during the Dosage portion of the show. Ed apparently doesn't remember all of the lyrics. He had a music stand up there with him to be able to reference if he needed to. There was a little hiccup after the second song. Security tried to cut me off but we talked and the lead security guard found the tour manager and it was straightened out. I missed out on a couple of songs while he was verifying, but that was better than missing out on the whole rest of the show!
They took their break and it was time for some hits off of the rest of the albums including songs like Gel, Hollywood, Precious Declaration... Love, love, loved it. I had made my way to the balcony during Precious Declaration so I could be positioned for some fisheye shots from above. They exited one more time before coming back for an encore that consisted of December and ending the night with Shine.
What a great venue. I hadn't been there yet and I will definitely go back. Great restoration and a welcome addition to our historic venues.
July was a busy one! We had a show or two every single week. I'm exhausted going back and looking at all we did.
July 9, 2011: Puddle of Mudd w/ Klover Jane at 'Rockin on the River' festival, Clarkston, WA We left home early in the morning and got to town for the show, checked in for our passes and made our way back stage to see the Klover Jane gang. POM hadn't gotten to the stage area yet for us to see Paul and meet the new guitar player, Dizzy Devereaux, and new drummer, Shannon Boone. We'll meet them later on.
Klover Jane took the stage to a crowd that wasn't familiar with them at all. Rane Stone, the lead singer had also had a cold was wasn't feeling we but he pushed through and gave the crowd a great show. By the end of their set, the crowd was chanting 'Klover Jane' repeatedly. They gained a few fans that night!
Klover Jane
Puddle of Mudd took to the stage to a crowd that had been sunning and beering themselves for hours. The venue is a golf practice field right on the river so not only did they have paying fans, but fans on the Columbia river in their boats. It was a cool location.
The band had tons of energy and we really like the new additions to the band. Wes at one point though got all tangled up in his mic cord and fell. Paul had to help keep him down with a foot while the techs got him untangled and back up on his feet. He never stopped singing though. We got to shoot the first 3 songs from the pit area and then the rest of the show from side stage. Shannon gave me some great side stage shots when he stood up on his stool. Puddle of Mudd Photos - Clarkston, WA
Puddle of Mudd - 'She Hates Me'
July 12, 2011: Rockstar Mayhem Festival at the White River Amphitheater, Auburn, WA
I wasn't expecting to shoot this show at all. I didn't shoot the whole thing though. I was a work when I got a call that there was a photo pass waiting for me at will call. Needless to say, I left work, headed home for my gear and made my way out to White River.
I arrived in time to shoot Trivium, theheadliners on the second stage. This was a band I wasn't familiar with, but I liked photographing them. Great stage show and they had the crowd all amped up before heading over to the main stage for Machine Head. Trivium Photos
I really like to photograph Machine Head. They are such a different looking band. I told Mike that if he ever wanted to know what my father looked like, all he had to do was look at Robb Flynn! He is a dead ringer. I've got a great shot of Phil Demmel's hair going all over and an even better one of Adam Duce's. I'm not normally into the heavier side of metal, I'm more of a straight up rocker, but I really enjoyed them. Machine Head Photos
OK, I've seen Megadeth several times now and I'm still not an actual fan of the music, but I'm a great fan of their shows. They put on a great one. I love, love, love taking photos of Chris Broderick. Mike works a ton with David Ellefson, but Chris is my fave. He has the greatest faces when he plays. He's playful with the crowd and just looks like he loves his life. I'm still learning how to photograph Mustaine though. It's very seldom I get a shot that shows his whole face! I finally got to meet David Ellefson after the Godsmack set. He's such a nice guy. Megadeth Photos
This is my second time seeing Godsmack. I find myself saying "I'm not a fan" a bunch mainly cause this isn't my personal music scene and I'm still learning about the heavier side and finding the bands I do like in the genre. Godsmack, however, isn't one of them. I do however have a thing for bass players and Robbie Merrell is a GREAT one! Both Godsmack shows I've seen were at this venue and both times, the band hid in the upstairs green rooms and didn't mingle. I haven't heard many nice comments on Sully and I would have liked to see him interact and be proved wrong. I'm a positive person and like to see the good that must be in people somewhere! Although, they could have been proven correct as well. Hmmm.... Godsmack Photos
Disturbed is my enigma band. I've seen them a few times now and I actually like some of their songs, but not live. I'm continually bored with their overall show. Mainly I'm disappointed in David Draiman, the singer. He's boring on stage. He was better this time, but not enough. Yet again though, I loved John Moyer, the bass player. More often than not, those dang bass players save the day! Disturbed Photos
July 16, 2011: The Crying Spell at the Kirkland Performance Center, Kirkland, WA
The Crying Spell is one of my favorite local Seattle bands and this venue is one of my favorite to see them play. The Center is a newer working theater. They host band nights, plays, and other things. Stadium seating makes it easy for everyone to see and it's an all ages location. I'm able to take the kiddos with me, get them seated and make my way around to shoot. This makes for a great family night.
The band is a modern take on New Wave with a Rock twist. They've coined their style Mod Wave. Their guitar player - Eric Snyder (of Second Coming, Capitol Records) - is amazingly effortless in his sound. His effects always assist in conveying the Mod sound. Len Hotram and Chase Culp (of Point One, Adrenaline Records) on lead vocals and drums respectively and Jason Phraner (of Redlightmusic w/Peter Klett of Candlebox, DMI Records)on bass. This 4-some is one of the best around town. Their past experiences have made them grow in to a collective that is hard working, professional and all around good people. Catch them anywhere you can. There are great things on the horizon for this one peeps! Check out their Reverbnation page to hear some of their music and catch a video! The Crying Spell Photos
July 21, 2011: Jared Blake at Louie G's, Fife, WA Louie G's is a great local all-ages venue that promotes youth bands and other local acts. On occasion though, Louie books a national act. This one was a treat! Jared Blake from Season 1 of The Voice. I loved him on the show. I was sad when it didn't make it further. Jared was doing a solo set of shows on his way back home in Nashville. He is quite the story teller during his show as well which really makes the show more of a jam session. He is someone that really needs a break. The talent is there and he is a humble man. There is no ego to be found. Just good 'ole boy meets rock 'n roll with a hint of country. Support him if you find him making a stop in your town!
July 23, 2011: The Boise Music Fest with MC Hammer, Sugar Ray and Joan Jett Mike and I drove to Boise to attend the fest. This is a FREE festival and attracts upwards of 70K people to the Ann Morrison Park. The park is right along the river but doesn't have a ton of trees. This allows for the great sized crowd but makes it a little painful on a 90+ degree day at an all day festival. We were lucky enough to find a tree until Sugar Ray arrived and we went back to their trailer for a little air conditioning and visiting Mike's long time friends. He had worked for SR for 15 years.
It was time to go photograph MC Hammer. I'll be honest, I didn't think it would be a very good show and was more going to photography for the spectacle of it all. It was a spectacle, but it was a really great show too! Ann Morrison Park still has it - big time! The only ding on him is that he came on stage almost 15 minutes late which I will tie into the rest of the day later. MC Hammer Photos
Next up was Sugar Ray. I just love these guys. I loved them when I didn't know them and I still love them now that I do. The are the nicest guys you could ever meet. They love their fans and have several super fans that have now become friends. Mark and the guys never disappoint on the stage either. This was the first time I'd seen them since DJ Homicide decided to concentrate on just DJ'ing. This does free up the band to do more of their harder stuff from their 'Lemonade and Brownies' and 'Floored' days. Of course they still play their hits at shows, but I love it when they throw out 'Mean Machine'. It cracks me up to see the fans that don't know they started out as a Punk/Nu Metal band. They've added a percussionist named Al Keith. He's been a friend of Rodney's for years and was a natural fit to add some flare where it had been previously provided by DJ Homicide. Sugar Ray Photos
Last up for the night was Joan Jett. We saw her back stage on her way up to play and she is one tiny lady. Amazing so much rock comes out of that little frame! We got out to the photo pit only to find out that she was not allowing pro cameras. All I will say is that we saw why. They did allow me to go out there with my cel phone though. It has an 8meg camera so it was as good as a lot of point and clicks, but it was still disappointing not to be able to shoot with the SLR.
I'm going to stop here and do a blog dedicated to the last show of July. This is my discovery band of 2011 so far.... Out of L.A. - Le Butcherettes.
The June 2011 catch up blog will actually be broken out in to 2 blogs. This one is the shows I went to in the states and there will be a separate blog for the two things we attended in London so watch out for the London blog too!!!
06.03.2011: U2 & Lenny Kravitz at Qwest Field in Seattle, WA Well, I can say that I attended this show but I'd only be half correct. Mike was photographing the show while the kids and I waited outside the stadium and listened to the music. Since Qwest is an open stadium, we were able to enjoy the show from a patch of grass right outside. I do have to say that Live Nation was pretty damn brilliant when they decided to have actual merch booths OUTSIDE of the venue. I was able to buy myself a U2 T-shirt. So they still got my money even though I didn't buy tickets. Brilliant.
06.23.2011 KISS at the Everett Comcast Arena in Everett, WA We took the kids to this show and amazingly enough - Ryan stayed awake the whole time! It was due to the fire. I'm going to warn you that I'm about to pan this show. The fire was fine, the music was fine but we had been preparing the kids for the cool things they were going to see like Gene going up into the rafters and singing from up there and for Paul going across the crowd on a wire and singing from a little stage at the rear of the venue.... didn't happen. The arena was too small for those parts of the show. We were all pretty bummed about that. It was still good, but not great.
'Firehouse'
'Modern Day Delilah'
06.25.2011: Amanda Hardy at Louie G's in Fife, WA
You are going to see quite a bit of the young musician's we support from the Seattle/Tacoma area. Amanda Hardy is one of them. 14 years old singer, guitar playing songwriter.
06.28.2011 Jason Kertson & The Immortals at Louie G's in Fife, WA
Here is another one of the young musicians from the area. Jason Kertson is being mentored by Dave Mustain of Megadeth. Yip, he is. You can find tons of videos on Youtube.
03.05.2011: Dokken & Sword of Judgement at the King Cat Theater in Seattle, WA
It's been 4 years since I met my husband and I still feel like I'm in Metal 101 class. Yes I have always known of Dokken, but I didn't know a single tune. It was a good time though and I got to continue practicing with my new camera.
Sword of Judgement is a young local band and had some good shredding going on. They are a throw back to the 80's style metal bands like Megadeth, Flotsam and Jetsam & Rage.
03.07.2011: Dirty Heads at El Corazon in Seattle, WA
I cannot praise this band enough!! Dirty Heads are amazing live. They and their fans are always full of energy. Good energy. Energy that is out to have a great time. This show was the first time I had seen them headlining with a sellout of their very own. It was completely packed in there. It was so hot that the security guards, stage right, were squiring the crowd with Super Sucker water guns to cool them off. I was luckily up on the second level, but I still had to keep and eye out for the water to my camera was ok.
Here's a video from the show - 'Check The Level' and 'Paint It Black'. There are several up on my Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/stefferzz1970
Opening for Dirty Heads was a new band to us called New Politics. We left fans of the band as well as the guys. They were super nice to chat with after the show. I'm sure you'll recognize their hit!
03.11.2011: Super Geek League at the King Cat Theatre in Seattle, WA
You really really have to see SGL to understand their so called Sci-Fi Punk Circus. Circus is a very good adjective. Take a punk band, dress them up like Geek super heroes, add in an aerobatics act, Go-Go dancers, a priest and a devil and you can just barely begin to understand this spectacle... To see what I mean, see the photos! Super Geek League - 03.11.2011
03.12.2011: Rock Out ALS with Pretty Enemy, Late September Dogs and History For Sale at Club Motor in Seattle, WA
First, Rock Out ALS, is a non-profit group who have a mission to raise money for ALS (Lou Gherig's Disease) research through Rock 'n Roll shows around the Seattle area. As always, this show featured some great local bands from the Seattle area. It is always a good time for a great cause.
I really don't need to say anything but DEVO. It's really all that needs to be said. If you've seen them live, you know. If you haven't, they put on a great show. You'd have no idea how old they really are! They move around like they are still in their 30's or 40's. You can see Mike's shots here:
February only had a couple of shows this time around, but they were good ones!
Slash with Myles Kennedy: February 5th was Slash at the Tacoma Dome opening for Ozzy. Mike shot Slash, but he didn't get a pass for Ozzy. Dailies and weeklies only this time around. No radio stations or blogs. We had great seats and I was allowed to bring in my point and click so I did manage to get a few shots in. This was the second time that I had seen Slash perform with Myles Kennedy. I liked them better in the larger arena. Myles sounded better too. I think he may have had a cold the previous show.
Ozzy held his own. To this day it amazes me that he is coherent on stage but completely incoherent off stage. He is alive when he performs and seems to be really present. I'm not an Ozzy fan, but I did enjoy my first Ozzy show. Here's a video of 'Iron Man':
Ozzy Osbourne - 'Iron Man'
Toyota Center, Kenewick, WA 02.12.2011: Headlining the show, Avenged Sevenfold of course killed it along with it's tech in this video of the opening song 'Nightmare'. He's just fine ;) I've seen Avenged several times and am NEVER disappointed with their show, other than it ends.
New Medicine opened up the show and I got to use my new D7000 for the first time to shoot it. I only had a photo pass for them so you get videos of the rest. We are friends with the guys so I am completely biased when I say they totally nailed it. Next up was Hollywood Undead who I had never seen before. High high energy. It was interesting but a little much for me. Before A7X took the stage, we got to see Stone Sour. I've seen them a few times as well. This time though, I was actually distracted by Corey's hair. I'm used to seeing in shorn very short. After Stone Sour was done, Corey came out to the soundboard and was standing right in front of me visiting with either M Shadows OR Synyster Gates wife (they are married to twins dontch know).
I was really excited to finally see Syztem7 live. I had seen pictures that Mike had taken of Jaymez and his head dress from an earlier show and wanted to see it in person. I did not disappoint. This thing is insane!
Syztem7 is an industrial metal band. They have a unique sound that I really enjoyed. It reminded me of my New Wave days but was much heavier. The singer had a good stage presence and the band in general was pleasing to look at with their uniformed look.
Next up was Texas Hippie Coalition. All I can really say is wow. I had never heard of the band and really had no idea what to expect. By their name, I did suspect that they would be a southern rock type of band and I wasn't far off. They were great performers and had the crowd roaring. It's not really not my type of music, but I can always appreciate a good show no matter the style. Check them out of they make their way back our direction!
We knew that Since October was coming to town to bless us with a performance at El Corazon the night before Turkey Day. What we didn't know was if they had any time off for Thanksgiving. So we asked. Sure enough, it was an off day and they had a show on the 26th in Spokane. Not that far away. Mike asked if they'd like to join us at my Aunt's house for a home cooked meal. Needless to say, they were all for it!
So the 24th came along as we met up with the guys at El Corazon. The stage was front loaded so the guys really didn't have much room and we all know that Ben is quite the mover on stage. Add to that the famous pole on El Corazon's stage and he was like a captured animal when he was trying to move around.
I was standing on the left of the stage getting shots of Josh. He was totally entertaining me pouring water on his hair and flinging it at some girls who were a tad prissy to be up in the front.
Their performance was great, as always. This is a high energy band that always keeps the attention of their fans and makes new ones along the way.
Thanksgiving day came and we awaited their arrival in the quaint little town of Sumner. The van arrived and out came 4 rockers and their merch guy Chad. My cousin David took one look at Audie said that guy could eat a whole turkey himself. :)
They got settled inside when we got a surprise and saw that Josh had shaved his head and the long locks he was watering down just last night were gone! In it's place was a stocking cap that he wouldn't remove except the one time to show us the new do.
The guys were very happy with the spread and took a bunch of it with them when they got on the road for Spokane. Little did they know, the snow had been coming down on the pass for a few hours and they ended up having to stay in North Bend for the night as the pass had been closed for avalanche control.
I felt really bad they we may have caused them to miss their show by trying to look out for our friends and give them a good Turkey day on the road. All was good! They made it through the pass on Friday and onto the show that night.
Thank you to KISW! Mike was shooting the meet and greet before the show and I was able to watch the sound check and get my picture with Slash!!! That was sooo cool!!
The opening band, Bad City, was pretty bad alright. I was not impressed at all. I just wanted to see them get over with.
Love, love, love Slash. Myles Kennedy has a great voice and rocked the covers big time. I had a big crush on the bass player, Todd Kerns. What a cutie!!
They played about 19 songs. Great set!
‘Ghost’, ‘Mean Bone’, ‘Nightrain’, ‘Sucker Train Blues’, ‘Back From Cali’, ‘Civil War’, ‘Rocket Queen’, ‘Doctor Alibi’, ‘We’re All Gonna Die’, ‘Do It For The Kids’, ‘Watch This’, ‘Starlight’, Slash Solo/’Godfather Theme’, ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’, ‘Rise Today’ and ‘Slither’. The encore was ‘By The Sword’, ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, ‘Paradise City’.
This was a GREAT concert and I’d go again.
Alice In Chains, BlackDiamondSkye Tour - Key Arena, Seattle, October 8, 2010
Mike was at the Vancouver show on the 7th and brought me back my all access pass so I could meet him at the Key after work. We went to the meet and greet so Mike could get some shots for the station.
Mike had a little corner of the production room to keep his equipment and I could sit out of the way waiting for the show to start. When it was time, I made my way to the side of the stage to take in the show.
First up: Mastadon
I’ve never seen them live before. Very dynamic band. They really reminded me of Jethro Tull without the flute. Super nice guys though. Brent is quite the character.
Next up: Deftones
I hadn’t seen Deftones live either. Wow… What energy. Chino jumps around that stage like he’s the Energizer Bunny! They lowered down the biggest disco ball I think I’ve ever seen during one of their ballads. I turned once to see Sean Kinney standing behind me for part of the Deftones set. I really like seeing the headlining band take in their openers.
AIC:
What’s not to love?!?
This was the second time I saw AIC live with William on lead. He really respects Layne’s memory and sings the songs beautifully. I love their new CD. It makes shows better now that it’s not only the songs with Layne being sung.
Jerry is Jerry. The AIC sound was as it should have been. I absolutely love watching Mike Inez play bass. He is such a sweet guy and turns into some rock demon when he gets on stage. The transformation gives me chills.
The light show was spectacular! This show was being filmed in 3D for a DVD. That will be cool to say that I was there for it! If you’ve never seen Alice In Chains live, go. Even better, go in Seattle. They treat the home crowd well.
Lucha VaVoom – Showbox Market, Seattle, October 21, 2010
This isn’t a concert, but deserves a little blurb.
Lucha Vavoom is a combination of Mexican masked wrestling and burlesque dancing put to 1940’s through 60’s music. This was absolutely one of the best times I’ve had EVER.
The wrestlers were super tall, little guys and all heights in between. There were good guys, there were bad guys, there were chickens and there were dancers in between the matches. I had to buy my son a mask and myself a CD of the fabulous music.
The burlesque was really fun. My favorite was the guy that everyone thought was a girl to start with. There were many men in the room checking him out and then getting a little freaked when they realized he was not a she. Too funny.
I can’t wait for this to come back to Seattle. I think it should be at a different venue though. The ceiling was a little low for the flyers. I kept thinking they were going to hit their heads.
Steel Panther – Showbox Sodo, Seattle, October 31, 2010
LOL… Nothing could be finer than Halloween with Steel Panther. They guys were on as always. Total entertainers, musicians and showman.
The costumes in the crowd were interesting. I couldn’t believe there were actually 2 guys dressed up as the shocker.
I love being on stage to watch these guys. They just crack me up. I try to stand on Lexxi’s side. This time Jamie Nova, from Witchburn and formerly of Hells Belles, came up on stage and sang an AC/DC song with the guys.
This was an amazing day! I got my own photo pass!!!! I'll put up some photos from the show at the bottom of the blog!
We had to be there by Noon so we could get in and meet up with the KISW staff for instructions. I was going to be able to shoot the first 3 songs of each band and the interviews in the VIP section.
First band for each PITW show is a local act. This year - Post Modern Heroes. They got a pretty decent crown for being first up. I'd guess around 1,500 people had made their way into the show area. PMH killed it and made some new fans!!
Next up - My Darkest Days. You may know them from their song 'Porn Star Dancin'. I liked their look. Sol is just adorable. I know he'll hate that comment, but it's true!!
3rd - Drowning Pool. Hot damn they were awesome. I can't believe I got to shoot these guys!!! Ryan made his way into the crowd for 'Bodies'. Talk about insane. Mike went right in after him to get some killer shots!!! Sadly, this was just a day after Ryan's son had a tragic injury that he will be recovering from for a very long time.
4th - Sevendust!!!!!!!!!!!! I love them. I love Lajon. I love Vinny. I love Morgan. I love Clint. and I love John. They are just great great guys. They played a good set but I had to leave right after my 3 songs in the pit to make it to the VIP area to see PMH doing their on air interview with KISW.
5th - Puddle of Mudd. This band is the reason I even wanted to be at this show. I have a huge crush on Wes. They did not disappoint me at all! I had never seen them live before and I'm so glad I did! I was also lucky enough to get an all access pass from Shinedown so I was able to go backstage for the rest of the show. It made it much easier to stay with Mike and see the remaining shows from the side stage.
6th - Black Label Society: They are a bit harder than I like, but they were entertaining. I liked taking photos of them.
7th - Shinedown: For me, the set was a little too up and then down. They have such a diverse portfolio but I would have lumped the ballads together. I found the crowd was a little down during some up the rockin' tunes. Rockin', ballad, rockin' ballad. It's just too up and down. I didn't watch too much after my 3 songs. We ran in to Vinny backstage and had a great visit. Southern men can be so damn charming!
The 8th and final band of the night were Godsmack. They really aren't my kind of band either. Their lighting was pretty bad so my pictures were not the greatest. Sully is quite the front man though. The crowd was very into it.
The 2010 pre-funk featured Windowpane, Klover Jane, Post Modern Heroes & Astro-Creep. There were two other bands, but we didn't get there until after they were done performing.
This was the fist time I had seen Klover Jane with Rane Stone on lead vocals. I really liked Stefan, but I think Rane brought KJ up a level. This band is worthy of getting some good traction on an EPK.
Windowpane is just a great rock band. I like them more and more every time I see them.
PMH - Loved seeing them so hyped up to be the opening band for Pain in the Grass tomorrow!!! They were able to play early enough to get out and get home for some sleep. They have to be at White River at 8am tomorrow to get their gear front loaded for the 1pm start.
I didn't really know what to expect from Astro-Creep. This is a full costume cover band of White Zombie. What a fun band! Loved the costumes and the black light paints.
I love seeing so many great live acts in Seattle!! We are a pretty blessed area.
You will be hearing a lot from me about these bands. Both of these bands are friends of ours. We support both of them madly!!
Witchburn took the small stage and owned it! The crowd was very in to it. They travel well. People come out to see the lead singer Jamie Nova. Many of them know her as the lead for the all-girl Hell's Belles AC/DC cover band. Witchburn is a 5-piece band with chicks on bass, lead vocs and lead guitar. They have a Sabbath type of sound. My all time favorite live picture that Mike has taken so far is of the lead guitar player Mischa. She has a head full of dreds that make her looks like Medusa on stage.
Here's a link to one of Mike's video's of Witchburn stills with the song 'Army of Voices'.
Witchburn - Army of Voices
Post Modern Heroes - Our friend Travis Bracht (formerly of Second Coming) heads up this band. Travis is a stage mover so it really cracks me up to see him on the tiny stage at Tony Z's. There really isn't any place for him to go. Their retro Bowie sound fills the rooms and the crowd with their tunes. Their signature opening - They freeze for the first 2 minutes of 'What Would You Do' then break in to their moves.
Post Modern Heroes - 'The One'
Please make an effort to listen to both of these bands. They are very much worth it!!!
Luckily, we know the Dirty Heads so we were set up to shoot them. Yes 'we'. This time, I got a photo pass as well. I found it facinating that we were the only photographers there! For Sublime??? And Dirty Heads at the time had a #1 song on Billboard!! Oh well, the venue was a sell out and both bands were just amazing!
We were able to meet the tour manager for both bands and got full access to both shows. Back stage, on stage and around the crowd.
I was happy to see that a lot of the crowd new The Dirty Heads music. They are still pretty new on the scene. They are a blend of beach, ska, hip-hop and punk. Jared and Duddy are share vocals and Duddy is the lead guitar. At one point, Jared started to giggle and pointed out 3 girls who were at the back of the dance floor hula-hooping. He asked them to come on stage an hoop during their song 'Lay Me Down'. That was so fun!
When Sublime took the stage, the crowd erupted. Rome is not Bradley, but he has his own style and respects what Bradley did. I absolutely loved seeing them play.
If you have the chance to see either of these bands play, please do. You will have a great time letting go and having an absolute blast. You may also get a contact high - There was plenty of that in the air that night!
