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.
This is gonna be a loooong one and it only covers two amazing nights that I won't soon (or ever) forget!
Mike and I had a vacation scheduled to London. It just so happens that there were a couple of things going on while we were there that made our already special trip even more special. Download Festival was going on while we were there, but the bands we were interested in seeing were going to be there the day we arrived. This left us no time to get checked in to our hotel and get to Download in time. Sad face... BUT...
We were able to go to the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards show on Monday night and then see Buckcherry at the Electric Ballrooom the following night up in Camden. Smiley face!
Monday, we did our normal touristy things during the day like the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, seeing some of the government buildings and taking a WWII tour before heading back to the room to freshen up and change before heading over to Indigo at the O2 for the Golden Gods Awards.
We took the tube over to the O2 which conveniently had a stop right there. We made contact with Benji Webbe from Skindred to get our tickets but there was a bit of an issue. Those fine fellows of Slipknot decided they were going to attend the event. That meant that Skindred lost half of their guestlist (we were axed) and then Buckcherry's list got completely axed (we were the only ones on this list.) Both bands were really upset, but it was OK. We were able to get escorted in by one of the label execs and he got Mike his full show photo pass.Thank goodness!!!!!
We made our way right up to the front just before they opened the doors so I was right up on the rail. I'm a chatterbox and I was alone after Mike made his way into the photo pit, so I ended up getting to know both of the gals I was standing between. They were shocked that we had come from Seattle to see the show.
The way the Golden Gods shows work is they have an a Host, an MC, bands and awards. This years host was none other than Alice Cooper. From where I was standing, I was about 10 feet from him. The MC for the night was Andrew O'Neil. A British comic with a metal edge. He was a hoot. Sometimes off color to the point it made me blush, but still funny. They also have a theme to the show and this year's was Zombie. There were several fans all dressed up and ready to groan.
Andrew opened up the show with some comedy and an introduction to the first band - Buckcherry. The band is well known in the states, but still getting it's footing in the UK. Their 3 song set included "Dead", "Lit Up" and the awesomeness of "Crazy Bitch". A great band to get the crowd warmed up.
Buckcherry
The next band up was Sylosis. This is a British death metal band that I was glad only played for 3 songs. I wasn't really in to them. I was a little surprised that the home country crowd seamed to have had a bit more fun with Buckcherry.
It's time for some awards!!! Best New Band went to The Damned Things. Nergal, lead singer of the Polish death metal band Behemoth, was gifted with the Metal As Fuck award for his successful battle with leukemia. The Best Underground Band went to Primordial with the Best Breakthrough Artist award going to Sabaton. Dimebag Darrell Shredder award went to Gus G. And our buds in Skindred received the Best Live Band award. If you have never seen Skindred live - GOOOO!!! They are incredible. Check out the video later in the blog. The Best UK Band was given to IronMaiden and the final award in this segment went to Twisted Sister for Best Inspirational Band.
More music. This time from a Vancouver B.C. musician - Devin Townsend. I was familiar with Strapping Young Lad, but not Devin's new project. WOW. The man is pretty out there, but out there in a good way for sure. I think his set was my favorite of the night. I love hearing new musicians and finding a gem!
Devin Townsend
Let the Best Live Band take the stage please! This is Skindred and I love them. Benji is one of the best front men that I have ever seen. He can make a crowd as big as Download eat out of his hands. I was lucky enough to get a pic from both Mikey and Dan for my collection. I wish we had gotten to visit with them after the show, but it was a complete mad house.
Skindred - Best Live Band
Second half of the awards were ready to be announced. I was able to maintain my spot on the rail and continue to be right there in front of Alice Cooper. Happy times! One of my favorites, AvengedSevenfold, bring home the Best International Band award. Best Album goes to a long time favorite of Mike's, Killing Joke. The Best Event went to the Big Four and it hadn't even happened yet! Yes, it had happened back home in the states, but not in Europe yet. The Riff Lord award went to 2 people - Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein. Spirit of Hammer went to Diamond Head. The Icons aware to Judas Priest and the Golden God was the last award of the night. This went to Rob Zombie who was on hand to accept it from Alice.
The headline band was ready to take the stage. They had already been on stage earlier in the event accepting their award for Best Inspirational Band. For my first time live, Twisted Sister. One observation - Dee has a very large head. But it was magically painted and wigged as you would expect. They were really entertaining.
Twisted Sister
The Buckcherry guys were disappointed that we didn't get to see a full show so they invited us to their show the next night in Camden at the Electric Ballroom. This was perfect as we were meeting one of our friends there that day and then we'd go to the show. I really liked the venue. Great size and it had a really great crowd for the guys. If it wasn't a sell out, it was close! I really enjoyed the energy of the crowd. Security was the same as it is anywhere - a tad overzealous but not horrible.
Mike was in the photo pit when one of the other photographers approached him and asked if he was 'Iron' Mike. This startled him seeing as we were thousands of miles away from home and across a 'pond'. Ends up that she was once married to one of the Posies and had just been talking to Jerry Cantrell a week about about Mike! Queue the Twilight Zone track!
It still entertains me to think that we were on vacation and all this happened! Here's a closing shot with me at the Golden God's Awards show taken by Stevie D of Buckcherry and up on their website.
Brilliant!!
-Stef
Be sure to check out more of my videos from the shows at my YouTube channel:
Wow... We actually had a pretty calm month! BUT, I know what's coming - London. So I think we planned it this way.
05.06.2011: Loudness at The Boardwalk in Orangevale, CA
OK, I had no knowledge of this band at all. Why did we drive down to the Sacramento area for this show? Loudness is one of Mike's favorite bands. They are an 80's rock band from Japan and they seldom tour the states. This worked out perfectly cause we had plans in Reno the day after the show so we drove down a day early to catch Loudness in Sacramento then drove to Reno the next morning.
The place was packed. I stayed up front and snagged a pic from the bass player. There were a ton of people there that knew all the words to the songs. Mike was the only photographer allowed.
05.15.2011 Rammstein at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, WA
OK.. WOW is the only way to start off talking about this show. Are you kidding me? Crazy good music and even crazier good show. How they get away with some of their antics and show posters, I have no idea! Check out my video:
05.27.2011: Nolan Garrett at Louie G's in Fife, WA
We go from 80's rock to a young blues guitar player. Nolan is only 13 and is already opening up for Randy Hansen (The composer and Jimi Hendrix tribuite musician). Nolan plays a lot. if you have a chance to catch him, please do. The youth musicians in this area are really something to be excited about. There is a new generation of musician that really have bright futures and they all play styles that are just a little bit different from each other.
04.13.2011: System of a Down with Gogol Bordello at Key Arena in Seattle, WA OK, I was VERY disappointed that this show was no pro photographers at all. However, this rule provided some of the best entertainment that I've had at a concert. BUT this meant that Mike nor I got photo passes so I can't re-live this show through our photos. AND I still got a guitar pick even though I wasn't even close to the stage :)
The Story: We knew there were no photographers for this tour so when we saw a guy walk by with a tripod and camera gear, we watched. It took just a few minutes to see the guy get escorted to the rear of the floor surrounded by security. Then SOAD's personal security guard arrived along with their manager Beno (Beno brought me my pic). Mike asked him what was up. Summary of Beno's reply: He asked the guy who he was and who gave him the photo pass. Guys reply: Their manager. Beno: Really, Who is their manager? Guy: His name is xxxxx xxxxx (Not Beno) Beno: Interesting, cause I'm their manager and I didn't give out any photo passes Security: Escorts guy out of the building
This show was especially fun for me cause we brought the kids. Ryan and Elisa had a good time, but for the second time, Ryan fell asleep at a major, and loud, concert. I'm sure he was snoring the way he was sitting in his seat. He's also done that at an AIC concert at the Paramount. We were standing on the side and he sat on my feet and fell asleep for almost an hour. I don't know how he does it.
Both SOAD and Gogol left me wanting lots more. This was the second time I'd seen Gogol and they were just as much fun the second time around. SOAD was a first for me. I absolutely loved them. They didn't sing my favorite song, Vicinity of Obscenity, but they sang 29 songs total. 29! Here are some snapshots: SOAD/Gogol
04.14.2011: Deftones at The Paramount Theatre in Seattle, WA LOVE their energy. I still don't know enough of their songs, but you don't have to to enjoy this band. Here are some of Mike's shots from the 2010 & 2011 shows: Deftones/Chino Files 2010/2011 I was excited to see Dillinger Escape Project open, but they played in the actual dark which really wasn't fun at all.
04.16.2011: Record Store Day with Duff McKagen's Loaded at Easy Street Records on Queen Anne in Seattle, WA I had no idea that Easy Street had a stage behind the garage door at the back of the store. You literally stand between records to watch a band play. We love Loaded. Love the guys, love seeing them play any time we can. This is a band that we support big time. Please take the time to have a listen. Duff has been in Loaded longer than he was in GNR now. Pretty amazing. Here are my photos: Duff McKagan's Loaded - Easy Street Records - Seattle 4/16/11 I also have several videos up from the show on my Youtube channel: stefferzz1970 This one was my favorite video showing the garage door going up:
04.29.2011 S.Y.F.T. CD release show at El Corazon in Seattle, WA Syft are a local rock/metal band with a bunch of promise. The lead singer, Sean, is a very good front man. Great stage presence and he gets the crowd going. Technically they are a 4 piece but sometimes bring an extra guitar along. Photos: S.Y.F.T. CD release party @ El Corazon 04.29.2011
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).
This is one of my absolute favorite local bands. I really like this venue for them. Being that it's all ages, the theater seats make it easy for kids to be able to see (and last through) the whole show.
Please check out The Crying Spell if you have a chance. Here are a couple of videos to get you familiar with the band and their sound!
