Crowded House / Liam Finn / 16 Frames - Humphrey's by the Bay - San Diego - 8/24/07

Friday night found me back at Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay for another great outdoor show in perfect San Diego weather. This time it was for Crowed House. A buddy had an extra ticket and I just couldn't turn down the show.

Crowded House is the pop band formed in the mid 80's and led by New Zealand musician and singer-songwriter Neil Finn. And after a lot of changes and having to overcome the suicide of the original drummer Paul Hester, Crowed House has reunited to tour this summer. The current lineup is Liam Finn, Mark Hart, Neil Finn, Matt Sherrod and Nick Seymour.

Macy Gray / The Brand New Heavies - 4th & B - San Diego - 8.23.2007

Macy Gray brought her tour to 4th & B in San Diego last night. She, along with her band rocked the hell out of 4th & B downtown San Diego last night. After a 75 minute set by the Brand New Heavies, Macy and her band took the stage.

Andrew Diamond / Prezident Brown / World Beat Center - 8/17/2007

Friday night in San Diego, found me in Balboa Park at the World Beat Center. Not my usual spot on a Friday night, but this Friday was different. To fully understand what brought me out tonight, I have to give you faithful readers a little bit of my history. Many many, many ears ago there was a band based here in San Diego called the Cardiff Reefers, and I used to go see them a lot. A ton of shows in at least three states, and I had become friends with the guys and even ended up traveling with the band for a while and helping carry the heavy shit in and out of gigs. One of the biggest changes in the history of the Cardiff Reefers was the change of drummers. Both drummers were named Andrew, and it was the second drummer that brings me to Fridays show.

Fountains of Wayne - Viejas Concerts in the Park - 08/11/2007

Saturday night in Alpine. I was back at the venue where I shot my first show for this Billboard Blog, Widespread Panic. And while that show went off without a hitch, this was to be a different story. But first let me just talk about the good, Fountains of Wayne. They were great. I have not been so happily surprised by a band in a long time. After getting back home last night I went and bought the new album on iTunes. Thanks to them for the photo-pass and the 5th row center ticket and a great set of music. I couldn't have asked for more.

Faith Hill - Tim McGraw / San Diego Sports Arena / 08/02/2007

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw brought their Soul2Soul 2007 tour to San Diego tonight. One of the things about this show that was different from others i have shot this summer was the location. The San Diego Sports Arena was completed in 1966 and has hosted a huge variety of different shows in its 41 year history. I have seen shows from The Grateful Dead to U2 in this building, but other than some pro wrestling and mixed martial arts contests, the venue doesn't get used like it used to. My favorite bit of trivia about the San Diego Sports Arena is that is was featured in the Film "Almost Famous". The back stage area where a young Cameron Crowe first meets the band Stillwater is at the San Diego Sports Arena, and it was the entrance that I used tonight.

Bob Weir & RatDog / Keller Williams / San Diego 7/27/07

Friday afternoon in San Diego and once again the weather is perfect. The sun is shining and the Humphreys is SOLD OUT. Not a seat left in the House. Keller Williams takes the stage to little fanfare, Honestly, I think that because the show started at 6pm and there was no way to lower the house lights, some people didn't know that Keller had started.

Dickey Betts / Shooter Jennings - Humphreys -7/22/07

I was approved to shoot Dickey Betts tonight, so imagine my surprise when there was no ticket or photo pass waiting for me at the box office. A very nice young lady tried to get a hold of the Dickey Betts tour manager, but it was a no go, he had gone to the hotel to take a shower. So there I was, waiting outside a venue thinking that I was going to be shut out for the first time. Oh well, I thought, can't win them all. Now I need to back track a little. About a week ago, I received a FedEx letter from Billboard with a Billboard Mobile Blog Laminate. It's a fun little thing, with the word press on one side and the my photo and name on the other. We were told that it was not going to get us anyplace, but its fun to have at the shows and does lend a bit of credence to what we are doing this summer. Well, tonight it saved me from going home empty handed. I explained who I was and what I was doing there and when they asked if I had any proof of this wild story, I showed them the pass. They must have figured that I was telling the truth because I was handed a pass to get into the show with the threat, that if I was lying, I was in trouble. I got into the venue just as Shooter Jennings ( the opening act ) started their second song. These guys are good. And the bass player was a photographers dream.

Dale Bozzio of Missing Persons - House of Blues - San Diego - 7/18/07

The 80's are back, or at least they were back last night in San Diego. Dale Bozzio doesn't wear the plastic bra and she doesn't use as much hairspray as she did back then, but the voice is strong and the crowd knows all the words.

Willie Nelson - SDSU Open Air Theater - 7/12/07

There are few performers as iconic as Willie Nelson. From the long braid and cowboy hat, to the battered old guitar hanging by the red white and blue strap, and that VOICE. Man , there is only one WILLIE NELSON and I got to photograph him up close tonight.

Rocco DeLuca & The Burden; House of Blues, San Diego; 7.8.07

I love a ridiculous amount of bands and have been to more shows than I can keep track of, but it is not often that an artist actually blows me away in their live performance to the extent that Rocco DeLuca and the Burden have. I've seen them anywhere from small clubs (their performance at The Fillmore in San Francisco is one of the best live sets I've witnessed, ever), to community theatres, to record stores and coffee shops, to a crowd of over 17,000 at the Hollywood Bowl. No matter the setting, they do not disappoint; but I do think they excel and musically are best suited for a club, so I was extremely excited to be able to see them at the House of Blues during what is their first headlining tour.

Blues Traveler / Humphreys Concerts in San Diego /7/8/07

It was the end of the July 4th week, and Blues Traveler stopped by San Diego after their traditional July 4th Red Rocks show. This was the first time that I had seen them play at Humphreys, and I was not sure what to expect. The venue has a real problem with people dancing in their seats. I have heard a lot of "Please sit down" while at shows there, and this was no different. The problem with this, is that the energy level never grows and it affects some of the performances.

Panic in the Park: Widespread Panic, 7.1.07 San Diego

July started with a bang this year, with Widespread Panic bringing its jambased rock and roll to the Viejas Concerts in the Park venue in San Diego.   The weather is fantastic, a hot dry evening, with the sun setting behind the stage.

Honda Civic Tour 7/1/07 @ Coors Amph., San Diego

As someone who has seen the Honda Civic Tour three times now, I often get asked "Are you sick of it yet?" and the answer is most definitely "No, I'm not." The thing about the current Honda Civic Tour is that no matter how many times you see these bands, it still feels like the very first. I never once got the impression that these bands are bored or even tired as the tour comes to an end, and that is a sign of great musicianship.

The stop in San Diego was the tour's second to last show. Cobra Starship had the shows first slot and the party begun. The thing about Cobra Starship is that you don't have to know their music at all - they still make you want to jump around and dance. Lead singer Gabe Saporta has mass sex appeal that made the girls squeal and scream every time he moved his hips to the beat and don't worry boys - Vicky-T, who recently did a hot photo shoot for Maxim, gave the boys some eye candy as she danced and played her key-tar on stage. If you had to describe Cobra Starship in one word it would most definitely have to be "energy." If there was a way to get a membership to Gabe Saporta's school of rocking out, I'd so be the first in line to learn from that pro.

All American Rejects @ Del Mar Fairgrounds 6/28/07

Let me be completely honest, this show was quite odd. Not because of the band, that definitely was not the problem. The problem was that because this show was held at the San Diego County Fair, the majority of the audience was under the age of 10 and the stage was elevated about 8 to 10 feet so that if you were in the front up against the barricade, you would not be able to see drummer Chris Gaylor at all pretty much. Though not being able to see the whole band and being pushed around by 8 year olds every time they'd go crazy when guitarist Nick Wheeler threw a guitar pick into the crowd, the performance by the band itself was quite amazing.