Well, the Billboard Mobile Blog for the summer of 2007 is over. It has been a wild summer with both some of the best music I have seen for a long time combined with some of the most frustrating experiences I have ever had. The summer started with Widespread Panic, then through my own contacts, I got to shoot Blues Traveler, but the one show that summed up my Billboard blog experience was Willie Nelson.
Continue reading "Summertime, Done come and gone, My oh my"
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.
Continue reading "Crowded House / Liam Finn / 16 Frames - Humphrey's by the Bay - San Diego - 8/24/07 "
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.
Continue reading "Macy Gray / The Brand New Heavies - 4th & B - San Diego - 8.23.2007"
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.
Continue reading "Andrew Diamond / Prezident Brown / World Beat Center - 8/17/2007 "
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.
Continue reading "Fountains of Wayne - Viejas Concerts in the Park - 08/11/2007"
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.
Continue reading "Faith Hill - Tim McGraw / San Diego Sports Arena / 08/02/2007"
I pulled into Griffith Park, home of the Greek Theatre, at 2:30 Saturday afternoon. The temperature was in the high 90s and the sky was clear. Another scorching day at the Greek. I had not been to the Greek Theatre since last year when Bob Weir & RatDog shared the stage with the String Cheese Incident. It was good to be back.
Continue reading "Bob Weir & RatDog / Keller Williams / Los Angeles 7/28/07"
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.
Continue reading "Bob Weir & RatDog / Keller Williams / San Diego 7/27/07"
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.
Continue reading "Dickey Betts / Shooter Jennings - Humphreys -7/22/07"
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.
Continue reading "Dale Bozzio of Missing Persons - House of Blues - San Diego - 7/18/07"