August 2008...Chicago,Barack and Bruce

Haven't made a post this month so here is my first. Been pretty busy lately, went to Chicago for a little visit.
I walked around downtown for a couple of days and tried to get some fresh photographs. I didn't really get a lot, but the ones I did get I was happy with.









I went to The Empty Bottle to see The Duke Spirit perform. I had talked to guitarist Luke Ford by email and they remembered me from last time I saw them opening for B.R.M.C. It was their last night in the U.S. before they were heading to Prague to open for R.E.M. for one night. Singer Liela Moss was nice enough to spend most of the afternoon and some time after the show letting me photograph her. She was a natural model coming up with great ideas and poses. I was very happy in the photos I took of her with Polaroid and my Canons. They put on a wicked show as usual but I didn't really get many good concert photos due to low light and a packed house. So we hung out after the show and did a few photos and hopped in the photobooth before I jumped in the car at 2 am and drove the eight hours home. I was slightly tired to say the least. Here are a few shots of Liela.










Next up I shot The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, but I haven't put those photos up yet because a few days later I shot Bruce Springsteen. Didn't know what to expect from this show, it was at the Sprint Center. After I found a parking spot seven stories up and two blocks down I went inside and waited with a few other photographers. We made our way up to the main floor and were told we had to shoot from behind the soundboard, which was about 200 feet back! For sure the farthest I have ever been back for a concert. The other time I shot there was for The Police and Elvis Costello and I got to shoot two songs from in front of the stage. The sound was a bit muddy and all the baby boomers were complaining that about him starting over an hour late. I didn't get the photos I really wanted due to the distance, but better than nothing. Here are a few.










Next up a few days later was the Barack Obama visit to Kansas City. He stopped by on his way to the Democratic National Convention in Denver. It was at the American Airlines overhaul base and was a closed to the public speech. He was there to talk to about 150 AA union workers in a town hall type setting. I was pretty excited to see him in person. And to see the local and national press there to cover him. He didn't disappoint even though it was pretty subdued due to the lack of people. I was about 30 feet back or so and tried to get the best photos I could.

Recent Concert Photos --July 2008

A few concert/musician portrait photos from the last two weeks. Not really enough for full sets as usual but a few good ones here and there. First off, I shot Juana Molina and Feist a couple of weeks ago. I arrived at the venue, the same one that I shot The Cure at a couple of months ago...where my car was hit. I just got it back from the shop by the way, they did a nice job. Anyhoo...security told me that Feist did not want any photographers in front of the stage, you had to be 25 feet to the sides and 50 rows! back from center. Needless to say I didn't get any great shots, I took a few and left. Next up was last weekends concerts, two in one night. First I drove to Crossroads to meet up with Dave Wakeling from The English Beat and Mike Peters from The Alarm for a couple of portrait shots before going over to shoot Foo Fighters and Supergrass. Both Dave and Mike were really cool and talked to each for about 15 minutes. Hopped in the car drove to Kemper Arena to get my photo pass for Foo...which was lost until I found someone who knew what they were doing...did I say yet that it was like 95 degrees out and I'm lugging 40 pounds of equipment around? So they then informed me I couldn't shoot Supergrass, which was the only real reason I wanted to go. I stood backstage while the AEG rep went to find the tour manager...meanwhile I bumped into Pat Smear of Germs/Nirvana/Foo Fighters and took a polaroid of him...I would put it on here but the scanner I just bought off of ebay does not work. I eventually got to shoot one song of Supergrass. (They contacted me and said they loved the tambourine shot) Then shot three songs of Foo Fighters from stage left only...not very good photos at all. So I split and walked out the wrong exit and looked for my car for about 10 minutes then hauled ass back to Crossroads to shoot The Fixx and The English Beat. I was really impressed with both bands and the sound was great, I wish I hadn't missed The Alarm. Oh well...I got a little bit of all the bands.







Feist





Mike Peters of The Alarm



Dave Wakeling of The English Beat/General Public



Gaz of Supergrass



Charley of Supergrass









Foo Fighters





The Fixx







The English Beat

Tom Waits Live In St.Louis At The Fox

The "Glitter and Doom" tour stopped in Missouri on June 26th,2008. I drove the four hours from KC to shoot the show for our paper-"The Pitch" and the St.Louis paper "The Riverfront Times". I was already exhausted before I took off but the adrenaline kicked in at the prospect of me finally getting to photograph my all time favorite singer songwriter..the legend, Tom Waits. I dropped off my friend Rod at his hotel then headed over to the venue...the paper wanted the photos sent to them by 8am, so I decided just to stay up all night, drive right back home and edit until the morning.I got to the venue and got to the box office by 6pm to pick up my photo pass and my ticket.Everyone there was really nice, the staff and security. They told me they would escort me in once the other two photographers showed up...so I waited and waited. One finally showed up, Nate who was really cool and covering the show for a Chicago magazine. We waited together for another hour and a half or so until they let us go in and escorted us in "goodfellas" style through the back of the venue. I had a few minutes to set up while the crowd filled in and the start of the show was pushed back a bit. Ok...lights down...I have three songs to shoot but can only shoot from the sides of the stage, good thing I rented a 200mm lense earlier in the day. Best $50 I ever spent. I need to buy one, Canon 70mm-200mm 2.8 is. If someone wants to mail me one for an early Christmas present that would make me very happy! Oh back to the show...boom the lights down, Tom comes out to applause looking cool wearing his bowler hat making his trademark movements as he started with "Lucinda". I started taking as many photos as I could trying to make things look different using the same angle. I wish I could have shot more than three but who is complaining! It's Tom Waits! I've seen him three times prior on the last two tours and it was good to hear some different material. I would say my favorite songs were "Day After Tomorrow" "Goin Out West" and "Dirt In The Ground".














Setlist:
1. "Lucinda" ("Orphans")

2. "Way Down in the Hole" ("Frank’s Wild Years)

3. "Falling Down" ("Big Time")

4. "Black Market Baby" ("Mule Variations")

5. "All The World Is Green" ("Blood Money")

6. "Heigh-Ho" (Orphans")

7. "Get Behind The Mule" ("Mule Variations")

8. "Day After Tomorrow" ("Real Gone")

9. "Cemetery Polka" ("Rain Dogs")

10. "Hang Down Your Head" (Rain Dogs")

11. "Lucky Day" ("Black Rider")

12. "Johnsburg, Illinois" (Swordfishtrombones")

13. "Lost In The Harbour ("Alice" soundtrack)

14. "Make It Rain ("Real Gone")

15. "Lie To Me" (Orphans)

16. "The Other Side Of The World" (Night On Earth" soundtrack)

17. "Singapore ("Rain Dogs")

18. "Dirt In The Ground" (Bone Machine")

19. "What’s He Building In There?" ("Mule Variations")

20. "16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six ("Swordfishtrombones")

21. "Rain Dog" ("Rain Dogs")

ENCORE

22. "Goin’ Out West" ("Bone Machine")

23. "Anywhere I Lay My Head" ("Rain Dogs")

24. "Innocent When You Dream" ("Frank’s Wild Years")

Full photoset here: Tom Waits

Half Year Best Of List

Here are my favorite albums of the year so far...in no certain order, but I would say Lykke Li, Portishead, Tindersticks, Madrugada and Lightspeed Champion are at the top.

Madrugada- Madrugada

Daniel Lanois- Here is what is

Hercules and Love Affair- Hercules and love affair

The Kooks- Konk

Portishead- Third

Lightspeed Champion-Falling off the lavender Bridge

Tindersticks-The Hungry Saw

The Duke Spirit-Neptune

MGMT-Oracular Spectacular

Elbow-Seldom Seen Kid

The Gutter Twins-Saturnalia

Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan--Sunday at Devil Dirt

The Last Shadow Puppets-The age of the understatement

Lykke Li- Youth Novels

http://scottspy.muxtape.com/

Click to listen to songs from these bands.

Peter Murphy In Concert

Peter Murphy played The Beaumont Club on Sunday June 15th 2008. It was great to see him live for the first time. The crowd was pretty small, maybe 200 or so. But it was Sunday night and Fathers day and the weather was being weird. Anyway...this guy Ali Eskandarian opened up and was difficult to describe but I liked him...kind of reminded me of Saul Williams a bit , kind of a political rant thing. I got some great shots of him, he was very expressive. Peter Murphy came on and looked quite dapper up close, a nice jacked with a purple shirt underneath, he looked like a combo of David Bowie and Paul Weller. His voice sounded very strong...I really liked hearing some of his old solo stuff.

Ali Eskandarian







Peter Murphy









Setlist:

Burning From The Inside
Disappearing
Devils Teeth
Marlene Dietrichs Favourite Poem
Gliding Like A Whale
I'll Fall With Your Knife
The Sweetest Drop
Black Stone Heart
Crystal Wrists
Endless Summer Of The Damned
Huvolla
Deep Ocean Vast
Idle Flow
A Strange Kind Of Love
Shes In Parties
All Night Long
Cuts You Up
Final Solution