CONCERT REPORT: Winter 2021

Though things have been kinda choppy with cancelations and postponed shows, I managed to make a bunch of shows in the past couple of months: 

CONCERT REPORT: 4 shows in 6 days!

Nita Strauss backs Alice Cooper in Boston 9/21/21

The past week has been a bit of a whirlwind for me! And I was totally here for it. Friday, Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday were filled with all the feels. Here's a rundown of all the nights in one post. 

CONCERT REPORT: The Struts at the Capitol

Luke Spiller of the Struts performing at the Capitol Theatre

Going into my 6th Struts show on Saturday night, I was pretty certain I was not going to be disappointed based on the last five times with them. But, what I didn't expect, was how much it was going to mean to me. 

CONCERT REPORT: Guns N' Roses at MetLife Stadium 2021

Back in 2020, Guns N' Roses was set to play for the masses until you-know-what put a stop to just about everything. But now that the Northeast US powers that be have deemed it safe to have concerts again, at least for now (!), they were finally able to bring their high-energy "We're F'n Back!" Tour to MetLife Stadium on August 5th. 

Having seen the band in various forms going back to the Use Your Illusion tour, I can personally attest that 

CONCERT REPORT: Rise Against at Pier 17

Tim McIlrath performs with Rise Against at Pier 17

WELL WELL WELL. My first concert after lockdown finally happened!

PBS "Icon: Music Through the Lens" Launch Party

 Hello! Finally an event to write about after 1 year+! But what is time anyway at this point. 😫

When I found out about the launch party at Morrison Hotel Gallery for the PBS Summer series "Icon: Music Through the Lens," I was pretty excited. Not only had I never been to this particular gallery, I was delighted to see that there was going to be a significant amount of television dedicated to documenting my biggest passion next to music itself. Not to mention it's been over a year since I've ventured into Manhattan. While I can give you some plusses to taking a break from NYC—namely saving a bunch of money in tolls and parking garage fees as well as saving myself traffic stress—overall, I've really missed that place. So this was a great excuse to go in and reunite with the greatest city on the planet. 

The gallery is tucked away on the second floor of a small building on Spring Street in SoHo. To say the city is back to business as usual might not be accurate, because while I was on my way to the event, I'd never seen the streets so packed. So that was nice to see, albeit a little startling when you've been away from crowd life a long time. I never really bought into the whole attempt by some people to make it sound like it was on the decline. It had its struggles and I'm sure it still does, but ultimately you can't hold NYC down! 

The event was private, but if you were on the mailing list or in-the-know, a simple RSVP got you in. I wasn't sure how big of a crowd would be let in to this tiny space, so I arrived early and thus had no issues. 

The photos that adorned the walls were mostly comprised of instantly recognizable shots to most Rock fans. Among the highlights were iconic shots of Joan Jett, Queen and Iggy Pop by Mick Rock, The Clash by Bob Gruen, Kurt Cobain by Jesse Frohman, Keith Richards and Patti Hansen by Lynn Goldsmith, The Doors by Henry Diltz, and Jim Morrison by Joel Brodsky. Seeing them framed and treated as a singular piece of art really increased the appreciation for these unique photos. 

The event was DJ'd with excellence by Jack James, dressed head to toe in all black with a shock of wavy blonde hair, sunglasses and platform boots (that I admired from afar). Among his choices to help set the mood were Gary Glitter's "Do You Wanna Touch Me" and The Runaways "Playing With Fire", which incidentally I had just listened to on my drive in. So he can definitely sit at my table during Lunch. 

Over the course of the evening, some of the photographers featured showed up to help celebrate including David Godlis and the aforementioned Frohman. Check out MGH's instagram for shots of the scene or scroll down to see mine!

You can watch the series on PBS or else check it out on Amazon Prime Video here. 

Small photography update!

How are all my fellow concert junkies doing out there? Sigh. I'm sure I already know. YouTube and livestreams are welcome right now, but it's not the same as feeling connected to your favorite music and people in person. Not to mention being somewhere else other than your routine places to visit over and over during this time. Namely your living rooms! Blah. Hope everyone is getting by alright. If not, I hope things get better for you in 2021. 

Well, obviously I haven't had any shows to write about or shoot. But I HAVE been continuing to archive full sets from shows I've already posted highlights from here if you want to check them out! 

I also have an Etsy shop now! You can find it here. I'll be updating it with new additions from time to time, so check it out every now and then to see what's up! 8x10 prints are a great gift idea for you or another fellow music junkie! 

About 2018 and 2019...

The short answer is I got really behind on posting about my shows the past couple years. I decided it was too overwhelming to catch up the site on those shows as far as written recaps. However, throughout the year I did keep up with show photography and am finally caught up archiving my visual work at least. I have organized these sets into a Flickr collection located here for 2018 and here for 2019, which is still being updated.

Enjoy!

CONCERT REPORT: Nastie at The Broadway

Nastie, feat. Roddy Bottum of Faith No More, The Broadway February 15, 2020

Valentine's Day is usually associated with lovey dovey activities like romantic meals at a fancy restaurant, exchanging sentimental cards or enjoying a box of chocolates. As for me, this year I decided to get weird and go see another one of the great Roddy Bottum's bands, Nastie.

CONCERT REPORT: Mr. Bungle at Brooklyn Steel

Mr. Bungle performing at Brooklyn Steel, February 10, 2020

To say I was happy I had the opportunity to go to the sold out Mr. Bungle show at Brooklyn Steel on Monday night would be an understatement. I was shut out the day tickets went on sale back in August, and proceeded to stress out about this show through two seasons and four national holidays until I miraculously found someone selling a ticket for face value on Twitter the week before the show. I REALLY WANTED TO BE THERE. Thankfully the concert gods allowed this to happen.

CONCERT REPORT: Crickets at Baby's All Right

Michael O'Neill, JD Samson and Roddy Bottum performing as Crickets
at Baby's All Right in Brooklyn, NY in January 2020

This past January was my third time seeing Crickets, which is the new side project from Faith No More's Roddy Bottum and Le Tigre's JD Samson, as well as Samson's bandmate in a band called MEN, Michael O'Neill. And with each show, my enthusiasm for them has grown more every time I see them.

CONCERT REPORT: Brian Fallon at The Space

 

Brian Fallon at the Space in Westbury, Oct 2018

Following the string of dates his band The Gaslight Anthem played over the course of 2018 might seem like a tall order for singer Brian Fallon. But since their hiatus began in 2015, he has been quite successful developing his own following, including some people who weren’t familiar with his band at all. So any worry of alienating Gaslight fans surely quickly disappeared, as he’s been able to stay on the public’s radar through two albums now.

CONCERT REPORT: The Gaslight Anthem 2018 Reunion

The Gaslight Anthem at the Stone Pony, August 2018

2018 was a big year for fans of the Gaslight Anthem. After playing their last show as a band in 2015 and going their separate musical ways, the faithful held on to the hope they might get to see their favorites together once again some day, or at all in the case of those who discovered them after via Brian Fallon’s subsequent solo career officially began in 2016. Well, they were granted their wish when the band announced tour dates would actually happen to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their album “The ’59 Sound”, which catapulted them into the public eye back in 2008.

CONCERT REPORT: On The Run II / Beyoncé and Jay-Z

On The Run 2014 was a tour for the ages. With a format that saw the power couple together and apart at various times during the night, featuring brilliant segues between each of their individual sets and a heartwarming finale, one left the show thinking that evening could never be matched. So when it was announced there would be an On The Run II tour in 2018, it was natural to wonder “What will they do THIS time?”

CONCERT PHOTOS: Rise Against with AFI

Punk Rock took over when Rise Against came to town with AFI and Anti-Flag, helping America let off some steam as the end of Summer loomed ahead.

CONCERT REPORT: The Struts in New Haven

The Struts performing at College Street Music Hall, New Haven, CT

The Struts are a UK band steadily on the rise in America, and have only released one full studio album that is now 4 years old, "Everybody Wants." That record is chock full of Pop Rock with a twist of Glam, earning comparisons to the great Cheap Trick and Queen. They're a throwback while still being fresh and original, thus allowing them to avoid being categorized as a copycat. Frankly, if they're good enough to open for the Foo Fighters, Rolling Stones and Mötley Crüe, then they are good enough for this concertgoer. Those bands have surely seen many young bands try to break out in their travels, so for the Struts to be handpicked out of a sea of hopeful Rock torchbearers is saying a lot for their credibility musically and performance-wise.

CONCERT REPORT: Dave Hause & The Mermaid cruise the East River (PHOTOS)

Dave Hause & The Mermaid playing on board the Cosmo (June 2018)

Upon first hearing that one of my favorite acts, Dave Hause & The Mermaid, was going to be playing a Rocks Off Cruise, I was a bit nervous. The idea of coupling a great show with the anxiety of being late for fear the venue would leave without me along with the possibility of motion sickness did not sit well with me. But I decided to give it a shot anyway. If I've learned anything from concert junkie life, it's that most of the time, it's worth it to plow past fears of the unknown to get to the good stuff.

CONCERT REPORT: Papa Roach - April 2018 (PHOTOS)

Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach performs in Huntington, NY at the Paramount (April 2018)

Papa Roach's April run was a headliner, which is always welcomed. Given the fact their fans already know to drop everything for a Roach show, and they surely also attracted new faces from their time on the arena tour with A Day To Remember the month before, it's not surprising most of these shows sold out.

CONCERT REPORT: Royal Blood's 2 night stand at Brooklyn Steel

Royal Blood's Mike Kerr basking in the cheers of Brooklyn Steel as drummer Ben Thatcher crowdsurfs back to the stage

(photo by Lorraine Schwartz, May 29, 2018)

Royal Blood played a two night stand at Brooklyn Steel a few weeks back. I was lucky enough to get into both nights, and I can't wait for them to return.

CONCERT REPORT: Papa Roach - March 2018 (PHOTOS)

This past March, I caught a bunch of Papa Roach's East Coast dates with A Day To Remember. As per usual, I was curious to see ADTR's crowd reactions to Papa Roach because much like the Rise Against show in December, the two bands are very different. Papa Roach has often managed to get themselves on bills of all kinds, including the still-confusing tour with 311 back in 2005. So they're used to a challenge every now and then. But the good news for them is that they always rise to it and walk away from these shows with new fans. Their March dates were no exception.

Most of the crowd knew their biggest single,  one of the most famous hits of the 2000s/TRL era, "Last Resort." These days, even though TRL does not have anywhere near the influence it did back then (I'm not even sure exactly when it airs now), it would be difficult to find a Rock fan who does NOT know that song thanks to YouTube. But what impressed me is that this crowd, who in some cases, are half the band's age, knew even the most recent hit. "Help", off 2017's "Crooked Teeth" got a big cheer when singer Jacoby Shaddix announced it was the next song they were going to play. This shouldn't have been a surprise, as the song has done very well according to Billboard. This should be comforting to a band that has been in the spotlight for so long they've outlived many TRL bands, still manages to win new followers.

My photos from March can be found here:
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