Lamb of God @ Medford Armory

Last night I went to a rare concert in Southern Oregon. I’m not sure why the vast majority of bands go straight from San Francisco to Portland when Medford is halfway between, and they come through Medford on their bus anyway. The crowds for the few bands that do come through are pretty good sized and appreciative as you can see in this photo. Back in the 1970s, Rush, Kiss, Styx, etc. played at this same venue. Now they all skip Medford.

Anyway, last night’s show featured Lamb of God, In Flames, Hellyeah, and Sylosis. I’ll post some more photos from the evening soon.

Posted on December 15th, 2012 under Oregon. Tags: concert photography, lamb of god, metal, Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on Lamb of God

While I was getting into metal bands in the 1980s, COC was a punk band so I never got into them. Although I came to like Suicidal Tendencies, who crossed over from punk to metal, I suppose I never heard enough of COC once they made the switch to metal to come to appreciate them.

At the Getaway Rock Festival, where I took today’s photos, I was so tired when COC hit the stage that this wasn’t the best of opportunities to fall in love. Instead, I headed for my hotel halfway through their set in order to take a nap. I made it back to the festival just in time for Ghost.

Woody Weatherman of COC

Posted on December 2nd, 2012 under Other. Tags: concert photography, corrosion of conformity, getaway rock festival, metal, Nikon 18-200mm VR II, nikon d7000. Comments Off on Corrosion of Conformity

The first time I heard the drummer Gene Hoglan was back in 1989. The drumming on Dark Angel’s “Leave Scars” blew me away. Since then he has become one of the most prolific drummers in the business with more than 30 albums to his credit including appearing on releases by Death, Strapping Young Lad / Devin Townsend, Dethklok, and now Testament. Kids these days hear Gene Hoglan’s drums (not voice) when they see Pickles on Metalocalypse.

The first time I saw Hoglan in person was walking down the street in broad daylight in Sacramento on my way to this show. I knew who he was, but this was not how I wanted to see such a legend. I prefer today’s photo which puts him back into his proper place–somewhat hidden and fairly mysterious behind his drum kit.

Posted on October 16th, 2012 under Other. Tags: concert photography, metal, nikon d7000, sigma 85mm f/1.4 lens, testament. Comments Off on Gene Hoglan (aka Pickles)

Every summer Copenhagen has its annual jazz festival. I have been there for two of them. Today’s photo comes from 2011, in a tapas bar near Nyhavn called Tango & Vinos. I believe the bass player’s name is Rasmus Vennevold, and he was backing Birgitte Soojin at the time.

Posted on October 12th, 2012 under Denmark. Tags: concert photography, Nikon 18-200mm VR II, nikon d7000. Comments Off on Copenhagen Jazz Festival

Death Angel is coming back to Ace of Spades in Sacramento on Friday, October 26. They will be headlining this time and playing their first album, from 1987, in its entirety. My odds of going are slim to none, but my odds are slightly better for the gig in Santa Rosa on the prior Saturday night (10/20).

Mark Osegueda of Death Angel @ Ace of Spades

Will Carroll bashing the skins for Death Angel

Ted Aguilar's Relentless Retribution guitar

Posted on September 26th, 2012 under Other. Tags: concert photography, death angel, metal, nikon d7000. Comments Off on More Death Angel photos