concert photography « TravelJapanBlog.com

Blast from the past – Sanctuary

Once again, I must interrupt my Hakone pictures with something discovered upon packing for our move to Japan. I found a box with photos from the 80s and early 90s that I had taken on a crappy little camera. The picture above is of Fates Warning, a band I loved in the 80s. Once John Arch was replaced with Ray Alder (guy on the right) I lost my enthusiasm. However, I had enough interest in the other band playing on this bill to go see them in Salt Lake City back in 1990.

Jim Matheos, second from the left, was the brilliance behind the band. I could never really appreciate Alder’s voice though.

The band I really went to see was the opening act, Sanctuary. Their two CDs were my constant companions in the late 80s and early 90s. I still listen to them once a year or so for some good memories.

The above guitarist is Lenny Rutledge. When Sanctuary turned into Nevermore he didn’t come along (like the bassist Jim Sheppard).

Warrel Dane, on the other hand, is still going strong on his own and in Nevermore. I like Nevermore and his solo stuff, but the early Sanctuary stuff is still my favorite. He has some of the best pipes in the business.

Dave Budbill is back there on drums somewhere. The club was very small and Fates Warning had all their stuff on the tiny stage too.

Tomorrow I’ll show you another gig from the same time frame.

Posted on July 27th, 2009 under Other. Tags: concert photography, metal, sanctuary band. Comments: 3

Exodus

Sometimes there are good days, sometimes there are great days, and then sometimes there are days that seem like a dream. Yesterday was one of the latter.

Wednesday was my last day of teaching classes in Copenhagen. Finishing up is always a relief and puts me in a bit of a euphoric state. I don’t really know why as I enjoy teaching, but that is just what happens. Plus, my students were very good to me on the last day. They actually applauded at the end (which never happens in the states but did happen to me once in Mexico), and many of them came up to me afterwards with nice compliments, etc.

Payment for my services in Denmark also showed up in my bank account which was a pleasant surprise that I wasn’t expecting for a few more weeks. Everything was going my way.

Also I had some great and timely tunes come on the old ipod as I was cruising around town on my bike. I’m going to miss my bike in a few days when I have to take it back to my Iraqi friend. Biking in Copenhagen is lots of fun. The bike lanes are so well laid out and respected. The scenery is fabulous, and I can’t get enough of the adventure.

So when I finally got home I was in very high spirits. Of course the open bar at our faculty meeting probably didn’t hurt either.

I went online to find out if the local soccer team was playing at the stadium today. When I went to purchase tickets it showed a ticket calendar that included Exodus playing just a few blocks away. At the time I saw this the opening band would just be coming on stage. I threw on my Metaltown t-shirt and hopped on my bike.

I couldn’t believe my good luck. I’m not a huge Exodus fan, but I do own their first four CDs (which I haven’t listened to in ages). Exodus is from my neck of the woods. Although I saw most of the Bay Area Thrash bands live back in the late 1980s at San Francisco Bay Area clubs, Exodus was somehow never on the bill. Seeing them for the first time, in Copenhagen, put me in a dream-like state.

I rode my bike down Hans Christian Andersen Boulevard to see Exodus at The Rock right off of Stroget. I had to get off my bike and walk it for one block as I was on the wrong side of the street. Out of the corner of my eye I see a bill lying on the sidewalk. I picked it up to find that it is 200 Norwegian Kroners! So now my perfect day is ending with a highly anticipated and newly discovered concert that isn’t going to even cost me anything. In fact, I made money off this trip to see Exodus thanks to the kroners falling from heaven. At this point I was quite certain I was dreaming, but I didn’t pinch myself out of fear of waking up.

I parked my bike not 10 feet from the door of the venue. I walked inside to find a tiny club that is nearly empty. It was almost embarrassing to see so few people turn up to see a band like Exodus. But as an audience member, less is more so I enjoyed the lack of a crowd.

The crowd was most bizarre compared to U.S. crowds or even my Metaltown experience in Sweden. Nobody rushed the stage and few even came next to the stage. I was next to the stage the entire night and didn’t even come into contact with other people. I could even take a step or two back from the stage to take a picture and no one would grab my prime spot.

My pictures aren’t that great for a couple of reasons. The first is I brought my daughter’s cheap camera instead of mine since I didn’t know if cameras were allowed. (It turns out that people brought in huge, professional cameras with flash, lenses, etc. and no one said a word.) The second reason is I was actually too close to take pictures even with the widest lens settings. Most of my pictures just show part of a guitar or someone’s head because I couldn’t get any wider.

If you want to take pictures at a concert I don’t think you will ever find a better venue than The Rock in Copenhagen. There is no security. None. Not one single guy. There is no barrier to the stage. I rested my hand on the stage for much of the show. There are no rules except no smoking. And best of all, the crowd doesn’t make it difficult to take pictures. You won’t get bumped. You can roam the entire front of the stage.

Based on their calendar it looks like The Rock hosts my kind of bands. Recent acts included Death Angel, Artillery, Forbidden, Finntroll, Metal Church, and others.

Rob Dukes, Exodus’s vocalist, noted the small crowd by saying something like, “What has become of Copenhagen? Nothing but tumbleweeds?” It’s funny to think that I saw Exodus with only about 100 people just a few days before they perform as one of the main acts at Wacken 2008 in front of more than 30,000 people.

Lee Altus (formerly of Heathen, a band I listen to more than Exodus) was literally less than a foot away from me most of the night. I actually had to get out of his way a few times in order to not be hit in the head with his guitar. I spoke with him a few times between songs. At the end of the show he gave me his guitar pick and the set list (or is it setlist?) you see below.