Vinnie Paul of Hellyeah

Back in the 90s I saw Pantera open for Kiss after being given a free ticket. I also saw a few minutes of Mudvayne at the 2001 Ozzfest. Although Hellyeah isn’t my kind of metal (and the same can be said for Pantera, Kiss, and Mudvayne), they exceeded my low expectations live at the Medford Armory this past Friday night. Hellyeah, by the way, is made up of past and current members of Pantera and Mudvayne.

Greg Tribbett of Hellyeah (and Mudvayne)

Medford Armory’s finest

Chad Gray of Hellyeah (and Mudvayne)

Bob Zilla on bass for Hellyeah (and Damageplan)

Vinnie Paul of Hellyeah (and Damageplan and Pantera) tosses out a drum stick to the Medford Armory crowd

Tom Maxwell

Hellyeah setlist at the Medford Armory

Posted on December 17th, 2012 under Oregon. Tags: concert photography, hellyeah, metal, Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on Hellyeah

Niclas Engelin of Swedish band In Flames

It took more than four years since my last attempt to see In Flames to actually see them this time. Instead of standing behind thousands in their hometown of Gothenburg, I was able to stand in front of a couple thousand people to see them on the other side of the globe in Medford, Oregon. They were well worth the wait.

Anders Fridén of In Flames energizing the crowd at the Medford Armory

Posted on December 16th, 2012 under Other. Tags: concert photography, in flames, metal, Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on In Flames

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

Nikon D600 with the “Holy Trinity” of Nikkor lenses

Nikon is running a special on the D600. Yesterday was the first day and it runs until December 29 if you want to make this purchase and save $700. I wish I had waited, but it has been fun using the D600 for the past month.

Basically, you get the Nikon D600 with a $700 lens for the normal D600 price without a lens. You also get a free camera bag, 2% back, a 32 GB SD card, and a $100 Amazon Class on Demand card. If you were thinking about buying the D600, buy it now as this package will increase in price by $700 soon.

My outfit pictured above with f/2.8 lenses is with different lenses than that offered in this package deal. I would have sold the 24-85mm lens, but that isn’t difficult to do for near full price on Craigslist or ebay.

Posted on December 15th, 2012 under Other. Tags: AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 AF-S NIKKOR G ED N, Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on Nikon D600 with free $700 lens and more!

I don’t think I have noticed one of these before, but the Hotel Stratford in San Francisco on Powell Street has figured out a way to maximize its revenue by using its high-traffic location to advertise. It seems you can rent “billboard space” right on the side of their building.

Posted on December 14th, 2012 under Other. Tags: Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, Nikon D600, san francisco, signs. Comments Off on The Hobbit