washington

Vans Warped Tour // Auburn, WA [Pt. IV]

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My apologies everyone on the delayed post.  For those who have missed them, here are the prior parts: one, two, and three.

To begin, I personally did not see myself seeing PVRIS (pronounced Paris) as I had heard nothing about them, but I was recommended to them by both Tyler and Carmin.  Things had worked out since I also had a block in my schedule to shoot them.  Their style is something I haven't necessarily heard earlier but it's something electronic-y and alt/pop/rocky.  The band themselves are fairly new into the game, with only two prior EPs and one album, and I feel they do have a lot of growing up to do.  This aside; however, they do have a loyal fanbase and I do hope to hear them accelerate through the charts much like LIGHTS had since her debut.

So...if glam rock met post-hardcore, and had a baby, the result would be the Black Veil Brides.  Although I haven't heard too much of them, and wasn't necessarily drawn by their music - they put on a fun show!  Similar to many glam rock and hair metal bands of the 80s (I'm looking at you Poison and Motley Crue) BVB delivered the stage theatrics with the silly makeup, long hair, studded jackets, smoke and pyrotechnics.  I wish I could have stayed longer but I could never miss a chance to see...

...Beartooth!  Gone are Caleb Shomo's day of crabcore with Attack Attack! Instead comes a vicious post-hardcore/metalcore act where the crowds seem to grow every time I see them.  The fans were some of the rowdiest, despite being later in the day.  Crowdsurfers flew as the band tore up the stage, and even more so when the cover of Blitzkieg Bop came on.  Although some of the notes were missed, the intensity made up for it.  I would highly recommend any headbanger to join the pit and see them on tour.

Finally!  I have waited years to see I Killed the Prom Queen since the release of their album Music for the Recently Deceased came out in 2006 (which I'm still rocking out to, btw.)  I don't think they'd ever made their way to Vancouver and I was even more heartbroken when I heard of their breakup in 2008, but time had finally come when they reunited for their latest record Beloved (sans JJ Peters, however.)  For some reason, bassist Benjamin Coyte wasn't present but the show carried on with Jaime Hope (ex-The Red Shore) growling at the top (or bottom) of his lungs and Jona Weinhofen slaying it on the cleans.  Although the crowd (and set) was smaller than I expected, the pit was wild and I ended up getting kicked in the back once or twice (I thought it was just elbows!)  With Aussies Northlane, Parkway Drive and Deez Nuts hitting up Vancouver, I can only dream for a headlining Canada tour with IKTPQ.

 

Setlists

PVRIS

  1. Fire
  2. St. Patrick
  3. Mirrors
  4. Holy
  5. White Noise
  6. My House

Black Veil Brides

  1. Faithless
  2. Heart of Fire
  3. Coffin
  4. Wretched and Divine
  5. Kickstart My Heart (Motley Crue cover)
  6. The Legacy
  7. In The End

Beartooth

  1. The Lines
  2. Relapsing
  3. In Between
  4. I Have a Problem
  5. Beaten In Lips
  6. Dead
  7. Blitzkrieg Bop (Ramones cover)
  8. Body Bag

I Killed The Prom Queen

  1. Your Shirt Would Look Better with a Colombian Necktie
  2. Thirty One & Sevens
  3. Calvert Street
  4. Sharks In Your Mouth
  5. Say Goodbye
  6. To the Wolves

 

Vans Warped Tour // Auburn, WA [Pt. III]

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Cheers to the weekend, everyone!  For those who missed out, you can find part one here and part two, here.

The first band for this post goes to Memphis May Fire, a metalcore act from Dallas, Texas.  Despite having many lineup changes, their sound has undergone a fairly natural progression with their latest record, Unconditional, feeling very theatrical.  Although I haven't tuned into much of their discography, their performance was fun, jumpy and I'd say the instrumentalists outdid Matt Mullins in terms of stage presence.  All-in-all, nothing that stands out from the crowd but a otherwise very solid performance.

Up next is currently one of my favourite bands currently on repeat, The Amity Affliction.  These Brisbane natives came by Vancouver not too long ago, and although I love their studio albums, I felt their live mixing was a little on the weaker side both then and now.  In particular, I felt that Ahren Stringer couldn't quite nail some of the higher notes - but then again, I could be a little harsh assuming that it was the last day on the tour.  Regardless, Joel Birch's screams were heavy and the crowd participation, particularly during the breakdowns and refrains were excellent.  

Oh, I'm going to get a LOT of flack for this, but I actually can't stand the music from Pierce the Veil.  But then again, I'm also known for my brutal honesty - so here it goes.  Firstly, the security had held us back due to the abundance of CO2 canisters by the stage which started their set with a fuck-load of confetti.  After that, we all rushed in a single file line and were unable to really navigate the stage due to the onslaught of crowd-surfing fan girls (hence the same angle shots in most of the pictures.)  Regardless of my disdain for their "whiny" vocals, they definitely had the energy, stage presence and theatrics that I wish many of the bands I loved would show more often.  Even seeing these guys open for A Day to Remember, they definitely competed in terms of confetti, explosions and pyrotechnics.

Oh boy, I don't even know where to start with While She Sleeps.  They were definitely in the top 3 performances of the day, the other two going to Blessthefall and Senses Fail.  The boys from Sheffield, and in particular, front-man Lawrence Taylor just tore the crowd a new one.  These guys are absolutely bat-shit crazy and I love it.  The aggression in the lyrics really comes out in their actions, they're jumping, head-banging, hanging off of shit, tearing shirts off - the list goes on.  All I'm going to say here is that if you can, see these guys live.  You won't regret it.

August Burns Red.  This band from Manheim, Pennsylvania is probably one of the most progressive bands in the metalcore genre and are ALWAYS pushing the agenda in terms of technical prowess and introducing their influences into their music.  Be it little country-esque riffs to jazzy/bluesy outros, this band has it all.  What I can really respect about these guys is that, despite being an all-Christian band, they're not there to shove it down your throats, and would rather the metaphoric lyricism be interpreted as you wish.  It was awesome to see JB shred through all those solos and for Jake Luhrs to let out his extremely heavy screams, but also to see his passion and dancing (cue Internal Cannon).  I'm so sad that I missed them when they were last in Vancouver, but given the chance, I would find a way to see them again. 

Setlists

Memphis May Fire

  1. My Generation
  2. Prove Me Right
  3. Beneath the Skin
  4. No Ordinary Love
  5. Stay the Course
  6. The Sinner 
  7. Vices

The Amity Affliction

  1. Pittsburgh
  2. Never Alone
  3. Death's Hand
  4. Open Letter
  5. Chasing Ghosts
  6. Don't Lean On Me

Pierce the Veil

  1. The Divine Zero
  2. May These Noises Startle You in Your Sleep Tonight
  3. Hell Above
  4. Bulls in the Bronx
  5. Yeah Boy and Doll Face
  6. Caraphernelia (ft. Jake Luhrs of August Burns Red)
  7. King for a Day

While She Sleeps

  1. Death Toll
  2. New World Torture
  3. Brainwashed
  4. Trophies of Violence
  5. This is the Six
  6. Seven Hills

August Burns Red

  1. Fault Line
  2. The Wake
  3. Provision
  4. Identity
  5. Composure
  6. Internal Cannon
  7. Back Burner
  8. Empire
  9. White Washed

Sleepless in Seattle

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My dear friend and former classmate, Kayla, decided to have a nice birthday away in Seattle during the 3rd weekend of July.  Although we didn't get too rowdy, we trekked around our hostel in the International District and checked out Alki Beach in West Seattle, Pike Place and Capitol Hill.

Not too much to say here but I decided to play with some editing presets to get a different street look (some in colour!) as opposed to my regular black and whites.  Everything was shot only with a D610 and a 50mm 1.4 lens.
 

Lindsey Stirling - INB Performing Arts Center

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May 22, 2015 - So I once again had the amazing opportunity to shoot Lindsey Stirling on the road again, this time in Spokane, Washington at the INB Performing Arts Theater.  (The first time was with Archis in Portland at the Crystal Ballroom).  

For those who don't know, Lindsey Stirling is a cross between a violinist and dancer; a performing artist crossing the genres of electronic music, classical and even hip-hop.  She first uploading videos onto Youtube back in 2007 (Crystallize being the 8th most watched video of 2012), was a contestant in America's Got Talent and has collaborated with many other musicians such as Pentatonix and Lzzy Hale.

The show in itself was a spectacle to see with fantastic costume design, extraordinary set design and brilliant choreography.  Lindsey really brought the show to life and got the audience wanting and roaring for more!  Basically, if I haven't sold her enough, please go check her out - it's such a breath of fresh air to find a musician who breaks the mold and constraints of working in a particular "genre."

Below you will find my final images (click to enlarge) as well as a set list and gear guide.

Setlist:

  1. Ascendance
  2. Senbonzakura
  3. Moon Trance
  4. Master of Tides
  5. Shadows
  6. Elements
  7. Nerd Medley (Assassin's Creed, Game of Thrones, Skyrim, Dragon Age, Halo, Zelda)
  8. Song of the Caged Bird
  9. Swag (Acoustic)
  10. Transcendence
  11. Take Flight
  12. Firefly
  13. Stars Align
  14. Roundtable Rival
  15. Shatter Me
  16. [Encore] Beyond the Veil w/ Phantom of the Opera Medley

Gear List:

- Nikon D610 with 24-70 2.8
- Nikon D7000 with 70-200 2.8