Show Review & Photos: Slayer @ WaMu Theater

Slayer fans know how to take care of each other. They are practiced moshers and thrashers, and are there to enjoy the rock. At Seattle’s Slayer show their solicitous side extended towards helping a fan in a wheelchair by lifting him out of the crowd and over the barrier. Don’t question the wisdom of being in mosh pit while in a wheelchair – a Slayer show is the place you’d want to do this; fans are not out to beat each other up, and while the audience may have been predominantly male, but women of taste showed up in numbers, too.

Continue reading

Photos: Mötley Crüe & New York Dolls @ the Tacoma Dome

The Glam-A-Geddon tour with Mötley Crüe, Poison and New York Dolls hit the Tacoma Dome on Friday night. Photographer Matthew Lamb headed to the Dome and brought back some stellar shots – Poison pix will be up shortly, I promise – including these of Mötley Crüe and New York Dolls.


Mötley Crüe


New York Dolls – all photos by Matthew Lamb

Continue reading

Photos and Review: Vans Warped Tour – Gym Class Heroes

Gym Class Heroes was one of my favorite bands of the weekend. They were great musicians, put on a professional show, and were very entertaining and The Vans Warped Tour fans loved it. The lead singer (Travie McCoy) really engaged the crowd and the lead guitarist had the persona of young Jimi Hendrix.

Gym Class Heros

Photographer: John Rudolph

Photos and Review: Vans Warped Tour – The Devil Wears Prada

The Devil Wears Prada ravaged the main stage at The Gorge like few other bands at The Vans Warped Tour. This hard hitting Christian Metalcore band made no bones about their religious convictions and performed like it was their last performance. I really appreciated that as a fan of music.

The Devil Wears Prada

Performer: The Devil Wears Prada
Photographer: John Rudolph

Show Review & Photos: The Wiggles @ the Paramount

Admittedly, it did feel just a bit awkward arriving at Seattle’s beautiful Paramount Theater without a small child in tow to see international children’s music and TV stars The Wiggles perform. This time, I only brought my camera as my youngest child, a rabid fan of The Wiggles in her youngest years, was off to summer camp. I had been to see The Wiggles years ago with her when she was around 2 years old in a huge arena, driving an hour there and back because she liked them that much. This is what parents do, just to see a few moments of wonder and happiness on those little faces.

So this time as I waited for the show to start, I just watched as gently smiling parents carried in their infants or herded their toddlers to their seats, many of the little girls outfitted in pretty little dresses for the event. The entire feel was calm and mellow, which is something you might not expect when you gather a bunch of very small children together into a confined space. But perhaps that has something to do with the very nature of The Wiggles themselves. In many ways, The Wiggles continue the legacy of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood,” in their very positive, very gentle, and deeply respectful take on both entertaining and educating the youngest in our society. They construct simple but very clever songs that children can easily sing along to: fun, silly, interactive, and upbeat. The four Australians that make up the 2011 Wiggles are original members Anthony Field (blue) and Murray Cook (red), and Sam Moran, who replaced Greg Page a few years ago (yellow) and understudy Brad Carroll filling in for Purple Wiggle Jeff Fatt, who is recovering from heart surgery.


The Wiggles – photos by Marianne Spellman

Continue reading