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As you well know if you are my friend on Facebook or follow me on Twitter, Saturday was my big night. After chasing them down for three or four years, I finally got to shoot the Noel and Liam in all of their (seemingly disinterested) glory at the Patriot Center. The cherry on top is that I also got to review the show for Washingtonpost.com (thanks guys!). Much like the concert, the review is OK, but not my finest work. Luckily there were other people people there reviewing the show, so you can read Dave McKenna's fair-handed mainstream media review or perhaps Chris Klimek's pretty spot-on casual fan review (with more photos from yours truly).
I wanted Saturday night to be pure euphoria, and for songs 2, 3 and 4, it was. But after I shot my three songs and put my camera gear away, I never got back to those heights, probably because I am a jaded old fuck that can't even enjoy his favorite band anymore. Who knows? I talked to a few friends who were also at the show and they all loved it, which is great to hear. I was also happy to see an almost full venue! D.C. hearts Oasis.
But that's not to say I didn't enjoy the show, because I did. "Don't Look Back In Anger", which has never been one of my favorite Oasis songs, was performed acoustically sounded brand new and shiny. "Falling Down" was totally mega, as was "Shock of the Lightning" and "To Be Where There's Life", one of the few songs in the set where Liam really went for it on his vocals.
It was a real thrill to finally be able to shoot Oasis. I had to drink a beer during Ryan Adams' set to calm my nerves a bit (and I never drink when I am shooting). I regret not taking some wider angle shots, but I was so focused on getting great shots of Liam and Noel I kind of threw my normal process out the window. The stage was really high and they had a wall of floor monitors on the lip of the stage, so the narrow photo pit kind of limited what I was able to do. But I got some good stuff and I ultimately walked out of the venue one happy camper.
But most importantly, I got to stand about 6 inches from Liam!
Here's hoping that rumor of a Spring tour with Weezer turns into reality.
Read the reviews:
Mine (with photos) for Washingtonpost.com's Post Rock blog.
Chris Klimek for Dcist (with more photo by yours truly!).
Dave McKenna for the Washington Post.
Q: Could I be more excited about this show?
A: No. Especially after reading the reviews of an apparently superlative MSG show in NYC. I'm kind of regretting not going to Philly last night, but the weather was kind of shit.
Hopefully no one rushes the stage this time.
I got like 4 hours sleep last night. Seriously, I'm on pins and needles! I will have a full report for everyone on Monday.
Here are a few Oasis covers for your listening enjoyment:
[MP3] Ryan Adams | Wonderwall (live)
[MP3] Cat Power | Wonderwall (live)
Quite frankly, this was one hell of a year. More about that a bit later, but let's go ahead and kick off the end-of-year-listage with the best gigs of 2008!
1) Underworld @ Virgin Mobile Festival - Baltimore, MD
What I said at the time: Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy
Not only was this the best show I saw all year, it was one of the best shows I have ever seen. Period. It was thoroughly mind blowing. My expectations for this could not have been higher but Underworld still blew me away. All concerts should be like this.
[MP3] Underworld | Beautiful Burnout
BUY: Underworld: Everything, Everything
2) Oasis @ Virgin Festival - Toronto, ONT
What I said at the time: Craziness erupted at the Oasis gig in Toronto tonight when during "Morning Glory" some punter somehow got onstage, and gave Noel a mighty shove into the monitors directly in front of him before turning and going after Liam. Luckily security corralled the guy before he could do any more damage to the band and the gig.
Photo superstardom for yours truly! I was totally crushed that I didn't get to shoot Oasis from the pit, but because I didn't, I happened to have my camera out when Noel was attacked on stage. The resulting shots were published all over the world.
[MP3] Oasis | To Be Where There's Life (live Wembley Arena 10/16/08)
BUY: Dig Out Your Soul
3) Radiohead @ Nissan Pavilion - Fairfax, VA
What I said at the time: It rained. Alot. A hell of a lot. More than you've ever seen. Ever. Almost four inches. Seriously, it was one of the biggest storms in D.C. history. And we stood outside during it and watched Radiohead. The "rain down" part of the "Paranoid Android" suddenly has new meaning to me.
Fuck. I don't think I'll ever forget this gig. It led to my first-ever photos in the Post and a whole bunch of other work. Oh yeah, and it rained. A hell of a lot. More than you've ever seen. Ever. I cannot stress this enough.
[MP3] Radiohead | Reckoner (live @ Nissan Pavilion)
BUY: In Rainbows
What happened at the Toronto show?
Well really, I don't know. I was playing away there, and he attacked me from behind. So I have no recollection of it whatsoever. I was playing, and then I was on the floor, and then I was in the hospital, and then I was back in England, and then I was (bleeping) in bed for five weeks.
Have you watched the incident on YouTube?
No. I don't own a computer.
Nobody's played it for you?
I don't know what the point would be of watching it. I've seen pictures, I've seen stills.
The Chief has seen my photos! Grizz texted me about this over the T'giving break and I was walking on air for the rest of the weekend.
Also, I would be remiss if I didn't point out this exchange:
What is the set list, what's it like?
It's an 8-by-4 piece of paper, and it has Oasis song titles on it.
Mm-hmm?
Yep. And we start at the top, finish at the bottom.
And the ones in the middle you play in the middle?
The ones on the middle, yep, they get played in the middle.
And that, my friends, is why I love this band in a nutshell.
I was organizing my CD collection today and I came across some old bootlegs I had forgotten about, so I thought I would share a bit of them.
First up is an Oasis gig from 2001 from Wallingford, CT, which is Hartford for all intents and purposes. This was the "Brotherly Love" tour with the Black Crowes that featured my second favorite drummer*, Steve White, on the skins for Oasis. I went to this show by myself (my gf at the time didn't want to come since we were seeing them a few days later at Radio City Music Hall), so I thought I would bring my minidisc player and record the show. I'm no Bradley's Almanac, but I think it actually turned out pretty well. One thing I remember from this show was pulling up to the venue in my rental car and seeing people tailgating before the gig. After living in NYC for 5 or 6 years, I had forgotten that such a thing even existed. I made a mental note to get out of the city more after that. But I digress...
I wrote a review of this show for an Oasis fansite, I'll have to see if I can track that down somewhere.
[mp3] Oasis | Columbia (live in Hartford, CT 2001)
[mp3] Oasis | Fade Away (live in Hartford, CT 2001)
"Fade Away" is one of my favorite Oasis songs and to hear Steve White put his spin on the percussion for this song was a real treat. Also, this gig (and the following one at Radio City) went a long way in rekindling my love for the band. It showed me even though their previous record was crap, they still had it live and hopefully their recorded output would eventually come around.
* Reni is at the top of the list as far as I am concerned. Dude can work a high-hat like no other.
I really enjoyed this documentary on Dig Out Your Soul. I'll have a proper review of the record on Monday.
Here is the ticket info for the tour. I already snagged a pair of tix for the Patriot Center. Super excited about seeing them in a venue of that size.
Oasisinet is very pleased to be able to offer a Pre- Sale to the fans. While tickets go on general sale on October 3rd (October 4th for the Chicago gig), Oasis fans can apply for tickets through the Pre-Sale from Tuesday 30th September @ 10am (local time) until 10PM (local time) Thursday 2nd October (Chicago Pre-Sale open until 10pm Friday October 3rd).
The Pre-Sale password is: OASISINET
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The full details of the tour are:
Dec. 3: Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena. Tickets available from Ticketmaster, Live Nation, Oracle Arena Box Office and charge by phone at (510) 625 8497
Dec. 4: Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center. Tickets available from Ticketmaster, select Macy's stores, WhereHouse Music, Beverley Center, Ritmo Latino, Staples Center Box Office and charge by phone at (213) 480 3232 and (714) 740 2000
Dec. 6: Las Vegas, NV - The Pearl. Tickets available from Ticketmaster, The Pearl Box Office, and charge by phone at (702) 474 4000
Dec. 8: Denver, CO - Broomfield Events Ctr. Tickets available from Ticketmaster, select Macy's stores, select FYE stores, Cherry Creek Shopping Center Guest Services Desk, Official Visitors Center (1600 California St.), Twist & Shout, and charge by phone at (303) 830 8497 & (719) 520 9090.
Dec. 10: Minneapolis, MN - Target Center. Tickets available from Ticketmaster, Live Nation, Target Center Box Office and charge by phone at (651) 989 5151
Dec. 12: Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena. Tickets available from Ticketmaster, Allstate Arena Box Office and charge by phone at (248) 655 6666
Dec. 13: Detroit, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills. Tickets available from Ticketmaster, Live Nation, Palace of Auburn Hills Box Office and charge by phone (248) 377 0125
Dec. 15: London, ON - John LaBatt Centre (rescheduled 9/9 date). Tickets available from John Labatt Centre, Fanshawe College BizBooth, The Bookstore at Western, Book Plus & (519) 667 5700
Dec. 17: New York, NY - Madison Sq. Garden. Tickets available from Ticketmaster, Live Nation, Madison Square Garden Box Office and charge by phone (212) 465 6000
Dec. 19: Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Center. Ticketmaster, Live Nation, Susquehanna Bank Center Box Office and charge by phone (856) 338 2000, (215) 336 2000, (302) 984 2000 &
Dec. 20: Washington, DC - GMU Patriot Center. Tickets available from Ticketmaster, GMU Patriot Center, 9:30 Club Box Office, Merriweather Post Pavilion Box Office and charge by phone at (703) 993 3000, (800) 551 7328 or (202) 397 7328
Oasis & Ryan Adams - 2008 Tour Dates
Dec. 3 - Oakland, CA Oracle Arena
Dec. 4 - Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
Dec. 6 - Las Vegas, NV The Pearl
Dec. 8 - Denver, CO Broomfield Events Ctr.
Dec. 10 - Minneapolis, MN Target Center
Dec. 12 - Chicago, IL Allstate Arena
Dec. 13 - Detroit, MI Palace of Auburn Hills
Dec. 15 - London, ON John LaBattCentre (rescheduled 9/9 date)
Dec. 17 - New York, NY Madison Sq. Garden
Dec. 19 - Camden, NJ Susquehanna Center
Dec. 20 - Washington, DC GMU Patriot Center
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And by "it" I mean Dig Out Your Soul. Happy hunting.
I am eager to know what people think.
Craziness erupted at the Oasis gig in Toronto tonight when during "Morning Glory" some punter somehow got onstage, and gave Noel a mighty shove into the monitors directly in front of him before turning and going after Liam. Luckily security corralled the guy before he could do any more damage to the band and the gig. I happened to be shooting Liam and Noel at the time and caught the incident the split second after it occurred. Everyone near us in the crowd was stunned, we all gave a collective "WTF?"
A few hastily assembled, sleep deprived thoughts:
- Wow.
- How could something like this happen?
- Why would someone want to do that? After the end of the gig, the person in charge of security said this guy did not have access to backstage (via laminate or sticky pass, etc.) and just somehow managed to sneak onto the stage.
- Noel appeared to hurt his back. At the last moment as he fell, he turned and landed on his back, not his stomach (and guitar).
- The band came back out after a 10 minute break and finished the gig, cutting two songs from the set.
- They have my eternal respect for that.
- I bet security beat the snot out of that guy.
- I immediately thought of this.
- I am glad The Chief appears to be OK.
- Never a dull moment at an Oasis gig.
The girl standing beside me got the whole thing on video. There is already some other footage on YouTube. Go see for yourself.
Overall the gig was good, although I was gutted not to make the approved photog list to shoot it properly. But I did stand beside Andy Bell earlier in the day and got to see Paul Weller put on a crackin' set, so the day wasn't a total loss.
I'm exhausted. Off to bed.
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