Bob Weir and Wolf Bros Tropical Tuesday Tour in Miami Beach

They say hard work pays off.  Bob Weir is embracing this motto on several fronts.  Particularity, with his tackling tour schedule with 19 shows performed in March, and 21 total in his band's spring tour which ran from February 28 to March 30, not counting the May 3rd date at BeachLife Festival.  On another front, Mr. Weir, at 72, has been posting some impressive exercise videos to his artist Facebook page, showing him and Wolf Bros drummer Jay Lane making steady use of gyms along the tour.

Bob Weir and Wolf Bros at The Fillmore Miami Beach

Miami Beach was vibrant and hospitable, with impressive architecture and art at each turn.  Prominent integrations of culture took forms in murals, sculptures, facades, and landscaping. 

Why You Can't Miss This Year's Lockn' Festival

Bob Weir Performing at Lock'n Festival 

We are just over a month away from one of the summer’s top music events anywhere in the country, The Lockn' Festival.  This star-studded event will take place August 24-27 on Infinity Downs Farm located near Arrington, VA.  Since its first event in 2013, Lockn' Festival has continuously raised the bar with its top-notch performances from the biggest bands in the rock n’ roll and jam band scenes.  With no overlapping sets and a focus on musical collaborations between everyone’s favorite performers, promoter Peter Shapiro has virtually guaranteed that the music hungry crowd will take in performances that no other festival can deliver.

Tauk with Peridoni at The Madison Theater

Tauk played The Madison Theater with Peridoni this weekend and rocked the stage. These two bands have had a lot of good momentum this and are playing several festivals this spring and fall. This show was moved from Madison Live to the Madison Theater as there was a great turn out. Check out their schedule at www(dot)taukband(dot)com.

Images by Doug Siegel
www.dougsiegelphotography.carbonmade.com

 

The Marcus King Band at 20th Century Theater

The Marcus King Band made an appearance Tuesday night at the 20th Century Theater. Marcus King is a 20 year old guitarist who can play with the best of them, including the legendary Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks. Marcus and his phenomenal band played mostly originals and also broke out a few Allman Brothers covers. Marcus has been traveling the country and playing some international dates of recent. He also played the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam last week in Asheville. I have been seeing Marcus, when I lived in Asheville, since he was 16. There will be no slowing down for Marcus or his band anytime soon. Check him our at marcuskingband (dot) com.

Images by Doug Siegel
www.dougsiegelphotography.carbonmade.com

Pearl Jam Blows the Roof Off of Bon Secours Arena in SC

Pearl Jam came to Greenville, South Carolina for an epic 3 hour and 45 minute performance with over 30 songs on the bill. Not only that, but for the first time in a long time, they played all of their second album, Vs, from front to back!! The crowd was very active and this show proved once again why this band headlines festivals and has been named a top ten live act of any band on tour. Check out Pearl Jam at Bonnaroo and New Orleans Jazz Fest this year, or one of their many tour stops..See more of my photos and band info at PearlJam.com. Below click "Read More" to see a setlist and general write up of the show from the band's management...highlights included Comfortably Numb, Dissident, Future Days, Baba O'reilly and other rarities. 

Images by Doug Siegel

www.dougsiegelphotography.carbonmade.com

--Click Read More for Setlist and Images of Show--

Dropkick Murphy's 20th Anniversary Tour

Dropkick Murphys made a stop to Bogarts for their 20th Anniversary Tour with Tiger Army and Darkbuster. Tiger Army and Darkbuster played great opening sets but you could tell the sold out crowd was there for some Irish Rock n' Roll from Dropkick Murphys. This show sold out last January and was a bit crowded. In honor of their 20th Anniversary, the band put on a 10 minute video to start the show. The video covered band highlights, interviews, shows, Boston sporting events which they played, clips from movies including The Departed, and the band's favorite moments from 20 years of music. There was not a dull moment all evening and if you ever get a chance to see these guys, especially around St. Patricks Day, don't hesitate to go!! Check out more photos on their website and Press Line Photos. Have a good St. Patrick's Day.

Images by Doug Siegel

www.dougsiegelphotography.carbonmade.com

Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band with Barnstar!

Josh Ritter is on a national tour and made a stop by the Taft on February 29, 2016 to perform some old and new songs. He has a great style and will be moving up the ranks at the festivals this summer with increased popularity and one of his best albums to date. This was the last show on his winter tour and will resume touring in a few months through the summer. Check out the opening band Barnstar!

Images by Doug Siegel
www.dougsiegelphotography.carbonmade.com

Dark Star Orchestra at the Taft Theater

Dark Star Orchestra played a great show at the Taft Theater to a sold out crowd on February 26, 2016...The band played two full sets and a long encore as usual. For more information about DSO or tonights setlist/show, please visit their website at darkstarorchestra(dot)net. (only shot 3 mins of show due to late arrival due to other events)

Images by Doug Siegel
www.dougsiegelphotography.carbonmade.com

Lotus at Bogarts

Lotus is on a national tour with Michael Menert and made a stop at Bogarts last night to a packed house. Michael Menert, founder of Super Best Records and old producer for Pretty Lights, opened the show with a great set. If you get to see this tour, do not miss Michael Menert.

Lotus played two long sets of music and had a great light show to accompany the music. The crowd was very active and its clear that Lotus is building its loyal fanbase around the country. I talked to several people that road tripped to be at the show. Catch Lotus' website at Lotusvibes.com to see where they are playing near you.

Images by Doug Siegel
www.dougsiegelphotography.carbonmade.com

 

Wilco at the Taft Theater

Wilco played another great performance at The Taft Theater on Tuesday night. Jeff Tweedy and crew played songs off all of their albums with a very interactive crowd. Wilco is currently on a large United States tour and plays Shakey Knees Festival this weekend in Atlanta.

Images by Doug Siegel
www.dougsiegelphotography.carbonmade.com

Guster Plays to a Capacity Crowd At Bogart's Sound Stage

Guster played for a sold out crowd at Bogart's Sound Stage last night in Cincinnati. Guster is on a full tour around the United States for their new album Evermotion. They have already sold out half of their dates around the country. They are currently on tour with Kishi Bashi. Check Guster out at one of their many tour dates or festival appearances including Bonnaroo!

Images by Doug Siegel
www.dougsiegelphotography.carbonmade.com

Pearl Jam Opens Tour at U.S. Bank Arena with a Marathon Performance

Pearl Jam opened their Lightning Bolt tour in Cincinnati at U.S. Bank Arena on October 1, 2014. They played a three and a half hour show with two separate sets as encores. Highlights included several references to Pete Rose and how he should be in the hall of fame, talking about their last few days in Cincinnati with references to the old days of playing small venues in this city, and 34 songs of constant stadium pounding music. They delivered mellow songs to fast songs covering freedom, politics, charity, surfing, nature, and standing up for what you believe in at all times. Pearl Jam violated their curfew by half an hour and took a fine of over $10,000 to deliver a solid night of music to loyal fans. Pearl Jam gave the entire floor and first level seats to their 10 Club fan base for a minimal price. This band gets their back into their living! Pearl Jam has done over 100 charitable shows giving back to the community and practicing what they preach. This band has proven time and time again that they won't sell out. Go check out Pearl Jam 20 by Cameron Crowe.

The crew talked to people from all over the world throughout the night and was sitting next to Bronson Arroyo and Bob Pollard of Guided By Voices once my work was done. Pearl Jam is heading to several other venues throughout this tour. They will headline Austin City Limits Festival the next two weekends. In the end of October they will play right after Tom Waits and before Neil Young at his Bridge School Benefit in San Francisco, California. I have shot over 350 bands this year and this show was definitely up there in rank. This band has truly become a Hall of Fame act. There were several covers including "The Real Me" by The Who, "Rockin in the Free World" by Neil Young, and "Waiting on a Friend" by The Rolling Stones. Matt Cameron (drums) still tours with Soundgarden. There is a reason why The Rolling Stones,  Tom Petty, Neil Young, and other legends have said this band is one of their favorite touring bands. Rolling Stone also named Pearl Jam a top 10 touring band this year.  (Several photos were withheld for Pearl Jam's website and fan club which will post this week)

Images and Words by Doug Siegel
 (click read more for more images)
www.dougsiegelphotography.carbonmade.com

Tortuga Music Festival Concert Photos 2014

by Isaac Rodriguez
Rock Legends Photographers


Tortuga Music Festival took place on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. the weekend of April 12-13, 2014. An awesome event with great concerts, a great atmosphere, and beautiful weather. It did unfortunately rain a little on Sunday. However that did not deter the music and the fans from having a great time. After a little rain in the morning and early afternoon the weather again turned beautiful and everyone was happy.

This was one of favorite performances, Luke Bryan:

Hangout Festival 2013 Experiences Triumphant Year

Hangout Music Festival Crowd

The 2013 Hangout Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama was a success in every sense of the word.  The beautiful sunny weather on the beach once again provided the perfect environment for patrons to enjoy its best musical lineup yet.  It was neither too hot nor too cold.  With over 60 acts, every genre of music was accounted for.  The Hangout saw everything from the best in indie rock such as The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Shins, to jambands such as Umphrey’s McGee and Moe, to electronica’s heavy hitters in Bassnectar and Porter Robinson, and everything in between.  Being able to see Tom Petty, Stevie Wonder, and Trey Anastasio all giving us everything they have in the same festival was nothing short of magical.  Other than the headliners, festival highlights included The Roots, Galactic, and Toots and The Maytals.

The Shins - Indie Music at The Hangout Festival

James Mercer with The Shins

Welcoming a nice change of pace from the jambands and DJs on Friday, May 17 at the Hangout Music Festival was indie band, The Shins.  They played into the sunset from 7:30 until 9:00 on the sunset stage to a more resolute and seemingly sober crowd.  It was fairly easy to tell who the true Shins fans were.  Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico and now residing in Portland, Oregon, The Shins were right on point with their show.  Although their music is relatively unknown to those that are not into their scene, one could not help but appreciate the caliber of their lyrics and instrumentalism.  They played two of their biggest hits: “Caring is Creepy” and “New Slang,” which are songs that were popularized by the 2004 movie, Garden State.  They closed their show with their also reasonably popular song “One by One All Day.”  

Bassnectar Blasts the Beach

Bassnectar

Lorin Ashton AKA Bassnectar played into the sunset on the other side of the beach from 7:30-8:45 right before Tom Petty closed out Saturday night at The Hangout Festival 2013.  It seemed slightly odd watching Bassnectar at a festival during the daylight, but this was unavoidable at a festival where the music has to end at 11:00 PM.  While the show was very high-energy and enjoyable, the first hour lacked the usual element of his profound visual spectacle because the sun subdued the normally epic light show.  

Dillon Francis at Hangout Music Festival

Dillon Francis

Playing to a moderately packed Boom Boom Tent at the Thursday Night Pre-Party on Thursday, May 16^th was up and coming DJ Dillon Francis.  He played a steady mix of house music, dubstep, and reggaeton dance hall style electronica that kept the crowd moving the whole time.  His hour long set was a good interlude to the headlining acts for the night which included Umphrey’s McGee and Benny Benassi.  Dillon Francis, at only 25 years old, is rising to the top of the dance music scene.  He is a master of remixing other artists tracks and he produces his own music with a unique blend of high-energy styles.  

Ellie Goulding Rocks Hangout Music Festival

Ellie Goulding

Gracing the main stage at Hangout festival 2013 on Sunday, May 13 was British sensation Ellie Goulding.  Despite winning numerous awards and having a number 1 album in her home country of the United Kingdom, her fame in the United States is just starting to blossom.  She played to a jam-packed beach and said on stage how wonderful it was since she had been getting used to playing in front of crowds of 20 people at her other US shows.   Ellie’s soprano voice can only be described as angelic.  Her melodies rang throughout the ears of the audience with a resonating splendor.  

Reggae on the Beach

Toots and the Maytals

Toots and The Maytals, arguably one of the best reggae bands of all time, performed this past Friday, May 17th on The Chevrolet Stage at the Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama from 2:30-3:45. Being right on the crisp palm tree-covered beach in the afternoon sun, the Jamaican roots reggae band was easily one of the most fitting performances of the weekend. The Maytals have been around since the 1960’s, and even after all these years they are still radiating good vibes on their audience. It is hard to believe that front man Frederick “Toots” Hibbert is 70 years old.

Update:  Future tour dates are currently on hold while Toots (70) is recovering from injury from being hit in the head while performing last month.  He has also file a lawsuit against alleged bottle thrower William Connor Lewis who has been charge with felony assault.

Galactic Takes Over Gulf Shores

Words by: Jeremy Carson

Photos by: David Oppenheimer

Galactic at Hangout Music Festival

Kicking off the summer festival season with a blast was The Hangout Festival taking place in Gulf Shores, Alabama.  With the main stages right on the beach, The Hangout stands out as one of the most epic spring musical vacations.  On a beautiful Sunday afternoon on May 19, from 2:15-3:15, New Orleans funky jazz powerhouse Galactic dominated the Chevrolet Stage.  Nothing is better than dancing to the sextet with the Gulf of Mexico on your right and the white Alabama sand underneath your bare feet.  Galactic’s live shows really demonstrate their wide variety of musical styles and influences.  Vocalist Corey Glover’s unique hip hop twang, drummer Stanton Moore’s layered rhythms, and guitarist Jeff Raines’ melodies all blend into a robust harmony.  Throw in Robert Mercurio’s funky bass and Richard Vogel’s booming keys and you have a substantially flawless performance that is not to be missed.  This show also featured Corey Henry on Trombone.  It is no question why Galactic has become festival favorites after more than 15 years of playing shows.