Susan Solo – Photographer | Traveler | Adventurer

Tag: concerts

  • Smashing Pumpkins 20th Anniversary Tour

    Smashing Pumpkins 20th Anniversary Tour

    Chris and I just got back from seeing the Smashing Pumpkins at DAR Constitution. I have to admit that I’m a fairly casual fan and Chris is the more hard core fan. This was my first SP concert. I have no shame in admitting that I like the greatest hits, and maybe one or two songs from the earlier albums that weren’t singles. My brother, Michael, was a huge fan so many years ago, and I remember the songs being played over and over again in his room and in his car. (To his credit, I think he pretty much did have every single album, B-side and import, so it wasn’t like it was just Mellon Collie on repeat.) The opening strains of Today, included in tonight’s set list, always remind me of when he was learning to play guitar.

    The show was not really for the casual fan, but I did enjoy it, save for the 20-minute Pink Floyd cover which might be the biggest reason as to why I can’t hear a thing right now. That and the fact that we were so close to the speakers. I thought DAR was kind of a strange venue for SP. Our seats were close up front to the stage, but high up enough that our view was partially blocked. But I love people-watching, and it was a great spot for that. I was even able to scope out my friend Alia who had seats on the floor. Hi Alia!

    Just a couple of crummy pictures with the point & shoot for posterity:




  • Radiohead at Nissan Pavilion (in the Rain)

    Chris’s all-time favorite band is Radiohead, and we went to see them last night at Nissan Pavilion. We had less-than lovely weather yesterday (torrential downpours, 50 degrees, flooding, road closures everywhere due to the flooding) and for anyone who is unfamiliar with Nissan Pavilion, it’s an outdoor venue. We actually had seats in the “covered” area of the pavilion, but because of the wind blowing the rain sideways, we kept getting rained on anyway. By the time we got to our seats it really didn’t matter if we were in a covered area or not, because we had already trudged through the huge parking lot-turned-swamp and we were totally soaked. For some reason their lot isn’t paved, it’s just a giant gravel/mud area, so it literally was swampy, with unavoidable ankle-deep puddles. Check out my genius shoe choice (I didn’t know it would be so puddley!):


    Even in the covered area, people wore ponchos and hooded raincoats (or even trashbags). We sat under an umbrella until the show started.

    We actually only ended up staying for six or seven songs. My feet were so cold I actually started to wonder what the symptoms of frostbite are. The rain just wouldn’t let up, and we were still getting pelted where we were sitting, so we made the decision to go. There were plenty of hard-core fans in the lawn section that stayed, even sans umbrella! The part of the show that we did get to see was really good. They had an awesome light show choreographed perfectly with the music.

    Both soaked from head-to-toe, wearing winter coats because it was around 50 degrees and windy, but still smiling!

  • Kate Nash & a Wedding

    Last night Jenn and I hit the 9:30 Club to see Kate Nash. We had a great spot just about five rows back from the stage. I have to say that this is a case of the limitations of the equipment (and not the photographer!), since this photo was taken with my BlackBerry:

    The show was good – some songs were absolutely amazing, but one or two songs were strange (she was screaming at the top of her lungs), so I’ll just say the show was good. A solid B+. She’s so cute in person, with all of her little British mannerisms.

    And today I took the day off from the day job (this was planned way in advance – no I didn’t play hooky!) and had the pleasure of second-shooting at a wedding for Shelby Leigh, who is an absolute doll to work with. I was a little stressed out after the crazy Friday afternoon traffic going up to Baltimore, but as soon as I met up with Shelby I was instantly at ease. She has a very laid-back, fun presence, and I ended up having a great time. I’ve been so fortunate to have such good experiences working with other photographers so far. Two weeks ago I was able to work with Sarah Hodzic on a small intimate wedding, and she was just super amazing as well. Really calm and cheerful. I’m totally digging getting to work with other photographers!

  • Work Hard, Rock Hard

    Chris and I didn’t end up going geocaching this weekend. We actually got on a huge organizing kick, and ended up doing some early spring cleaning. We filled about 6 huge trash bags with clothes and household items to donate, and we organized our storage room by putting things into nice bins and labeling everything.

    And then last night we went to the Angels and Airwaves concert at the 9:30 Club in DC. The show was amazing! Chris and I got there early enough to have our choice of where to stand. We were originally down on the floor about 5 people deep from the stage, but we ended up snagging a spot upstairs against the balcony. I’m so glad Chris suggested that, because the kids on the floor where we were standing were big into moshing and crowd surfing. It was fun to watch them from above at a safe distance. Tom DeLonge’s energy on stage was infectious, so much so that the guy standing next to me was nearly having a spiritual experience. He was so excited. I’ve never seen someone so into a band before – he moved to every single note, and knew every single word to all of the songs.

    No cameras were allowed, but I did take a quick picture with my Blackberry (in the dark, while people were bumping into me, so please don’t hold me accountable for the quality!):