It's been a little while since I've been on a real adventure, but what can I say? It's cold outside, the economy's dragging, and the years ain't treatin' me like they used to. But it's the holidays, goddamnit, so I decided it was time to break out of this rut and get back to what I'm good at: adventuring.
So I took the week off and headed home to the good ol' San Francisco Bay Area with my
new pal in tow. I wanted to get a good feel for what this camera could do, so I wandered around and found a local band playing a little show in a small Oakland venue.
Yeah... with some strategic planning, a few pulled strings , and a desperate prayer said more than once, I found myself at the Oracle Arena with this sucker hangin' from my neck-
Now this might be just any old day for your run of the mill news
photographer, but I have to say that I am a fan. OK, I'll be honest... in my younger days, I was a major, die-hard fan. I still have a stack of memorabilia sitting in my closet at the parents' house. So yeah, I've seen these guys before. Some people claim that the circus is the greatest show on earth. Others declare it's the Harlem Globetrotters. Well, for my money, you're not gonna see a better live act than Metallica.
So when you tally it up, I suppose this would be the sixth time
I've spent time with these folks. Just
last year I saw them perform an all-acoustic show as a part of one of Neil Young's benefit concerts. A few years earlier, I caught up with them for a "warm up" show at the legendary Filmore Auditorium in San Francisco. Track it back a few more years, and you'll find me at their collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in Berkeley. I met Lars' dad, who was sitting in front of me, and made several appearances in the DVD of the show. So yes, I suppose you could say I'm a fan.
So, long story short, I got off work at six, and had to high-tail it down to
Oakland in weekend traffic to catch the show. A frustrating two hours later, I find myself equipped with a photo pass and a few simple instructions: "First three songs, no flash". I decide I can roll with that, and after the opening acts are finished (which I hear were less than impressive), I'm led out to the front of the stage with a bunch of crusty guys who keep talking about bands they've worked with in the past. Some guy in Oasis seemed to keep coming up, and they all agreed that he was a douchebag. I didn't know anybody in any bands, so I laughed and smiled, and kept checking my watch for when the boys would hit the stage.
The nice thing about Metallica is that their songs aren't all that brief. So the "first three songs" I was promised lasted about half an hour. And I was close... Kirk Hammett almost stepped on my arm during the first song. Awesome.
So three songs later, I'm kicked out of the show. An amazing experience, but I wasn't ready to call it quits. I dumped my camera in the car, found a scalper desperate to unload his remaining tickets, and scored a $80 floor ticket for $50. As I ran back into the coliseum, I passed a line-less beer stand. I promptly grabbed the biggest beer the man could offer me, and I pushed my way towards the stage.
Now, for a lot of bands, you hate to hear them declare that they're "gonna play something from the new album", but I don't think anyone in this sold-out crowd was complaining when they plowed through cut-after-cut from the new album, which is probably their best in the last 20 years. They played at least half of the 10-song album, kicking the show off with the first two tracks on the record.
It was a great show; an excellent mix of new classics and old hits that you need to hear. Blackened, Whiplash, and Creeping Death were offered from the earlier albums, along with the required hits from the Black Album. The Load/Reload years were skipped over (although I will say that there were some great songs from those albums), and one cut from St. Anger was offered as the only song from the last 15 years aside from the new album. When it gets down to it, the new album is a return to their old sound of long, complex songs with wild guitar solos, and that is what the show's setlist focused on. That's definitely the path they needed to take, and it seems clear that they're back in top form.
Following a killer encore of Seek and Destroy, they pummeled birthday boy Lars with pies and silly string, and thanked their hometown crowd for coming out in full force.
After some turbulent years that threatened the demise of the band, it's clear that they're back and better than ever. At the end of the night, it proved to be an excellent show, as well as a most excellent adventure.
Check out the full stash of photo highlights
here.
The 'Duce was passing through Sacramento this holiday season, visiting his new girlfriend's parents in a nearby town. In doing so, he decided to spend his week in Northern California preparing for next month's celebrity rumble: Bonaduce vs. Canseco. Yes, the Godfather of Steroids is squaring off against lil' Danny Partarage. But if you take a look at some of their previous fights on Youtube, you'd discover that Danny's got a fairly impressive record (by celebrity boxing standards), while the Slugger has deflated a bit since his smashing days. Plus, for a 50 year old chain smoker, Bonaduce is pretty cut...
Despite coming up severely short in the height, weight and reach departments compared to Canseco, my money's on ol' Rusty, who in person is exactly as he is anywhere else you may see him, and he seems quite proud of that fact.
Yeah... with some strategic planning, a few pulled strings , and a desperate prayer said more than once, I found myself at the Oracle Arena with this sucker hangin' from my neck-
Now this might be just any old day for your run of the mill news 
photographer, but I have to say that I am a fan. OK, I'll be honest... in my younger days, I was a major, die-hard fan. I still have a stack of memorabilia sitting in my closet at the parents' house. So yeah, I've seen these guys before. Some people claim that the circus is the greatest show on earth. Others declare it's the Harlem Globetrotters. Well, for my money, you're not gonna see a better live act than Metallica.
I've spent time with these folks. Just last year I saw them perform an all-acoustic show as a part of one of Neil Young's benefit concerts. A few years earlier, I caught up with them for a "warm up" show at the legendary Filmore Auditorium in San Francisco. Track it back a few more years, and you'll find me at their collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in Berkeley. I met Lars' dad, who was sitting in front of me, and made several appearances in the DVD of the show. So yes, I suppose you could say I'm a fan.
Oakland in weekend traffic to catch the show. A frustrating two hours later, I find myself equipped with a photo pass and a few simple instructions: "First three songs, no flash". I decide I can roll with that, and after the opening acts are finished (which I hear were less than impressive), I'm led out to the front of the stage with a bunch of crusty guys who keep talking about bands they've worked with in the past. Some guy in Oasis seemed to keep coming up, and they all agreed that he was a douchebag. I didn't know anybody in any bands, so I laughed and smiled, and kept checking my watch for when the boys would hit the stage.
So three songs later, I'm kicked out of the show. An amazing experience, but I wasn't ready to call it quits. I dumped my camera in the car, found a scalper desperate to unload his remaining tickets, and scored a $80 floor ticket for $50. As I ran back into the coliseum, I passed a line-less beer stand. I promptly grabbed the biggest beer the man could offer me, and I pushed my way towards the stage.
Now, for a lot of bands, you hate to hear them declare that they're "gonna play something from the new album", but I don't think anyone in this sold-out crowd was complaining when they plowed through cut-after-cut from the new album, which is probably their best in the last 20 years. They played at least half of the 10-song album, kicking the show off with the first two tracks on the record.
It was a great show; an excellent mix of new classics and old hits that you need to hear. Blackened, Whiplash, and Creeping Death were offered from the earlier albums, along with the required hits from the Black Album. The Load/Reload years were skipped over (although I will say that there were some great songs from those albums), and one cut from St. Anger was offered as the only song from the last 15 years aside from the new album. When it gets down to it, the new album is a return to their old sound of long, complex songs with wild guitar solos, and that is what the show's setlist focused on. That's definitely the path they needed to take, and it seems clear that they're back in top form.
Following a killer encore of Seek and Destroy, they pummeled birthday boy Lars with pies and silly string, and thanked their hometown crowd for coming out in full force.
After some turbulent years that threatened the demise of the band, it's clear that they're back and better than ever. At the end of the night, it proved to be an excellent show, as well as a most excellent adventure.
Check out the full stash of photo highlights here.
But we do things differently in Sacramento than you may in your ho-hum town. In addition to the always whimsical presence of governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the lovely first lady Maria Shriver, and musical performances by Rick Springfield and some god-awful boy band (people still listen to this crap?!), the event was hosted TV heartthrob Mario Lopez!!
Yeah, that's how Christmas is done in the greatest state in the union.
Sure, it may not have been quite as big of an event, but it did offer Arnold dancing with a bunch of Rabbis, and that is certainly something that the Christmas celebration did not offer. Take that, Lopez!
With little knowledge into the world of digital SLRs, I took Snappy for a test drive around Sacramento.
Still workin' on what this guy's all about, but I think he'll make a worthy sidekick. We already have our first official adventure scheduled for next weekend. If everything plays out as planned, it should make for quite a tale... here's a hint. Also, there have been some rumors floating around about a sequel to a much beloved cult classic... perhaps a Christmas episode? Stay tuned.
Who could answer the call to save this country?
Where can we find a millionaire playboy who's willing to risk everything he has to save the world?
He may not resemble an ordinary super hero- he can't fly, shoot lasers from his eyes or talk to fish. He doesn't resemble any of the guys on the dollar bills either. He's not Batman, he's not Superman. He's not George Bush. He's...
That's right, the official Barack Obama comic book has hit store shelves, and they're sellin' like hotcakes!
...the great Obama travels the country, making people believe, while still finding ways to live up to his Hollywood playboy status:
It's an amazing story, full of whimsey and wonder, and everything you could want from a comic book hero!
So be sure to watch your comic book store shelves for next month's issue, where The Incredible Obama searches for truth and justice in the Justice Department. Rumor has it that the writers will reveal Obama's trusty sidekick, The Amazing MouseMan!
After the breakup of Pantera, he and his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul, formed a group called Damage Plan. As I remember it (and as you can see in that video), a man with a gun stormed the stage during one of their shows and shot him several times, because he believed Dimebag had stolen songs from him. It was a bizarre and senseless murder, and it took the life of an amazing musician.
Yeah, I know, Dimebag isn't in that picture. Actually, that's just Phil singing with opening act Morbid Angel. Once Pantera came on stage, the crowd got so crazy that I had to move back from the front of the stage before I passed out or was kicked in the head. Hey, I was in high school, and wasn't exactly in the peak physical shape that I am today. It was an awesome show, although singer Phil Anselmo was getting into his 'roid-and-coke-rage-years, and wasn't quite hitting those screaming notes like he used to.
