Daily Loaf

As I began my journey to the entrance of the Ritz Theater for last Sunday, November 15’s Deadmau5 and Burns show, I honestly had no idea what to expect. I’d been to Bonnaroo the past two years and witnessed the dance tents that turned into techno and house rave parties by midnight. When Tiesto was in town, I heard he didn’t go on until after midnight, and I was hoping Deadmau5 wouldn’t live up to those shoes. I learned shortly after my 9 p.m. arrival that his performance time was 12:45 – 3am. Great, I thought; so I get to sit around and watch these fool’s wave glow sticks in front of each others’ face for almost four hours? Entertaining. But by the time I reached the Ritz’s main room, I noticed the elaborate light setup on the stage for both performers, and knew it would be worth the wait. [All photos and text by Mike Wilson.]

At 9 p.m., the venue was not even close to half-capacity, which I enjoyed because I didn’t have to deal with shoulder-to-shoulder moving space. Of course, right when I realized how comfortable it was, the mobs starting piling through both entrances and before I knew it, I was forced to hangout up in the VIP balcony to watch all these new, interesting friends dance until they dropped. Read the rest of this entry »

A sold-out show full of high school kids was not what I expected to see at the Say Anything show this past Friday night at State Theatre. It’s what I got, so I went with it. With barely any room to maneuver, I decided to walk around to the back of the theater and work my way through the loading dock. While everyone else was crammed shoulder to shoulder, I was standing comfortably on the side of the stage without anyone bothering me.

Now keep in mind, I’ve been a fan of the band since their first album dropped, and to be honest, that’s all I really wanted to hear. I’ve seen SA a few times in the past couple of years and have enjoyed their dynamic sets every time. Friday’s show was no exception. [Lead singer Max Bemis pictured at right.]

I was a bit concerned about their choice in attire that night. All six band members were clad in dress shirts, dress slacks, and yachting shoes. I have never been a fan of bands with members who all dress alike — don’t ask me why, I just haven’t. But I pushed all judgment aside, laughed it off and sang along to all my favorite songs. I kept finding myself bobbing to the songs I grew up with while still trying to maintain a steady frame in the camera. Let me give all you photographers a word of advice, don’t do it. It did not work well. Read the rest of this entry »

Some shots from the Monday, November 2 show at State Theatre.

Read the rest of this entry »

A series of shots from the Sunday, October 4 GWAR show at The Ritz Ybor.

Read the rest of this entry »

All photos and text by Mike Wilson.

It’s been almost seven years since I last saw blink-182, and things haven’t changed one bit. With traffic backed up for miles, lines were filled with soccer mom mini vans and screaming girls who were so young it felt illegal just looking at them. But thankfully, the long lines kept me behind schedule. Now, you may ask why I was happy that I got stuck in traffic for such a huge show. The reasons are as follows: All American Rejects and Fall Out Boy. (Mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge of blink-182 pictured below.)

I talked my way through the under-qualified parking staff, finally managed to convince them I belonged in VIP parking, and slowly walked toward the Ford Amphitheatre entrance. I was in no rush to get ahead of this crowd. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s some shots of Incubus lead singer Brandon Boyd from the band’s show this past Saturday, August 15, at Ford Amphitheatre.

Read the rest of this entry »

All photos by Mike Wilson

This year’s Rockstar Mayhem Tour was anything but spectacular.

With opening acts such as Behemoth, Cannibal Corpse and God Forbid, my festival experience was already off to an amusing start. With beer prices through the roof, festival attendees managed to be inebriated by the time the main stage opened for Killswitch Engage, Slayer and Marilyn Manson.

Let’s talk about the admirable scenery.

Read the rest of this entry »