Monday, 30 December 2024

The Sun Sets On 2024

Another year is in the books, and it has been another good one for Your Friendly Neighbourhood Photographer and The Old Blog.  We finished the year with 135 updates, and a large majority of those were of the musical variety.  I was able to shoot 39 concerts this year, during which I shot 88 bands.  A huge jump up from the 27 shows that  I shot last year.  A big reason for that was my joining up with V13 Media, who offered me a home for my concert photography.  With them backing me, I ended up getting into more shows, and bigger shows.  They seem very happy with my work, and I am happy with the arrangement so we'll keep working together in the new year.  A new year which will hopefully see me cover more and even bigger shows.  A highlight once again was the Summer concert series put on by the Ville de Longueuil.  We once again had some weather issues this year as a few shows got rained out, but at least we didn't get caught in any thunderstorms this year.  The Heir Apparent continues to be a big hit at these shows.  Both with the musical groups and our fellow citizens.  As usual, a big thanks goes out to My Lovely Assistant for guarding the fort.  I used to say that I would 'play' the role of concert photographer, but I guess that I officially am one now.  I kept my streak of appearing on CTV News intact as well.  Back on Saint-Patrick's Day I submitted a photograph of the Samuel-de-Champlain Bridge which was all lit up in green for the event.  Shortly afterwards, CTV Weather Specialist Lori Graham announced her retirement from the station, and as she was generally in charge of the Weatherpix segment which regularly featured my photos, I didn't send any more in.  To be honest, the segment may still exist, but with all of the added concert coverage, I had less time to shoot other things as I chose to stay home at other times to make up for the time I was away for shows.  By the way, happy retirement, Lori.  Thanks for having aired so many of my photographs over the years.  It was always fun to see them on the big screen.  Once past that, we had our usual collection of insects, flowers, frozen scenes, some food, toys and a couple of odd things that I found to be interesting.  Lots of visitors passed through these pages this year, so thanks to everyone who took a few moments out of their day to visit.  You remain a very silent group, but I see that you visit, and I thank you for doing so.  Which bring us to our latest update.  There is a big patch of wild feather grass that grows near the Head Office, so I headed out there one evening in the Fall to catch the sun as it went down behind the blades and branches.  The photograph was taken at f/16, 1/2500sec, ISO 400 ay 70mm.  Underexposing the photograph really brought the colour out of the sky and gave some nice sharp silhouettes.  With that, we close our 2024 folder and get our new 2025 folder ready to be filled.  Thanks for sticking around, and lets see what will develop in the new year.

Saturday, 28 December 2024

Down With Webster At Théâtre Beanfield

Everybody loves a good comeback story.  After having taken a 10 year break, and an even longer 12 years since their last visit to Montreal, Down With Webster have returned.  The Canadian rap/rock band burst onto the scene in 2009 and rocketed to fame immediately.  They earned Juno nominations for their first two albums as well as New Group of the Year and Group of the Year in 2010.  They were also a mainstay on MuchMusic, back when the station played music videos, often performing live from the iconic MuchMusic Building on Queen Street.  But, as we are told, all good things must come to an end, and Down With Webster decided to take a break.  Their triumphant return began with an announcement on April 1st which was followed with a Summer Tour.  That extended out to the current WinTOUR, which arrived in Montreal on December 18th.  It was their first visit to the city since an appearance at Osheaga in 2012, and their fans gathered early in the cold with a gently falling snow at the legendary Théâtre BeanfieldDown With Webster hit the stage with an energy equal to their performances of a decade ago.  The buzzing crowd, made up of long time followers and some younger fans getting their first Down With Webster experience, immediately sprung to life.  Singing the songs back to the band and bouncing with every beat, the old building came to life with energy.  Everyone collectively, the fans and the band, wore huge smiles and were enjoying this long awaited reunion. Opening with ‘One In A Million’ and following up with ‘Time to Win’ and then ‘Go Time’, this  little nibbling from each of their albums was all it took to get everyone worked up for the rest of the show.  Each of their three albums was well represented and the fans in attendance got to hear every one of their favourite hits.  In the end, it’s true what Tom Petty once said.  The waiting is the hardest part, especially if you’ve been doing so for more than a decade.  However, if you were to ask those in attendance if the wait had been worth it, you would have certainly got a positive response.  Along with the hope that wouldn’t have to wait another 10 years to see their rape/rock heroes again.  All of the photographs were taken at f/3.2 while using various different shutter speeds, ISO setting and focal lengths.  Here are the rest of the photographs that I took of Down With Webster while they performed on the Théâte Beanfield stage.














































If you would like to find out more about Down With Webster and their music, you can do so by following the link to their website.  If you would like to see the photographs that I took of Sunsetto, who performed later that night, you can do so by following the link.  Much thanks goes out to Down With Webster and Christopher Gonda of V13 Media for getting me a pass to shoot the show.  As always, it is very much appreciated.  Down With Webster’s WinTOUR 2024, which by the way featured one of my favourite tour posters of the year, was short, sweet and already over by the time you read these words.  However, the band appears to be back in the swing of things after all of their reunion shows this past year.  Down With Webster will likely be back on the road in 2025, so head out and see them for a night of energetic fun.

Sunsetto At Théâtre Beanfield

Our final concert of the year took place back on December18th at the historic Théâtre Beanfield in Montreal.  It featured the long awaited return of a popular Canadian band, but before we got them, we had a musical newcomer making his very first appearance in the city.  Opening the show was Sunsetto.  Hailing from Nova Scotia, there were not very many people in the crowd who knew the young man, but Montreal has always been a town that appreciates the new and diverse, and they wer more than willing to give the young man from the East Coast a chance to shine.  And shine he did.  He mentioned how he was friends with Tyler from Down With Webster, and when they offered him the chance to open a few concerts on their WinTOUR tour of Canada, Sunsetto jumped at the opportunity.  His sound is a mélange of different styles, all perfectly mixed together to create an original style of his own.  Start with a bit of pop, add in a healthy dose of rap and then finish up with some fine touches of country and final twist of rock.  The results produced by such an eclectic mix are a debut album, The Sun, The Moon and The Big Machine, which was released in October and a terrific 30 minute set that the Montreal crowd enjoyed from beginning to end.  Sunsetto won over lots of fans on the night who can't wait for him to return.  The photographs were all taken at f/3.2 while using various different shutter speeds, ISO settings and focal lengths.  Here are the rest of my photographs of Sunsetto, taken while he performed on the Théâtre Beanfield stage.






















If you would like to find out more about Sunsetto and his music, you can do so by following the link to his website.  If you would like to see the photographs that I took of Down With Webster, who headlined the show, you can do so by following the link.  While it can be helpful to have friends in good places, you also need to be good enough to take advantage of such opportunities.  Sunsetto did so with some musical flair.  Be sure to check him out if he tours near you.