We're a little bit backed up on getting my concert
photographs up here on The Old Blog. I suppose we will catch up at some
point, but this would be a good time to remind you that my concert photographs
can be seen in a much more timely manner by visiting V13Media,
which you can do by following the link. If you'd like an even more direct
route to my photographs, you can visit my personal page over there but using
the following
link. Montreal’s
Théâtre Beanfield has seen some rocking shows over the years. Being built in the early 1900’s, it has
withstood the test of time and rock and roll.
It’s sturdy structure was put to the test one more time on Tuesday night
by a trio of rocking bands. Each one
looking to blow the doors off of the joint. Mammoth was in town, led by Wolfgang Van Halen. Having that last name, and the
legacy
attached to it, could have been a massive stone to carry for a young
artist. But Wolfgang has not only run
with it, but added to his father’s legacy.
We’re now at album #3 for Wolfie, and they all rock. There was a short break before Mammoth hit the stage. It’s a good thing that there was, because they hit the
stage with guitars blaring. But again,
what else would you expect from the band helmed by a Van Halen. It was full throttle from the get go as the
band opened with “One Of A Kind”. The
track is off of Mammoth's latest album, The End.
Six other songs from their latest album were played. The party continued with “Another Celebration At The End Of
The World”. One hopes the end of the
world remains far off. But 
if you have
to go, might as well celebrate. And
celebrate with Mammoth is exactly what this Montreal crowd was looking to do. Wolfgang Van Halen thanked the crowd for
coming out to the show. Noting that the
Canadiens were also playing that night.
He thanked us all for making the choice to come to the rock show. The choice wasn’t that hard to make. It’s true that a game against the hated Maple
Leafs is usually can’t miss. However,
the hockey team from down the 401 hasn’t been great this year. All of the greatness that was to be found in
Montreal was up on that stage. Rocking
and tapping away on his guitar. The show
also included some killer videos for each song.
“Everything you’re seeing behind me was created by a real person,”said
Wolfgang. “None of that A.I. bullshit
here! Everything you’re going to see and
hear tonight is real!”
The appreciative
crowd let out a massive cheer of approval. This live version of “Stone” was introduced by
Wolfgang. He said that he had been
watching some of the latest Nine Inch Nails concerts and they had inspired
him. He began the song solo on the
keyboard before the rest of the band joined in.
An acoustic version of “The Distance” tugged at everyone’s
heartstrings. Home videos of Eddie Van
Halen and Wolfie played on the giant screen behind the band. It was a very touching moment. The evening came to an end with, appropriately enough, “The
End”. Mammoth gave us a classic night of rock and
roll that was sure to satisfy any and all ages.
The fans may have left the building wary of the ice storm that was to
come. If the apocalyptic meteorological
event that was being predicted did come to pass, they would face it with a
grin. They had opened up their hearts
and let Mammoth in. All of the photographs were taken at f/3.2 while using various different shutter speeds, ISO settings and focal lengths. Here are the photographs that I took of Mammoth as they performed on the Théâtre Beanfield stage.
If you would like to find out more about Mammoth 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 James & The Cold Gun and 10 Years, who performed earlier that night, you can do so by following the respective links. A big thank you goes out to Mammoth's management team at Janus Music Management, Evenko and Christopher Gonda at V13 Media for getting me a pass to cover the show. As always, it is very much appreciated. This leg of Mammoth’s ‘The End Tour’ continues until April. Don’t you dare miss it when it arrives in a town near you.
