Back in time we go to finish up posting some opening acts we saw at concerts I photographed last week. It's back to the MTelus we go where a loud night of music was kicked off by Vended. This was my first time seeing/photographing them and they certainly left an impression. Their hard rock pedigree is without question, Vended is fronted by Griffen Taylor with Simon Crahan leading the rhythm section on drums. Both are the sons of members of the band Slipknot and I immediately feel older knowing that I'm watching the kids of band members I listened to when I was younger. There wasn't much time to be spent lamenting the flowing sands of time as Vended came hard and heavy right out of the shoot, demanding that the mosh pit begin within seconds of them hitting the stage. More than happy to oblige, the
crowd, already just waiting to burst, responded in kind as it was only a matter of minutes before the first crowd surfer was being ushered feet-first past me by the always tremendous security crew. Vended's debut EP, What Is It/Kill It, was released back in 2021, but they have followed that up with a couple of killer singles. Ded To Me came out last year and Am I The Only One, which was released about a month ago. Some people, like me, might have been drawn in by their family tree, but nobody was thinking about famous fathers as the night wore on. Vended was on a mission, not only to be noticed, but also to never be forgotten. The first photograph was taken at f/3.2, 1/320sec, ISO 6400 at 24mm and the second photograph was taken at f/3.2, 1/80sec, ISO 6400 at 24mm. Here are several more photographs of their performance.
f/3.2, 1/80sec, ISO 6400 at 24mm
f/3.2, 1/80sec, ISO 6400 at 63mm
f/3.2, 1/160sec, ISO 6400 at 33mm
f/3.2, 1/125sec, ISO 6400 at 28mm
f/3.2, 1/250sec, ISO 6400 at 24mm
f/3.2, 1/320sec, ISO 6400 at 50mm
f/3.2, 1/200sec, ISO 6400 at 39mm
f/3.2, 1/250sec, ISO 6400 at 70mm
f/3.2, 1/200sec, ISO 6400 at 70mm
f/3.2, 1/320sec, ISO 6400 at 70mm
f/3.2, 1/125sec, ISO 6400 at 24mm
f/3.2, 1/125sec, ISO 6400 at 70mm
f/3.2, 1/125sec, ISO 6400 at 31mm
f/3.2, 1/200sec, ISO 6400 at 70mm
f/3.2, 1/125sec, ISO 6400 at 24mm
f/3.2, 1/320sec, ISO 6400 at 24mm
f/3.2, 1/60sec, ISO 6400 at 41mm
f/3.2, 1/160sec, ISO 6400 at 31mm
f/3.2, 1/100sec, ISO 6400 at 70mm
f/3.2, 1/200sec, ISO 6400 at 24mm
f/3.2, 1/125sec, ISO 6400 at 24mm
f/3.2, 1/100sec, ISO 6400 at 35mm
f/3.2, 1/100sec, ISO 6400 at 24mm
f/3.2, 1/60sec, ISO 6400 at 24mm
f/3.2, 1/160sec, ISO 6400 at 24mm
f/3.2, 1/125sec, ISO 6400 at 24mm
f/3.2, 1/200sec, ISO 6400 at 24mm
f/3.2, 1/500sec, ISO 6400 at 24mm
f/2.8, 1/160sec, ISO 6400 at 39mm
f/3.2, 1/320sec, ISO 6400 at 24mm
If you'd like to find out more about
Vended and their music, you can do so by following the link to their website. If you'd like to see the photographs that I took of
Of Mice & Men and
Bullet For My Valentine, who performed later that night, you can do so by following the respective links. It's always good to see the younger generation get involved in, and succeed, in the music industry. It's them who will inspire the next generations to come. Go and see
Vended when they hit your town, it's sure to be a show you won't forget.
Back to the MTelus we go. It was a wild and crazy night and the band charged with keeping the party going in between a hot opening act and the headliner was metal veterans, Of Mice And Men. While I must admit to knowing more about the John Steinbeck novel than the band, Of Mice And Men sure got me take notice during their set. Originally formed in 2009, the band has gone through a few changes over the years, but this current line-up was hitting all the right notes on this night. They opened their set with a couple of songs from their hit album Restoring Force, which was their first with current singer Aaron Pauley. Of Mice And Men are currently touring their most recent album, Tether, which was released just two days prior to the show. It must be said again how crazy the fans were during this show. I mentioned in
my Bullet For My Valentine update how I had spotted the band looking out at the crowd in amazement/appreciation a few times, and I caught similar little glances from the Of Mice And Men guys during their set as well. While the band on the stage is obviously an important part of the equation, it's amazing the effect that a hot crowd can have on a show. One part band on fire added to another part of fans going crazy resulted in an Of Mice And Men show that likely won't be forgotten by those there to experience it. The first photograph was taken at f/3.2, 1/640sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm and the second photograph was taken at f/3.2, 1/640sec, ISO 3200 at 41mm. Here are a few more photographs that I took of their performance.
