Scott Stapp @ The Opera House on March 28th, 2014

So a very last minute approval for a show had me running from my day job to home to grab my gear and had back downtown for Creed's Scott Stapp as he was performing at The Opera House on Queen East.  A pretty packed house gave some comfort knowing his solo career has been good to him.  His latest release, "Proof of Life" was a pretty decent effort which he put quite a bit of time into.  All in all, I was happy to see the vocalist for the first time in my life.

 

Met a few friendly people there including a great guy named Reese.  He was shooting on behalf of Stapp's Christian distribution label in Canada (David C Cook) and was even willing to let me use some lenses if need be.  I don't recall a photographer ever offering me something like that.  Even though I wanted to take him up on the offer, my progressing migraine started to really kick in halfway through the show and I had to bounce out of there.  For the time I was at the show, I will tell you now that the sound was perfect, the lighting was pretty good, the energy from Stapp + band was immense, and the crowd ate up every song.

When going through the photos, I suggest you take a listen to some of his solo work or Creed as he started things off with his new single "Slow Suicide" and Creed's "What If".  Two badass songs to open with and even had me banging my head when I was supposed to be taking photos.  If anyone is skeptical about seeing this guy on a solo career, I wouldn't let it bother you too much.  He puts on a great performance with a great setlist!

War of Ages @ El Mocambo (March 2nd, 2014)

On a typical Canadian evening, my fingertips and legs were starting to feel rather raw from the bone chilling winds that were plaguing downtown Toronto.  With temperatures dropping to somewhere around the -20/25 mark, I was trying to keep high hopes for a decent turn out to this concert.  Seeing War of Ages many times in the past gave me the will to venture out on a Sunday evening to a venue I have never been to before.  First time at a legendary venue such as El Mocambo with a great act such as WoA was a winner in my books.

Now my first impression of the venue did not live up to the reputation I thought it had.  Unlike other classic venues in the city such as Massey Hall (I know thats a big comparison) and even intimate places like Horseshoe Tavern usually give off a vintage vibe that makes you feel like you are a part of something.  Unfortunately I did not feel the same about El Mocambo.  It could have been the fact that there were less bodies than expected, it could have been the major draft coming from the front doorway, or it could be the fact that it was a 19+ event, which (I believe) affected the turnout of the evening.  Whatever the case may be, I found myself watching an underrated band in an overrated bar.

Many opening acts throughout the evening made the evening dragged on.  Not that I didn't find them entertaining or anything but just seemed to be one band after another.  It might have been a different situation had I known most of the opening acts.  And I also understand that there needs to be some bang for your buck, even if the ticket was only $13.  That being said, Mouth of the South seemed to get the crowd warmed up quite easily.  However, I know this is just my personal preference NOT to mix religion with music.  Even if it is your inspiration/muse, I don't want to come to a show and listen to you preaching on stage.  If I wanted to hear someone talk about JC, I would seek the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association or something along those lines.  Whew, glad to have gotten that off my chest.

Five guys enter stage left with a goal to rock the bodies they saw filling in in front of them.  So logistically, I say these guys played their hearts out against the elements (Sunday night, freezing temperatures, 19+ event, little advertisement, etc.).  The odds were not in their favour but I loved the amount of energy they brought to their setlist and interacting with the crowd.  Overall, I was very happy seeing them come through Toronto once more.  This was the first time I had seen them headlining their own tour so getting those extra songs out of them was well worth the wait on a late Sunday evening.

"ALL CONSUMING FIRE BURN!"

"We will find, find ourselves.

Through the shadows of a past we now must face."

"We're Filled with emptiness

Re-living our mistakes

Why are you so afraid?

We never were alone."

Winter In Niagara Falls

So the weather in Toronto has been less than pleasing and figured that if I am going to deal with this stupid polar vortex hovering around Canada then I may as well head to a place where there is [at least] some scenery for the winter.  So what a better excuse to get away for a weekend and enjoy Niagara Falls.

Sunday morning before our transit departed, my girlfriend (Allison) and I were awake bright & early, dressed and checked out so we could grab some morning snapshots of the falls.  Being that it was hovering around the 1030/11am mark, the sunlight was hitting the falls rather exquisitely and made for a perfect setting for the 300 photos I had room for on the camera (thank you 4GB card).

So we walked along Victoria Park where a fresh snowfall had happened the night before.  Can you tell I am a fan of odd winding trees?  The crowds were a minimal so not so much traffic in freshly laid snow, and also made for good photo opportunities.  Since I did not have the fancy expensive lenses for some gorgeous wide angle shots, I decided to use my zoom lens (AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED) to it's advantage and grab some close ups of the falls.  While the falls as a whole is beautiful, I was mesmerized by the ice block and icicles forming around the mist and run-off.

The American side of the falls tends to be a bit more photogenic (for me) than the Canadian counterpart.  As you can see from the shot towards the bottom, even in the winter the mist from the horseshoe falls makes it difficult for light and quality.

"I'm facing Niagara Falls - the wind and the mist and the dark and the peregrine falcons - and I'm going to stay focused on the other side." -Nik Wallenda

"It seems that I have always been ahead of my time. I had to wait nineteen years before Niagara was harnessed by my system, fifteen years before the basic inventions for wireless which I gave to the world in 1893 were applied universally." -Nikola Tesla

(That same bird you saw in the previous photo is seen here as well towards the bottom left ice cap.  Definitely changes the perspective on the size of these caps!)

(Just to give a perspective on this, those cracks in the ice appeared to be thicker than I am tall, so let's assume around 6ft thick!)

"It's Niagara Falls. It's one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the world. Who wouldn't want to walk across it?" -Nik Wallenda

And since I was also looking to use the falls as a backdrop, my girlfriend Alli struck a pose and sported some winter gear from MEC and Columbia.  Fancy glasses not included ;-)