Saturday, July 10, 2010

Really Old Photos: The National & Ramona Falls



In my last blog post of really old photos, I posted about the House of Blues Anniversary Show. I had avoided writing about it for so long because I hate being negative but I had to be honest and it was really bugging me that I hadn't posted those photos after having the privilege of getting a photo pass.

In this case, I haven't posted about The National because I'm insecure. When I'm sharing the photo pit with Andrew and Natalie, believe me, I know I have no business being there, but while I'm not a photographer, I love taking pictures, so below is the best of what I've got with my limited skills and tools.

As far as the show went, I was captivated from beginning to end. I thought Ramona Falls was a perfect opening act and would love to see them again. I spent the majority of the time trying to take photos of the drummer who was not only awesome on the kit but more than that was really charismatic and attempted to engage the audience between songs. I couldn't get a decent photo of him because I was trying to avoid the death trap of stairs that were in the photo pit, but there are a couple after the jump.


The National do it for me every single time. My regular seats were 12th row on the right side (Thanks again, Jeff), but after taking photos for the first three songs, I spied some empty seats in center that were probably the bands holds and comps, so we moved over to get a little closer to the action. It also meant we got to be closer to some of my friends who were there. I love seeing shows at Spreckels. I know it can be awkward with the whole should-we-sit-or-should-we-stand dilemma, but the sound is fantastic and I love the lighting, how it changes from black and white shadows to deep hues of red, purple, blue, or turquoise, all fitting the mood of each song. Chris (SoundDiego/Owl & Bear) wrote a review of the show and suggested that Matt might've been a little preturbed by the crowd, but I totally missed the exchanges he was talking about. Then again, Chris was sitting in the 3rd row, so he was privy to more than me.


I loved the show, but The National are the kind of band that can do no wrong with me. Even the part where Matt poured wine all over the stage and everyone wondered if he was being funny or being a dick. So far they've always made a point to stop in San Diego and I hope that never changes. I've got more photos if you 'keep on reading'.
















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