Panda Preview: The Giant Pandas Are (Maybe) Ready For Their Public Debut at San Diego Zoo

 

Thursday is the big day that the San Diego Zoo finally opens Panda Ridge to the public. While the pandas arrived in San Diego on June 27, they've been off habitat as they quarantined and adjusted to their new San Diego lifestyle. The zoo made extraordinary measures to make sure nobody was getting sneak peeks or disturbing them in that time...putting windscreens across the entire Bashor Bridge, adding railings to prevent looking over, staffed the area with two guest ambassadors from open to close, erected walls around the habitats, closed off half the overflow seating for Treetops Bistro, closed the stairs at Bashor Bridge into the Canyon. They would even go so far as closing the Skyfari for "regular maintenance" whenever the pandas were exploring their yards. 

So naturally starting last week, dignitaries, media, researchers, volunteers and employees began run-throughs for the viewing. On Monday, I got the chance to see them with a friend who is a donor. We had a 4pm viewing time but got wind that they were letting people in ahead of their time, so here I'm going to divulge my recommendations for seeing the pandas. 

First of all, I do not know how they're running the time-ticketing vs the paid-viewing. But let's assume you get a ticket and a time slot. Before you even go to the zoo, plan ahead!!! The pandas are behind 8-10' high glass that is about 4 feet in front of the walking path. Any given time of day there will be reflection. I am intentionally posting my photos with heavy reflection so you can see how it looks. I wear ALL BLACK and brought a black long sleeve light jacket I use, as well as a cut up black shower curtain that I usually use for sitting. The people wearing flashy, bright and printed clothes couldn't see jack shit except everyone else's reflection. This was a late afternoon viewing, so I knew what to expect in this area after months of spending hours shooting the baby red panda, Pavitra. 

Second, I did not get one single worthy phone photo, even with my fancy new camera. If you're only bringing your phone, snap a pic or two and then just enjoy the viewing. I shoot with a pretty entry level camera, a Canon 90D and a 75-300mm lens. There are zoo regulars shooting with cameras and lenses worth $5k, $10k, $25k dollars and more. Don't try to compare your photos to their photos. Let them hobby and you enjoy your time. 

Last thing I'll say is that for this special donor preview, we had a 30 minute window, plus the extra 15 minutes we went in early. The public timed viewings will only be 15 minutes. Still, I heard a statistic that the average person spends 90 SECONDS at each animal at a zoo. They want to see, snap a selfie, maybe record a video they'll never watch, and move on. This is why the entitled maniacs get all pissed off when people don't get out of their way...their kids are cuter than you and deserve to get the best view the second they walk up to the habitat even if you've been waiting minutes or hours for that one special moment...All this to say...don't be rushed along. There will be lots of people saying "Share The Bear" but you have a window of time for the entire habitat. When Xin Bao went up to her hill, I checked out Yun Chuan (4 yo male), but he was fast asleep, so I went back to Xin Bao (3yo female) and got to see her basically rolling in her bamboo with joy, which was pretty special to watch.  But note the glare. It is harsh and everywhere, even when I blocked the yellow posts with my jacket and plastic and sat on the ground to get under the bamboo reflecting off higher on the glass. I was able to hold my black plastic up so my friend in a fully mechanized wheelchair could see the pandas when most other people couldn't see at all. I don't know what the policy will be like for the public, but I would HOPE that strollers are not allowed, as people bring WONDERFOLDS the size of my childhood day bed and think everyone else has to yield to them. The pathway was not expanded in any parts, but there is a lot more room for the first habitat with Xin Bao, who got the space of the former Takins, versus Yun Chuan who got the space of the red pandas. And speaking of red pandas, KOLA is back. Make sure to look for him snoozing high up in his tree on the right as you first enter the habitat. 

Obviously I'm so glad the pandas are back, but the zoo is going to be BONKERS and there are going to be a lot of disappointed people who only catch Xin Bao on her hill or Yun Chuan in one of his 4 hour naps. Be patient. Be a member. Don't put all your expectations into amazing views in one 15 minute visit. San Diego Zoo is posting a ton of PROFESSIONALLY shot photos and videos on their social media, where they can get behind-the-scenes and BEHIND-THE-GLASS footage. Just enjoy watching these super cute creatures. And if you're disappointed, just head next door and see much rarer animals, the Amur Leopards, or go up and visit the Guam Kingfisher who is COMPLETELY EXTINCT in the wild, and realize that conservation goes a lot further than just this hot panda summer. Photos after the jump. 

Photos: Kero Kero Bonito @ Casbah, April 15, 2019

It might seem that the Casbah is a super intimate place to see Kero Kero Bonito, but we actually were able to take Nova to see them at the House of Blues Voodoo Room a while back, so two sold out shows at the Casbah were amazing but they're already movin' on up with their fall date at the Belly Up on November 1st. You should definitely grab your tickets now. Their shows are fun, energetic, interactive, and a little bit silly, and in dark times, I'm totally okay with that. Pics after the jump.

Photos: JS Ondara, Cat Clyde @ Casbah, April 10, 2019

I can't promise today will be an all day posting day because I'm considering buying a bus pass and just cruising around the City today with no real destination, but I do want to post some of my old drafts that were never shared. Below are photos of J.S. Ondara who played an amazing and to capacity show at the Casbah in April. It was sad to find out at that time he'd already announced a fall tour without a San Diego date, but maybe he'll surprise us and join the Wonderfront lineup or some other bigger event that we're just not yet aware of. If you have the chance to see him, you definitely should, though his voice is so haunting, you might need the Kleenex. Photos of J.S. Ondara and stunning opener Cat Clyde are after the jump.

World Sea Lion Day - May 30, 2019

I mentioned I've been sick this week, but to say I didn't do anything this week would be a lie. On Wednesday, I was well enough to take Nova to soccer, and I thought the fresh air and no contact with other people would serve me well, so  I went back to La Jolla Cove to shoot the sea lions. I came to find out that the next day, May 30th, was "World Sea Lion Day," though I can't seem to find all the calendars that let us know such things.

Obviously I've been posting a lot of these lately, but since I'll be flooding you with music photos the next week, I thought I'd post some of this week's shots to celebrate the day. Though not shown, I'd also like to draw attention to their neighbors in La Jolla, the California Harbor Seals, who still need our help to sign two petitions: one is to keep up Casa Beach closed during pupping season and the other is to keep the safe distance rope up year-round. The hearing is June 12-14. I also just kinda wanted to post since I'm taking a gajillion pics each week and not really sharing them and maybe to just post something that makes me smile after getting all ranty on my last post.

Photos: Peter, Bjorn & John @ The Irenic. May 5, 2019

Peter, Bjorn and John played at the Irenic on Cinco de Mayo this year, but I was happy to be working at their show. Little did we know that mere months later, The Irenic would be shut down by the City, so we maybe should've appreciated what we had a little more. Still, this was an excellent show. I was a little bummed that the room was only about half house...having seen the band before when "Young Folks" was all the rage, their shows were selling out in every city, but so goes the music biz in 2019. The empty space in the room didn't matter, however, when the band jumped into the crowd and played some jams. I'm sorry these didn't get posted sooner. These and dozens of others were held up in drafts and never published.

Photos: #PeakBloom at Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden at Balboa Park

I'm having a perfect lazy Sunday. I finished reading Life Will Be the Death of Me: . . . and You Too!, the latest book by Chelsea Handler, Darren is off working, Nova is hanging out with a soccer buddy, and I'm at home trying to stay off social media because I don't want any GoT spoilers or commentary until after we watch it tonight. I've got a ton of photos to post, some LA Daily episodes to catch up on, some posts have had on my brain for a minute, and I want to get a jump on listings because I'll be shooting Johnny Marr on Monday and I don't wanna be under pressure to get them done. So I guess I just filled up my day with a whole lot of time on my laptop, though I might also try to sneak off to the Zoo or something today, too. First, a million pictures of the #PeakBloom at the Inez Grant Memorial Rose Garden at Balboa Park that I shot on Friday.

Photos: Failure @ The Fonda Theatre

Failure reportedly had issues booking their current tour and ended up skipping SD this time around. Luckily our photographer Tim Fears was in Hollywood to capture the space rock legends' incredible performance in this set of photos.

FAILURE

more photos after the jump.

Photos: Metric at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, March 5, 2019

I'm a little embarrassed to say this, but since I had to recreate passwords for basically every account I have on the internet, I was looking at sddialedin.com and realized I have 189 blog post drafts. That means over 189 posts that I started and never shared. Ugh. So you might notice a lot of posts being published of really old stuff from the archives that I never got around to sharing. After losing an entire drive at some point last year and losing my phone last week, I guess I'm just feeling more inclined to archive some things in a place where they won't be lost...at least for now.

So a few weeks I got to shoot Metric at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre. It was kind of an ordeal because if you remember, it was raining that night. I had interviewed the band before when they opened for Imagine Dragons at Viejas, and I'd seen them at House of Blues and a couple other times in the past, and I love them so much. Lots of photos after the jump.

Photos: Aurora, Talos, and Kingsbury at The Observatory, 2.23.2019

With San Diego's music scene constantly thriving, there are hundreds of shows I have to miss every year, but I also get the privilege to go to so many--and as it has it, sometimes more than one on any given night--and sometimes I get to go to shows that weren't necessarily on my radar, but I get nudged or turned on to it by a friend and after the show realizing how bummed I would have been to have missed it. Such was the case on Friday night when I went to the Observatory to see Aurora, Talos, and Kingsbury. It was such a mesmerizing show from start to finish, so much so I couldn't be pulled away when it went past 11pm and I knew I'd be missing King Tuff at the Casbah (though we made it in time for 1-1/2 songs and plenty of after show bevvies.

Friday started with Kingsbury, a "synth-pop princess" from LA, whose powerful voice had me thinking about powerful '80s women like Terri Nunn of Berlin or more currently, the sisters of Haim. She's super rad and made a pretty strong impression for the crowd of people filtering in during her set.

I had listened to Talos' latest record one time through before this show, and I was excited they turned out to be a 5-piece because one could imagine the sound being more synthesized or made with fewer players and more pre-tracked sounds. Instead, we got the fury of a full band, though heavily cloaked in hazers and complete backlight.

Headlining the night was Norway's Aurora. She came out in a layered chiffon dress that bounced around and itself was part of the show as she athletically jumped and twirled and made use of the entire stage given to her, after awhile kicking off her shoes and even later, pulling off her socks so she could be completely free. Her voice is stunning when she sings and super sweet when she's graciously thanking the crowd or explaining the context of a song. You should definitely watch her KEXP session and if she ever comes back this way, make it a priority to catch her live.  I'm a bit out of practice with the Canon, but check out some more pics after the jump.

Photos: Rex Orange County at the Observatory, 11.12&13.2018

On November 12th and 13th, Rex Orange County played two sold out shows the Observatory North Park. As regular listeners of Sirius XMU, we were well aware of the hype from the easy, breezy "Loving Is Easy," but I had no idea how insane and devoted his fans were. There's something deep that they're connecting with, whether it's the self-deprecating lyrics ("I said that I don't mind if you hate me 'Cause baby if I were you I would probably hate me too"), his average-white-guy and therefore accessible appearance, or his aw-shucks demeanor, but on both nights, the crowds lapped it up, sang along to every lyric, and participated with every request, like shining cell phone flashlights overhead and completely losing their shit when the confetti machines blankets the crowd. I left the show feeling like I'd never seen anything like this...but then just days later caught Billie Eilish and she had a similar fan response, which makes me just think kids are just dying for something with which to connect and right now, Rex and Billie bring it. I only had a photo pass the second night, but took some phone ones from the first night, too. They're all after the jump.

Photos: Old Sea Brigade, Frances Cone, Tall Heights at House of Blues Voodoo Room, 11.4.2018

I generally post my photos with the headliner at the top, but on December 4th, I went to the House of Blues Voodoo Room as a guest of Old Sea Brigade, who was opening the show. I decided to stick around for Frances Cone and Tall Heights, and it ended up being an all-around great show. It had also been awhile since I'd been to the Voodoo Room and I totally appreciated the stage renovations. The crowd was small so the fact there wasn't a photo barrier wasn't a problem. There was a group of people up front who seemed more concerned with what flavored vodka was available at the bar than the show, but once they settled down, the rest of the show was pretty awesome.

Full pics from the show are after the jump. I also shot a couple videos of Old Sea Brigade that are after the jump as well.

Photos: Gorgon City at Observatory, November 2, 2018

This month has been insane. That week of Halloween was so busy and I feel like I've been out every night for weeks (although realistically, that's not exactly accurate). Still. When I was asked to shoot Gorgon City, I worked it into my schedule, though I never really know what to do for electronic producers. Hidden behind their synths and keyboards and drum machines and other trigger rigs, there's not a lot of action on stage, so then there's crazy lighting and hazers to compensate and the fans eat it up, but no doubt, I struggle with the limited gear I have. It's super hard for me to shoot, but I did the best I could.

Gorgon City played to a sold out Friday night crowd at the Observatory. The energy was exuberant. The crowd was super hyped. They had a couple guest singers come out right off the bat, and the crowd ate that right up, too. They have a massive San Diego following with all their appearances over the years at various LED and FNGRS CRSSD events, Float pool parties and the like, and there's always this kind of awkward mix of people who stand and watch like a concert mixed with the people who just want to dance, but they are all in either way. More photos after the jump.

Photos: The Fratellis at the Observatory, May 4, 2018

Here's another post that got caught in my drafts but never posted. This was back in May at the Observatory with the Fratellis. I can't remember anything particularly noteworthy of the night. Not to say the band wasn't great---they were and are--but I remember racing to get to the show on time, feeling a little flustered once I actually arrived, and then seeing a show with great lighting all in the shade of a kinda ridiculous fedora/Panama hat kinda bummed me out. I'm no stylist, I'm defnitely no fashionista, but if men never wore hats on stage again, I'd be super okay with it. I guess that and chewing gum are my two big stage peeves. That's neither here nor there. The band is super energetic and it's definitely infectious with their audience. More pictures are after the jump. 

Photos: Nada Surf Celebrating the 15th Anniversary of ‘Let Go’ at Belly Up, May 14, 2018

Another show from back in May. I was on a roll that month and I guess these took me so long to post because they're mostly terrible. The lighting just wasn't working for me, I super suck at shooting through hazers and fog machines, and I'm kinda there welling up with tears as Nada Surf celebrated the 10 year anniversary of Let Go. Every song was amazing, but dudes, gimme something with that lighting!!

 I'd heard that after other shows on the tour, Matthew Caws had been going to the merch booth and playing an acoustic song. So I went back and waited at the end of the show, and then awkwardly got trapped in the corner. The lighting is even more awful than the rest of the concert, but because Matthew and I were literally shoulder to shoulder, the sound was amazing, so I thought it was still worth the share. Anyway, it was another fantastic Nada Surf show and I can't wait to hear them do it again, hopefully sooner rather than later. More photos after the jump.

Photos: Trashcan Sinatras- 1 Night, 2 Albums at Casbah, May 16, 2018

Between getting photo passes and shows that I just shoot at Soda Bar, Casbah, and The Irenic, I have a grip of photos I've never posted. On top of all of that, When I actually had the time to upload photos, I thought I'd published and did not ever pull the trigger (or click the button, in this case) so let's go back to before summer, shall we?

On May 16th, Trash Can Sinatras kicked off their national tour at the Casbah. I fell in love with the band back around 9th or 10th grade and have tried to see them any chance I've gotten since then-- which is not very often. On this particular tour, they were playing Cake and I've Seen Everything in their entirety, though they kicked off with some favorites from outside those records, like one of my favorites, "Got Carried Away".

 
This was a sold out show and partially seated--which as you know doesn't happen very often--but obviously there aren't seats for everybody. This didn't please a lady behind me who got a barstool and wanted me to move from the sidestage area. I think she calmed down when she realized another 25 people would eventually fill in the area from her stool to the stage, or else she just death-stared the back of our heads the rest of the night. I didn't particularly care, just wante dot make sure that I got some video of that first record. It was doubly cool because my sister was able to come to the show with me, something else that doesn't happen often. 

Needless to say, it was an incredible show and though it might be awhile before they return, this night will stay fresh in the brain for awhile. Full video playlist and some photos after the jump.

Photos: Hot Snakes, Le Butcherettes at Observatory, May 11, 2018

The Hot Snakes and Le Butcherettes hit the Observatory North Park on May 11, 2018. It's always hard for me to catch these guys because I usually end up selling their merch, as I did when they played a sold out show at the Casbah on March 7th. I appreciate this band and what they mean to San Diego as a band as a members of other projects through the years, but if you ever want to see grown men turn into full-on fanboys, go to a Hot Snakes show. Their latest record, Jericho Sirens (Sub Pop), got rave reviews, and it seemed anyone in my Facebook feed who posts about music, was posting about this record. Like, a lot. And with good reason, it definitely blisters, and is their first record in 14 years.
Needless to say, San Diegans are already waiting anxiously for their next chance to see the band live, where they shine the most. Le Butcherettes opened the night, and are amazing performers and very fun to shoot, too, so I have more pictures than usual after the jump.

Photos: Wild Child, Stelth Ulvang at Casbah, May 5, 2018

After leaving the Hot Snakes show at the Observatory, I caught an Uber down to the Cabsah for the sold out show with Wild Child and Stelth Ulvang. It was obvious a lot of people were there to catch Stelth, a "touring member of the Lumineers", but unfortunately he was playing his last song when I arrived. I have to be super honest, I'd written off Wild Child. I confused them for the local Doors tribute band and was always astonished they could sell out the rooms they played. When I finally put it together and decided to check them out, I could've kicked myself, because they're everything I love in a band....a big folky ensemble with guitars and violin and mandolin and boy girl harmonies and call and response. They're a lot like The Head and the Heart and you know I'm obsessed with that band. So yeah, totally late to the party, but I will definitely make a point to catch them whenever they come back to town moving forward. The wide shots below are from my Samsung, the rest with my Canon. Pictures after the jump.

Photos: Bishop Briggs, Matt Maeson at The Observatory, May 5, 2018

Two months seems to be my pace of uploading photos these days. I'm sorry for that, but I'm my own worst critic, I guess. These photos are from the sold out Bishop Briggs and Matt Maeson show at the Observatory on Cinco de Mayo. It was a particularly fun day...we walked to the North Park Fiesta (though it was kind of a bust, Nova got to do free pony rides around a parking lot). We had dinner at El Comal who were understandably slammed, so I got about three bites of my dinner before I had to ditch them to get to the show, running the few blocks of University to get there.

It was my first time catching Bishop. I think her other time in town was X-Fest and maybe another I missed, so I didn't have any expectations, but I'd been on a powerful woman kick lately, and she is certainly that. She enters the stage like a boxer, with her single "White Flag," and never lets up. I love an artist who is incredibly intense while singing, or with Bishop, practically running laps from one wing of the stage to the other, then being softspoken, humble, appreciative and consumed in the adoration of her fans. It was also her sister's birthday, so she let the crowd in a singalong, laughed, joked, and performed a perfect show. More photos, including opener Matt Maeson, are after the jump. 

Photos: The War On Drugs at the Observatory, April 15, 2018

Nova was away for a lot of the weekend, so I spent several hours trying to catch up and upload photos from the past few weeks. Then I about had a full meltdown when I realized there were shows as far back as February that I never uploaded. So bear with me as there will be a ton of photo posts this week. By my count, there are about 35 shows I never posted.

So let's start here with The War On Drugs. The band played both weekends of Coachella and we stayed close to home for the most part that first weekend because we love watching the YouTube stream of the major stages. As we watched the band on our TV that Friday night, I was still trying every avenue available to me to get a photo pass but up to that point it was still a hard no. I don't know what strings were pulled but more than a few awesome people worked to my benefit, so that by Sunday evening, I got an approval and was one of just two photographers to shoot the show. Of course, that makes me all the bigger loser that I never posted these, but I'm trying not to be so insecure about my photography, because there are few things I love more than being behind a camera.

So here are some of the shots. I tried to whittle it down to a couple dozen but when you shoot upwards of 300 shots a band, I find I have lots of favorites. This show was amazing. I don't think I'd seen The War on Drugs since their Casbah show a few years back, and while sometimes I can get bored when a band just breaks into heavy noodling, there's so much going on on the stage and in the music that once I was done shooting, I found myself just kinda closing my eyes and getting lost in the music. More photos after the jump.

Photos: MGMT at San Diego Civic Theatre, May 19, 2018

I did my best is all I can say. MGMT played at Symphony Hall on May 19, 2018 and I didn't ever post the pics because they just weren't that great. But the show was! And I got to interview them for SoundDiego! And Darren was able to come and sneak down from the upper balcony to come sit with me, so it wasn't a total wash. Just that my pics aren't the best. That's okay. I'm always learning.