Hey Country Concert Music fans,

 

Sorry its been awhile since my last show, been busy with other photography which excites me and lets me be creative and gives me my me time. But you all know Live country music is where I want to be.  

 

OK I finally Saw Hunter Hayes and Danielle Bradbery live for the 1st and now 2nd time, I caught the Were not Invisible tour in Youngstown and Toledo,Oh recently and will combine both set of pics here, The Youngstown show I was 4th row fL (pretty good) but I could only sneak in my landscape lense 16-35mm so thats gonna be the crops on those, was'nt able to get pixels on Danielle or Hunter like i would want for nice expressive photo's so thats that.  The Toledo show I snagged a pit ticket off ticketmaster a couple days before the show  soo was super exicted to get that as I was'nt going to that show before that ticket came up.  The 3 previous times I've been to the Huntington center I was able to use my 7D and what ever lense I had all night but  3 songs into Danielle's show  security taps me on the shoulder and asks me to put the camera away.  No problem.  Shake head & continue to sing along for the rest of the set.  Still I could'nt help to think dang why can't I do this for a living without the fear of this.   This was only the second time I've been asked to put away my camera and I've been to over a couple hundred country concerts.  I see there reasoning for not giving customers the free for all of bringing whateever high dollar setups into the shows,   although how much of a problem is it out there? people selling photo's of country artists?  its not. Cause you might get sued if you do that.  I have only one purpose for taking photo's its for the fans of the artists. always has been since my first country concert in 02. but they don't know that and are only doing there job.  

I have a pretty cool Concert section on my Zenfolio portfolio but you'll note none of those are for sale they are just there to show fans of the singers and hopefully someday the Artists to look in and say Damn  this guy creates some magic here lets hire him for the tour :)  well that has never happen although and I using this analogy again cause its Voice winner Danielle were talking about and seeing here  I need someone to hit there button and turn the big red chair for me on this dream of a paid Concert Photographer :) ok Enough about my quest and onto the Talented DB and HH 

 

After listening and hearing her Debut album over and over since its release and now hearing her live the word Ferocity is how I describe how she hits chorus and notes in some songs she knows exactly when to ramp it up or hold a note or sing softly to make the words jump in a song.  its quite something and definitely a God given talent Danielle has. 

 

Some of you that have known me since I first started going to country concerts love strong Female singers reaching for the stars with vocals, like the many Sara Evans and Martina McBride shows I've seen. Coaches like Blake and others on other TV Singing competition shows talk about the It factor, and that could be anything performance related. with Guys such as Keith Urban(greatest of all time well duh :) ) Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Jake Owen, Hunter Hayes, Brad Paisley all of them have that It factor that draws me in to pay money for a seat at there shows.   and with Ladies such as Taylor, Carrie, Martina, Shania, Sara, Julianne Hough(wish she would still sing) and now Danielle is right up there in my book for loving to see live  for that one factor of being blown away by perfect Fun songs sung by a golden Inspiring voice.  I've said this before a couple times or more Good gosh these songs off her debut album are Flipping Great!. having Big Machine records and the famed producers she had on this album really pays off for selecting great tunes for a album.

In my Collection of Music Albums there are certain Albums I've listen to hundreds of times just because they are absolute perfection start to finish and I gotta Say Danielle's debut album is gonna be on that list. its such a delight to hear her sing these fun songs.  

 

Danielle is only what like 17? I believe she could surpass many of the Legends I mentioned earlier with hit songs,  Danielle if your reading this, stay on the slow and steady course, & keep listening to your peers that have had the successful road in Nashville. I read a quote somewhere the other day you said about what Blake and Miranda said to you is to not Screw up!  haha  well yeah thats it.  surround yourself with happy people and stay out of trouble.  My advice from a fans perspective take ques from your label mate Taylor, she is a great role model to emulate in how she handles herself and it all.  

Thats all for DB, keep rolling and being inspired Danielle :)

(Do do do, do do do 

Do do do, do do

 

Do do do, do do do 

Do do do)

:)

 

Lets talk about the Arena tour headliner, Mr. Hunter Hayes  , I will be honest here going into these shows I did not know Hunters songs at all, well I do know his radio singles and know a bit of those chorus's but I really have not sought out his music yet.  But I totally knew leading into this my first Hunter show that I would be impressed. after seeing him perform live on the Awards shows the last few years and also I have several close concert friends who have seen him and just have raved about his shows and performances and I respect there reviews and opinions.  Soo I was anxious to see what this hype was about.    and Good Gosh Hunter Hayes brings it! I've said this before but  he's like a young Keith Urban with the Talent and entertainment factor.  Pretty Awesome skills on the guitar's. 

Going into this show I was thinking ok how is he gonna look like playing the guitar, meaning whats his style, who's he sort've gonna emulate with Guitar flare moves  and I tell ya he is pretty original with his own ways around the stage and his playing,  I talk about the It factor earlier talking about my favorite performers  and Hunter has a It factor,   for me these 2 Hunter Hayes show's was a awe factory  and discovery or Blind Auditon for me to finally see.  

 

During the show he said he was gonna do like half the show with new songs off the upcoming Album Storyline and started singing those songs   good gosh those new songs are really really Good and connected with me as definitely country radio hits,   these are well produced great sounding songs! looking forward to picking up this new album!  I cannot stress how kickazz he is already at the age of 22 and I believe his head is firmly on his shoulders and will make the right decisions throughout his career. he's says it live during the show a few times and I believe he speaks the truth he really loves what he is doing, it really shows.

 

On a personal note to Danielle and Hunter, I would be honored to work for either of you as a tour photographer, I know if I was given the ability to roam a tour with my Top Gear magic pics would happen and your websites would pop each night with photography from each show,  I believe Fans would love that and look forward to it each night, which in turn I think would sell you more which turns into selling more records and seats and get into selling out stadiums someday like Taylor and Kenny,,simple as that! :) haha   but yeah I think I have a knack for capturing a compelling composition moment on a concert stage at least thats what people have told me over the years of doing this.  I've been doing this for free for the fans of my favorite artists I've seen since my first Shania show in 02  but I want and need a Chair turn to prove I can do this,  sticking with a Voice theme.  you can try me out for the a couple shows  think of it as a Battle round and you can send me packing if I don't produce and not what your looking for your team moving forward ;)  and  please don't let some of these heavily cropped crop sensor pictures below be judge of what I can produce, my portfoilio has a sense of what I do with my proper camera and lense setups.   I Also give a personal note if Big Machine Records or Atlantic Records  if just by a miracle happen to read my review here. If DB or HH is all set for now. I would love to work for any of your brilliant artists and would relocate to anywhere the Buses leave town.   Although DB and HH I'm a huge fan of now and would be first preference's for my first job.  I see the Stars of something special in there eyes and would love to show them off in the my Bestest possible way to the public.

 

OK the photo's I'm gonna include the Toledo 3 song show DB pics first as that was the closest and these pics I was able to get tighter compositions,  I apologize to all the Hunter Fans as there are no pics from this show as I said earlier I was asked to put my camera away during DB's set,  Dang during Hunters Set and being like super close to center stage it was killing me not being able to take pictures  the array of pretty lights the Stage was displaying were a overload to this photographer,  seems like everywhere I go I'm always looking for creative framing of light and composition and it was sensory overload with the lights I was seeing from HH's show here haha.   oh well maybe next time Hunter Fans.

 

for those fans of mine that will most likely as at some point somewhere.

I used a Canon 7D and Canon 16-35L for both these shows, settings were f2.8,  1000 iso for the Youngstown show, 800 iso for the Toledo show and in Manual mode I spun the shutterspeed to keep up the various light changes throughout the night

 

Per usual here's the scroll down pics, you can click on the pics and see the larger photobucket version or click on the Flickr link and view the slideshow or just click through the pics as well 

 

And Gotta warn ya there's like 88 pics here in this the 3 songs I was able to take pics at the Toledo show, haha I was determined to get my first proper pics of DB soo I held the shutter down for many pics juuuuust incase Security comes I'd have some keepers.  good thing I did. soo alot of these are runs of pics, if you scroll fast enough she will be in motion haha 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/35720279@N08/sets/72157643532578774/

 

Whoa-oh, oh, oh, ready set go