Category: Concert Photography

Jake Scott’s show at The Underground in Charlotte was not only a memorable night for everyone in attendance, but also almost poignant – it was like a love letter. 

Opening for Scott on his heartfelt night in Charlotte was MaRynn Taylor. Although there were many technical difficulties, Taylor was able to prevail. Sharing her music was a love letter in itself: her single “Pretty Much” speaks to the young girls who feel the weight of the world on their shoulders of being a certain standard on how they look. As she sang her new single, I couldn’t help but tear up on how honest and vulnerable Taylor was. It was almost as if she was speaking to a 12 year old me.

As Scott took the stage, he proclaimed, “Man, I love y’all.” Throughout the night, he not only expressed his love and admiration for the city, but he also continuously shared stories of growing up, moving away from his hometown, and marrying the love of his life. In every song that Scott sang and every story that he told, he got up close and personal with the audience. For instance, the story behind his single, “Venezia,” was a memorable one – it was about being whisked away on a trip to Venice with his wife and getting the opportunity to eat spaghetti for breakfast while being captivated by the beauty that the city had to offer. 

The night was overall a love letter to Scott’s wife, and I couldn’t be more happy to be a part of it and to become more excited for what Scott has to come in future projects.

It was a heat index of 104 degrees on Wednesday night when doors opened at Hollywood Casino Amphitheater, but that didn’t stop fans from coming early to grab a spot on the lawn to watch The Lumineers.

Hippo Campus warmed up an already sweating crowd and didn’t seem to mind the temperature themselves as they performed a 45 minute set with a great mix of songs across their discography.

Thankfully, as the sun went down and a breeze moved in, the night became more comfortable and the crowd was ready to get on their feet as The Lumineers took the stage. They opened with the lead track off of Automatic, “Same Old Song,” to the cheers of nearly twenty thousand voices – the biggest show they’ve played so far in St. Louis.

After playing “Ho Hey,” the song that brought them to fame, Wesley Schultz told the audience about how they’ve had a lot of couples tell them that this song was their first dance song at their wedding. Schultz informed us that “Ho Hey” is a breakup song, which made the crowd laugh, before The Lumineers continued into a song Schultz said is a better song for a first dance: “Dead Sea.”

The Lumineers played several songs off of their latest album, Automatic, and filled in the rest of their time with an assortment of songs from their previous albums, ensuring that everyone heard one of their favorites. You can still catch them on one of their tour dates throughout the US and Toronto until mid-October!

Alternative rock band 311 stopped in Cleveland last week on their Unity Tour alongside openers Sitting on Saturn and Badflower. 311 has been active in the music scene since 1988 with their latest full length album released in 2024: Full Bloom. The Unity Tour set list featured an incredible selection of their thirty plus years of music and of course featured crowd favorites “Amber,” “Beautiful Disaster,” and “All Mixed Up,” just to name a few. There are still plenty of upcoming dates for the tour so be on the lookout! Check out photos from the set below. 

With only a handful of shows left on The Driver Era’s Obsession Tour, I’m happy to say that Ross and Rocky Lynch always bring the energy to every show they perform. And as they returned to Charlotte with their fierce opener VALÉ, it was pretty clear that myself and the rest of the audience were about to have an amazing time. 

VALÉ captivated the audience with her beautiful yet fiery performance and mystical stage presence. During her set, I was taken back to the early 2000s as she performed a cover of Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani, prompting everyone, including myself, to sing along.

As The Driver Era’s set rolled in, I knew that my younger self was going to be excited based on clips of their past shows I had seen on my TikTok feed. You could have caught me dancing in the crowd step by step as Ross performed “Cruisin’ For A Bruisin’” from Teen Beach Movie. To close out the show, the song I had been waiting for all night began to play. “Get Off My Phone” was the cherry on top to an incredible night. As the show ended, the Lynch brothers walked towards the crowd to autograph fans’ signs and hats to everyone’s excitement.

The Obsession Tour was an obsession indeed.

Australian rock band Jet performed at the House of Blues in Cleveland Ohio on Friday the 13^th alongside Band of Skulls. Jet delivered an outstanding high-energy performance, playing crowd favorites such as “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” and “Cold Hard Bitch.” This performance was one of the last in North America on this run. Check out photos from the show below. 

The month of May was a month to remember for many Charlotte bands, but for Camisole, it was especially memorable. Kicking off the month, the band performed at Charlotte’s second annual Lovin Life Music Festival, and ended May on a high note by performing at Snug Harbor for the first show of their tour. 

Joining Camisole on Snug Harbor’s stage were two talented musicians, Lady Die and Madisinn. To start off the night, Madisinn delivered what was perhaps one of the most dreamy and mythical performances I’ve seen. For Madisinn’s first time in Charlotte, she had left a lasting and angelic impression on both the venue and the city. 

Throughout Camisole’s set, I expected the unexpected. One eccentric set, an unreleased song, and a cover of a Gwen Stefani’s song later, I was completely blown away by the liveliness of the band’s energy. During their set, frontwoman Briella Violet’s heart of gold had shown when she sweetly surprised drummer Logan Hawke and her roommate and best friend with a cake. It was sadly a bittersweet celebration as it was both Violet’s roommate’s birthday as well as Hawke’s last night of being a part of the band.

Lady Die’s set was the cherry on top for the night. For the band’s first night in Charlotte, I was completely blown away. “It’s also our first show in a couple of months, so we’re a bit rusty,” said lead singer Julia Rothenberger. After attending their show, I can say that I will definitely be listening to their new EP June when it comes out this month.

At the Fillmore in Charlotte on April 27, Japanese Breakfast and Ginger Root’s concert was filled with nostalgia and energy.

As Ginger Root took the stage, Cameron Lew, the leader of the music project, had incredible songs to play. For his entire set, nostalgia filled room as the onstage cameraman broadcasted the majority of his performance for the audience to see. Watching Lew’s performance on the screen almost felt like I had been transported to a time when MTV still aired music videos on its channel. Aside from playing various instruments and singing into a red telephone, he further entertained the audience by cracking a few jokes.

“I heard y’all got talking spiders. Charlotte’s Web,” Lew joked. 

I highly appreciated the small Beatles joke Lew incorporated within his set as he introduced himself and the beginnings of his career. 

“It all started with four guys from Liverpool.” The audience and I chuckled. 

He ended his set on a positive note with his song “Show 10,” encouraging the audience to dance as he reminded us to continue to put ourselves out there and to not be afraid of failure. 

At the opening of Japanese Breakfast’s set, it’s safe to say frontwoman Michelle Zauner, emerged from her shell. Quite literally, as she performed sitting on the edge of a giant clam shell. As she began playing, the music progressed from whimsy to loud and fierce. Most notable was when Japanese Breakfast played “Honey Water,” and Zauner displayed her amazing talent on the electric guitar. 

Her positive energy on stage proved to be infectious with songs such as “Side Tackle” that made me want to dance on stage with her as well as roll down the windows on a drive listening to this specific song.

Throughout the night, it was clear that for Japanese Breakfast’s Melancholy tour was not so melancholy. In fact, it was the exact opposite – upbeat, eccentric, and the most vibrant performance I have ever seen.

Virginia-based folk band Palmyra stopped back in to Petra’s Bar in Charlotte on their Restless tour along with opener Joseph Terrell on April 25.

As the show started, Mānoa Bell exclaimed, “It feels good to be back.” 

I agreed. 

A sense of calm filled the bar as Palmyra started to play. The night was not only filled with new friends and groovy tunes, but also eccentricity and emotion through their songs. Each lived experience that was played and sang radiated throughout Petra’s. With this, it created a magical safe space for every person in the bar, myself included.

One song that particularly took me by surprise was “Shape I’m In.” Sasha Landon’s lyrics pulled at my heartstrings, to the point where I could not contain my emotions. 

Throughout the night, I was most impressed by the band’s beautiful lyrics and how they implemented the first microphone they had used when starting out as a band. The members played around that singular microphone with Manoa on both bass and cello, Sasha on acoustic and electric guitar, and Teddy Chipouras guitar and banjo. 

“We were trying to be folkier, from playing songs on the one microphone,” they joked, with the audience erupting into laughter.  

The show ended with their song “Stones Throw,” a song about marching on despite the setbacks experienced in life, giving a strong conclusion to a wonderful night.

Prior to coming to the concert, I had been struggling to find my voice through art or anything that brought me joy. But meeting Palmyra and listening to their music helped me find my voice again. My experience at Petra’s Bar with Palmyra taking the stage was a reminder to myself and others to keep going. And because of them, I will.

Neon Trees played at The House of Blues in Cleveland, Ohio, on 4/29 alongside openers The Tisburys. This show was one of the last on the Sink Your Teeth Tour which promotes the most recent Neon Trees album of the same name. Check out photos from the outstanding show below!

OK GO stopped by the Agora in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sunday 4/29 as part of the first leg of their Adjacent Possible Tour. Lead singer Damian Kulash fielded questions from the audience throughout their set and even invited a fan onstage to showcase their whistling skills. Confetti rained down on the crowd during several songs.

One highlight of the show was when the band joined together for an a capella version of “Shooting the Moon” while playing the handbells- yes, the handbells. OK GO’s positive and fun stage presence completely aligns with their impressive and creative music video performances. I highly recommend this concert experience for anyone and everyone. Check out photos from the show below.