Alice in Chains, Filmore @ Irving Plaza, 9/8/09

It's been a while since I've posted here, but I have much to share after seeing Alice in Chains in New York on Tuesday:

a) my review of the band, featuring new singer William DuVall

b) show my first attempts at concert photography. I realize I'm no Todd Owyoung or Carrie Musgrave, but all things considered, I'm fairly happy with the results.

Since my trusty H1 is a point-and-shoot, I was free to snap away all show (DSLRs and other "professional" cameras would've required a photo pass). And thankfully, the lighting was usually bright enough to get relatively stable shots without long exposures. Granted, the H1 is very noisy at ISO 400 (its max), so I've also had to experiment with Noise Reduction.

The H1's zoom was invaluable in getting shots as the sold-out crowd would not have been easy to traverse.

So, how is the "new guy"?

Truth be told, it was initially hard to tell - the crowd singing along with openers "Rain When I Die" and "Again" all but drowned the band out! But as the set progressed, it became clear that DuVall had both the chops and charisma to carry this band.

Duvall and guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Jerry Cantrell make a good team. It's Cantrell's harmonies and guitar riffs that maintain the Alice in Chains sound on new tunes like "Check My Brain" and "A Looking in View."

Duvall's guitar contributions helped fill-out the band's layered sound.

The crowd was very loud and enthusiastic, eating up old faves like "Down in a Hole" and the multipart new offering "Acid Bubbles."

Even an old, beat-to-death-on-rock-radio standard like the set-ending " Man in the Box" whipped the audience into a crowd-surfing frenzy.

This show demonstrated that Alice in Chains are not destined to be a 90's grunge nostalgia act. Energized by their new singer and the public's warm reception, they are a band with a future.

A sample setlist can be found here. It's not exactly the show I saw, but it's pretty close.

More photos to come on My Flickr Page: UmlautSteve's Photos

Thanks again to friends Brian & Colleen for the extra ticket and overnight accommodations! Good to see you guys - and Jeff - again!

Ghost Leaves

 I've been wanting to capture an image of the phantom images left by rain-soaked leaves on our sidewalks and paving-stones for a while now. Thankfully I remembered before tomorrow's impending rain washes them away.

Speaking of things I've been meaning to do: it's National Blog Posting Month again. Obviously, I'm not taking part this year. Though it was a good clearing-house last year for all shots that have been piling up. So even though it's too late to go with NaBloPoMo in earnest, I do hope to get into a regular posting habit again.

Another Mantis

Found IN MY DINING ROOM, this past Friday morning before work. After some tense moments, I was able to let her out the window safely!

Roman Numerals

For this week's Photo Hunt topic of "Old School communication," I decided to go with this shot from our Coliseum tour.
There are 80 arches around the exterior of the Coliseum (actually, the "Flavian Amphitheater" is its proper name), and each one is numbered. Ancient Romans were issued tickets directing them to a specific # arch for entry to the stadium.
The original numbers are still visible on the exterior, such as #53 above.

More shots from our Italia trip on my Flickr page.

Truth in Signage, Part II

There was a lot of expensive shopping in Italy. Especially in Roma, where we found this store that didn't mince words!

I'm using this as my entry into the JorjDotOrg Photo Hunt subject "Sign Language."

For "Truth in Signage (Part I)," click here.

24-Hour party people

Something we saw often in Italia were old 24-hour public clocks. With just one hand to indicate the hour, they were simple yet fascinating.
TOP - the clock in Piazza San Marco in Venezia (Venice). The round face is the 24-hour version, above that a more modern digital readout with hours (in Roman numerals, though!) and minutes. The winged-lion statue up top represents San Marco (St. Mark), who is the patron Saint of Venezia (he's buried in the cathedral there).
2nd - Detail of the 24-hour face, showing the Sun on the "hand" circling the central Earth - obviously a very old clock!
3rd - Clock on the exterior of a church near Ponte Rialto. At least they've got the sun in the correct position here...
BOTTOM - Inside the Duomo di Firenze (Florence Cathedral) was this clock - as plain as the rest of the interior (it's the exterior that's amazing - coming soon!). It's only ornamentation is the faces of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John at the corners.

Interesting how the Venetian clocks have the numbers positioned in the same place (with midnight at about the 3:00 position), while the Florentine clock is differnt.

Big Dish

Another interruption of the Italia pics for a Photo Hunt entry:

This large dish was part of the Fort Monmouth/Evans Area military base in New Bedford, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Appropriately located along Marconi Road, it's right next to a suburban neighborhood. It was quite a surprise in my travels for work.

This Old-Camera pic (which is a re-post from this old 'blog entry) was a no-brainer for the Photo Hunt subject "Communication Device."