It’s me again. I know it’s been a little while since my last post. What can I say? Like all of us lately, I’ve been caught up in the whirlwind of life. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been behind my lens. I’ve just not had quite the time to dive into the digital world. Still, I’ve got so many images to share with you all, and my plan is to get them out there at least bi-weekly. There won’t be any particular order—just picking a name out of the hat, so to speak.

That being said, let’s dive into it, shall we?

Cheap Trick at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, FL

In December, I had the chance to cover one of my favorite bands, Cheap Trick, at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida. As someone who grew up with their music, it was a thrilling experience to see them still rocking the stage, living their best life, and showing that rock ‘n’ roll is timeless.

What made this night even more special was that the band was gracious enough to let us photographers get up close and personal with the stage. There I was, armed with my trusty 2.8 24-70mm lens, ready to capture the magic. It was one of those moments where everything just clicked.

Of course, they played their classic hits, and I couldn’t have asked for a better night. The energy, the crowd, and the band’s passion—it was unforgettable.

Here are my top 5 favorite shots from the night. And if you want to see a few more, you can always check out my Facebook page for the full set.

Now, let’s hear from you.
If you’re a fan of Cheap Trick, what’s your favorite song of theirs? Drop a comment below—I’d love to hear what resonates with you!

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Today though I am making time to catch up on your backlog and prepare for the gig with Hardwired at Revolution next weekend. They were taken with my trustworthy sidepiece, The Beast with my go-to lens the 24-70mm. That being said am catching up and sharing some of my favorite images taken the last time I covered them at Revolution Live. It’s all about moments and capturing them so here are my top 5 favorites. Yes, it’s a quick entry but you’re not here for the writing, you are here for the photos. You will find some more on my Facebook page and of course, you are welcome to have a look at them. 

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We prioritize and we move accordingly. That being said, I am making time today to get together a little post to share a recent event I was given the opportunity to cover with you all. While I’m not sharing with you the images from the job in specific I was hired to cover, I’m here now sharing with you the perk of the job that came after. Yes, the job was to cover one thing, but afterward came the fun, live music. 

It was so much fun working the MAS Miami event, even more so walking around after the fact, checking out all the live performances. I didn’t need much, just the vibe and my go-to lens, the 24-70mm. It was quick and easy but most of all, I had a great time. When it’s your passion, it’s not a job nor will it ever really be. So here I am setting aside a little time to share with you a collection taken from one of my latest ventures, MAS Miami 5. Here is my top 5 with a little more to see on my Facebook page. Let me know what you think. 

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MasMiami5 was an event presented by the full cast of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz at the intersection of music, art, and sports to get a taste of Miami’s diverse culture. During this 5th year’s MAS, there was a buy-in domino tournament, Zoo Miami’s own Ron Magill, as he unretired his “Sex and the Animals” presentation, a live art installation featuring some of Miami’s most talented artists, and a live art auction, with proceeds from the auction going to the Ron Magill Conservation Endowment and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.

There were even performances but some great bands such as Les Greene And The Swayzees, whose fun Motown influence turned rock and roll into rock and soul, and the LeBatard Show’s very own Mike Ryan, whose DJ sets always swing between fun, funny and funky. The best part for me closing out the night was the one and only G Love and needless to say I have been a big fan of the man behind hip-hop blues fusion ever since I heard “Slipped Away” in 1997. Supported by South Florida’s very own Juke, G. Love did not disappoint. 

Now while I have been caught up with a few projects in these last few months, I didn’t want any more time to slip away (see what I did there?). Before I share with you this particular night and better yet, G Love. You know how I do. I share with you my final selection of images in an album on my Facebook page. Then, I will bring you my favorites here. I’m hoping that if you haven’t taken a listen to G. Love, this post inspires you to give him a try and let me also suggest that you attend the next MAS MIAMI so you can know what a great night of music, arts, and sports is all about.

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Let’s do this, shall we? The second part of Tribute Night at Revolution Live and its due time I share with you this set. This is all about Hardwired, THE Metallica tribute. They reached out to me to cover them on this amazing night and let’s just say what a great time I had. While I’m not a hardcore Metallica fan, I am a fan nonetheless and I will say this; these guys are the prino choice when it comes to representing these icons. They look the part, play the part, and in such an authentic way. There’s a reason why Blackend has been booking them for their events. They even went the distance and gave us a two-hour set this night. 

I highly recommend going to check them out if they are ever in your neighborhood, especially if you are a Metallica fan that just can’t make it to one of their concerts. As for me, listening to live music and capturing the night is what I love. It really is a no-brainer for me, especially when the music is good. So yes, I was excited and went ham. Here I was with the Beast poking around the crowd, working the pit and even the stage capturing the vibe as I felt it. You know what they say, “shoot what it feels like”. I was having such a great time. Following up after Products of Rage, their set list fit right and the fans were all for it.

While I shared with the band the entire set, it was difficult for me to narrow down the selection for my purposes. I do like to write a blog post to correspond to my album set on Facebook so here we are. Now, as difficult as it was to trim down my album on Facebook, it was even more difficult for me to get my top 5 together. I made it happen though and here they are I would love for you to visit my Facebook page and give those a peek as well. As always, feedback is appreciated. 

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If you have been keeping up with my entries, you already know that I usually post my sets in the order they were taken. You could it a slight OCD of mine. So with that let me tell you a little bit about this night and my coverage. For starters, I was insanely excited. Not only was I going to get a chance to check out Products of Rage, a tribute to Rage Against the Machine; they were opening in support of Hardwired, a Metallica tribute. Can you say this night was going to be a night to remember? 

Now, I have seen Products of Rage before on another night and they were fantastic, so I knew they were going to be good. What I was not expecting was all that energy, not just on stage but in the crowd as well. I mean everyone was amped up, myself included. Here I was with the Beast and my go-to 24-70mm lens attached thankful that I typically pack light which made navigating through the mosh pits much more navigable. It also makes it easier to work my way around the venue.

So from the side stage, the pit, and the back of the crowd, I buzzed about clicking my shutter and getting lost behind the lens. It’s such an amazing feeling, especially when you are rocking to some great music. All in all, I snapped about 1500 images, 600 or so of Products of Rage, and while I loved working on the post, I know that sharing all the images edited would be overkill. So I put together a small little collection that I posted up on my Facebook page and of course, I picked a top 5 to share with you here.

Let me know what you think. Oh and also important, if Products of Rage is ever in your town, stop in and check them out, especially if you are a Rage Against the Machine fan. These guys really do them justice.

[See image gallery at throughtheeyesofaqueen.com] Yes, I know my enemies. They’re the teachers who taught me to fight me, compromise, conformity, assimilation, submission, ignorance, hypocrisy, brutality, the elite, all of which are American dreams.

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Here is how it began. I arrive at Think Amphitheater stoked and ready for a night of vibes with non other than Ziggy Marley & Jack Johnson. I had been patiently waiting for this night to arrive for a couple of weeks and finally the day came. The night was here though unfortunately Mother Nature decided to attend the event as well. 

I walk up to the entrance and was met with signage advising the attendees to return to their vehicles as there was a rain delay. I make my way in to the venue, get my media pass and then began the wait. The rain was coming down fairly hard and so the other photographers and myself were waiting underneath one of the vendors tiki’s seeing when the rain would let up. 

We waited patiently, wondering if the show would get called Then, after two hours of waiting, the decision is made to go forward with the show and I couldn’t be happier. Granted, the opening act was scratched of but Ziggy and Jack were still a go and I was ready. Finally, patience paid off and it was time to get to work for my 3 song set. 

Ziggy had such a great stage set up and I loved how they made full use of how large the stage actually is. I was having such a great time capturing Ziggy and his troupe that my time was up before I even knew it. Such an amazing show with so much energy, I couldn’t get enough. So here I am bringing to you my top five images of the night and would also love it if you check out the full set on my Facebook page. And let me say one more thing, if you get a chance to attend one of Ziggy’s concert, I highly recommend it. 

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I’ve been waiting rather impatiently to post this entry and in its due time, today is the day. Yes, I have been mentioning catching up on my backlog post-wise and that is what I’ve been doing. Little by little and in the order they were taken, I have been sharing with you some of what I’ve been up to recently and this entry is no exception. I had Incubus in front of my lens at IThink Amphitheater in West Palm Beach. 

Now I have been a fan of Incubus for so long that it’s unreal. There are so many of their songs that just take me to a different place every time I hear them. Lucky me, I got to not just hear those songs, but watch them live and direct in front of me. I was positively ecstatic. As much as I enjoyed myself during Sublime, I could not wait to hear Incubus come on. 

And there they were, front and center. And to add the sweetest icing on the cake, they played all my favorite songs this night. But you’re not here to read about my music tastes. You are here for the photos. Thankfully the beast was having a great time and helped me capture a little bit of what I saw through my eyes. 

Without further ado, let me show you my top images and on account of this being a special night for me, I’m making this a Top 7. Yes, that’s not a common top anything list but then again, I’m not common either so there you go. I do have a few more on my Facebook page which I’m fond of as well so go on and check them out. Until then, keep the vibe high. 

Look me in the eye
And ask for forgiveness
We’ll make a pact to never speak that word again
Yes, you are my friend

We all have something that digs at us
At least we dig each other
So when weakness turns my ego up
I know you’ll count on the me from yesterday

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Yes, you read that right. Sublime with Rome and Incubus. I mean, Incubus and Sublime on the same stage. Such a vibe in all ways. Can you say that it was a great night? For starters, Sublime with Rome opened in direct support of Incubus. I’ve been a fan of both for quite some time.  

While my favorite Sublime song is “Waiting for my Ruca”, who doesn’t love songs like “Santeria”, “Wrong Way” and “What I Got”? They played all their hits on this night, that’s for sure, and while the pit was a little narrow and crowded this night. I did capture a few images I’m quite fond of that I wanted to share with you and here they are. Yes, there are a few more on my Facebook page, go and take a look. 

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I’m back. We left off with Products of Rage in direct support and after a brief intermission and a quick and amazing sing-along of “I want it that way” (No, I’m not kidding. You had to be there), I channeled my inner Baby Yoda and it was time to rock. Yes, In The End took the stage. No, they did not come to play around. 

Let me start off by saying two very important things I’ve learned. One, energy is so incredibly important. Two, a connection is the glue. So where Products of Rage had started the night by reminding us that its okay to Rage Against The Machine, In The End connects to your inner child. That one that was hurt, let down, kicked around by life, and overall filled with that angst that we have all known at one time or another. The difference is that they are paying tribute to artists that put those feelings into song, at least for me anyway. 

For those of you that are/were Linkin Park fans, you know what I speak of. Chester and the rest of the boys of Linkin Park put into words emotions when we couldn’t, at least they did for me. While I would have to say that my absolute favorite track from them is “My December”. There are so many titles throughout the band’s time together that resonated with me, especially off of the Hybrid Theory album. Sadly, Chester, the lead vocalist, took his life five years ago and has since become one of the many victims of mental health. For that reason, a tribute band like In The End continues on where Linkin Park cannot, keeping alive one light, at a time where they seem to be going out far too soon. 

Let me tell you how amazing it has been to cover this band. Yes, I have had the pleasure of having them in front of my lens on two occasions, and each time I’ve come away more impressed than the last. To see the level of connection they have with the audience. Seeing fans and how they get lost in the energy, the songs, the music. It’s such a beautiful thing that makes such an impact on me. Yes, the sound is there but for me, what hits me the most is that connection. Seeing them reach out to hold the fan’s hands and the tears that have fallen. It’s something that I have not really witnessed in live performances. 

That being said, I myself get lost behind the lens, feeling emotions not only from my younger years but picking up off the energy from the crow. There were so many images, especially with them having invited me on stage with them. I was in my own moment of Zen taking it all in. Needless to say, there were a lot of images I turned over to them, and even curating them for my album share on Facebook was a bit of an undertaking. Still, I got through it and there is quite the collection for you all to view on my Facebook page. 

I also did round up my favorites for you all here to summarize the experience in hopes that you will see what I saw. Now, I do typically try and do top 5’s as you may already know but for these guys and this night, that was not happening. So here they are, my top 15 of the evening. Of course there is more to see on my page. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do and let it be known that I certainly recommend checking In The End playing live if you can. 

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