Lights @ Sonar

Canadian electo-rock/pop songstress Lights is on tour this fall and on October 22, 2011 she made a stop at Sonar in Baltimore. She is promoting her most recent release Siberia which came out a couple of weeks ago, but her set was much more than a promotion. It was a fan service to those who have been following her for since the days of her Lights EP from 2008, but also a welcome to those who picked up on her from this most recent release.

The show started off a bit late because the original opening act couldn't make it. Due to some last minute improvisation, the newest member of her tour band (forgive me for not recalling his name) came out and held his own for 5 or 6 songs.

After about 10 mins to prep for the next act the room went black and with the silence only lasting a second, at last the moment that whole crowd was waiting for. It was time for Lights to shine! And shine she did as she opened the show with "Banner" a song of Siberia. It is important to open a show strong and have an energy that keeps the crowd invested and with you throughout the night and she damn sure accomplished that and didn't fall off one bit through the 17 song set.

No time was wasted as she went right into her next song "Second Go" which was one of my personal favorite tracks off of her debut album The Listening. She definitely knew how to please the crowd by knowing what her fans wanted to hear. There was a nice mix of old and new songs with a couple of new renditions as well, which was nice to hear.

As I just mentioned along with the mix of the old and the new, Lights preformed some new renditions of songs one being for the song "Cactus in the Valley". She and her band put a sort of country twist on the song as Lights herself picked up an acoustic guitar. Speaking of acoustic guitar she also pulled material from her Acoustic EP when she played "February Air" during which time she said the crowd was the most supportive she had seen yet which only kept the energy in the room up.

I was definitely surprised to hear her play some songs off of the new album like "Flux and Flow" and "Everybody Breaks a Glass" simply because Shad K who is featured on the album versions was not there. This turned out to be alright though because Lights and her band just expanded on the dubstep influenced instrumentals which was cool to hear.

One of the more personal moments during the whole show was when Lights played the very simple "And Counting..." Before performing the song she let the crowd know that, "this is the realist love song that I ever wrote" and the fact the it was just her on keyboard with no backing band made it all the more sincere in my opinion and had me getting lost in her performance.

As I mentioned before Lights kept the energy high throughout the show. When she performed the song "The Last Thing On Your Mind" which was the 12th on the set list, I was sure that would be the last song of the night. I was oh so wrong, not only did she perform four more songs including "Savior" and "Toes" but as she finished the last song and exited stage right, the crowd started chanting "LIGHTS" and "ONE MORE SONG." After about three or five minutes of constant cheering they came back on stage and gave the crowd their wish and played "Lions!" which was probably my favorite track off of The Listening.

In the end this was a great show to go to on a Saturday night and those who attended definitely got their moneys worth, with performance and excellent lighting to accompany it. This was my second time seeing Lights and it will be just as memorable as the last. Lights is an artist who loves her fans and it is apparent in her shows. All I have left to say is Lights brightens up my days and my nights!

All words: Jarrett Johnson (The Construct)

All photos: David Nguyen (KTL Photography)

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Meowingtons HAX Tour @ The Fillmore

Night 1 of DeadMau5's 2 day concert at The Fillmore in Silver Spring. With supporting acts from Zedd and Excision and special guest SOFI.

The Fillmore just recently opened up 2 weeks ago and they already have an incredible lineup since day 1 followed by more acts to end the rest of the year just right. This show was much anticipated when news broke out after his performance at this years Virgin Mobile Freefest. I didn't get the opportunity to photograph him at VMFF so I was excited to come out to this leg of his tour. A visually striking set that lasted almost 3 1/2 hours and the crowd was entranced by every song. It was welcoming to see Joel Zimmerman return to our area. Those that remember, last year he collapsed onstage at the 9:30 Club from exhaustion and had to cancel some shows following that night.

I stuck around for the majority of his set to just enjoy the music, something I normally don't do for headliners. He has crafted a unique blend of electro house that gained popularity in early 2008 and since then he has collaborated with major labels, DJ's, and producers. Even launching his own record label 'Mau5trap'. The Canadian born artist has toured internationally playing at major festivals including Oxegen, Leeds, Creamfields, Ibiza, T in the Park, Electric Daisy Carnival, and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Here is the setlist from his night 1 performance:

Where Are My Keys, Bad Selection, Maths, Reward is Cheese, To Play Us Out, Some Chords, Complications, Cthulhu Sleeps, Arguru, Asdfghjkl, HR 8938 Cephei, Jaded, Slip, Aural Synapse, Raise Your Weapon, Sofi Needs A Ladder, One Trick Pony, FML, Professional Griefers, Ghost 'N Stuff, Limit Break, Animal Rights, Get In The Cart Pig, Strobe.

Be sure to check out these songs which are not mentioned: Not Exactly, I Remember, Faxing Berlin.

Click the images for the gallery!

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Virgin Mobile Freefest 2011 (Dance Forest Edition)

Welcome to Freefest, Virgin Mobile's annual festival held on the Merriweather Post Pavilion grounds. It was a long day filled with musical acts and activites for all ages that attended. My assignment: The Dance Forest.

This years Dance Forest lineup included Eclectic Method, Porter Robinson, Calvin Harris, !!!, James Murphy, Teddybears, and Ghostland Observatory.

Here are some of the people that were in that forest:

People going through the Dance Forest will notice several things including the Bindelstiff Family Circus, an extreme trampoline act, a sculpture called the Braindrop and for a creative outlet, folks were welcomed to write whatever they'd like on the Albus Cavus wall.

The whole day was fantastic and all the performers put on an amazing set. My personal faves were Porter Robinson, Calvin Harris, and !!!.

I would like to thank the PR coordinators on site for helping out press throughout the day and well into the night. The artist of course for allowing me to jump on stage and photograph most of the sets. To all the other photographers/security/staff I met and shared the pit with.

Amy - for bringing me on this crazy fun event. She made it all possible and even the ferris wheel ride ;-) THANK YOU!

Thanks to everyone who let me shove my camera in their faces. I hope I never have to explain what a wide-angle lens is ever again lol.

You can peek the rest of the photos by clicking [HERE]

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Daryl

Had a fantastic time shooting with Daryl at one of my favorite spots in Maryland.

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Identity Festival 2011 @ Jiffy Lube Live

It was a long day covering the first traveling electronic music festival. ID Fest made a stop at Bristow, VA where thousands of raging kids were ready to dance their ass off. The production was great with a couple of minor setbacks but overall it was a great experience for those that love the scene but don't want to travel far like Miami for example. They really packed it in and each artist/DJ delivered intense sets that never let down. The crowd received a much needed break from the heat when it started to thunderstorm late in the evening. This did not stop us from dancing and getting more wild.

Rusko and Datsik were two of my top performers at the event. I photographed Rusko earlier in the year so I already had a hunch of what kinda stage setup he would have. As it turns out, he utilizes the same rig he brought on his headliner tour in Baltimore. Pretty much with all the performers that day, everyone hovered a good 7 to 8 feet from stage level and the stage was already about 6 feet high. With the exception of Steve Aoki and Kaskade, who were nearly towering above the stage with their extravagent stage setup.

The real challenge was shooting position because there was such an extreme in angles that most of us [photographers] found ease in shooting from far back. I swapped back and forth between my wide angle zoom and the telephoto. The latter was definately a neccessity in my gear bag. With this years festival banged out, I'm excited to see who they bring on tour next year.

As always, click on the images for more photos from the day. Or click on the PHOTO tab at the top.

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