When given the opportunity to see as well as photograph a band that has been around for well over 15 years who is really going to say No? Last night, I’m glad I didn’t listen to that little voice in the back of my head that kept telling me, “Go back to bed, you’re exhausted.” Instead I packed my bag up and headed out into the night and found myself for the second time this week planted in the photo pit at The Fillmore Charlotte. While I didn’t catch the opening bands due to being a bit pre-occupied, I at least was doing something worthy of my time and excused my lack of full coverage. I’d been asked by management to get a photo of the band with their blue bands they are wearing in support of one of their fellow tiny family members who recently was struck with the horrific disease we hear about all too often now, cancer. Firstly, I’ve had this, conquered this and in anyway I can support or help anyone when it comes to this I’m all in. Secondly, I was honored to be asked to do such a photo, a photo to encourage her and show that even though they can’t be with her they are there cheering her on. It’s times like these that all those late nights in the pit and all the hard work pays off, allowing me to have a chance to be a part of something like this. Tiny moments in your life where you do something simple but are really doing something that will imprint on someone on a much larger scale. Good luck to the little one, you can beat it! After the photo-shoot backstage, I found my way to the front and waited a bit while they had final set-ups.
It was time for the stage to open up, they had a candidate for Mayor, I believe, come on stage and talk a little. One of his fellow candidates was in the pit with a camera in hand and was very friendly. I gave him my card after I grabbed a photo of him and in no time flat it was lights out, curtains up, figuratively speaking. The band came out to an ever adoring and very loud crowd. Again, tonight the bunch was varied, I did not see many people over the age of 40 but sometimes that is expected with the more radio friendly bands. Boy are they ever a radio friendly band and rightfully so. I don’t think a day has gone by that I haven’t turned on my car to hear the radio blasting and at least one time on the drive if I don’t pop on the Ipod/CD they spin something Blue October. For the amount of play they receive here, for the longest I was under the assumption they were from Charlotte!
The venue was mashed in tight to get everyone into the building and the fans were at some points singing louder than the band. The eyeliner dripped, the bass gave great “wahs” and the drummer even got my booty shaking a bit. After the three songs in the pit were done, a nasty little rule all of us pro-photographers must abide by, I was escorted backstage and then side stage to do some more photos. I have to say this, if anything, Blue October are where they are because not only do they do well on radio and with fans, they know how to treat their photographers and press. They were a humble bunch of guys with big hearts, respectful and warm. I came away not feeling like a piece of meat there to do their bidding, but with a smile, having enjoyed a show and lets be honest, they are really fun on film! Enjoy the gallery and if you can I’d say try to see them live if they are your kind of music.
Set List:
- Limbo #5 (Intro)
- Say It
- Into the Ocean
- Picking up Pieces
- Jump-rope
- Everything am Limbo (Intro)
- Feel Again
- For the Love
- Drama Everything
- Chills
- Should be Loved
- Dirt Room
- Flight
- Amia
- Follow Through
- Hate Me
- Worry List
- Blue Sunshine
- Get Over It
- X Amount
See them on Tour:
THU, 20 OCT 2011 The Buckhead Theatre3110 Roswell Road Northeast Atlanta, GA
FRI, 21 OCT 2011 House of Blues225 Decatur St. New Orleans, LA
THU, 03 NOV 2011 O2 Academy IslingtonN1 Centre Islington, United Kingdom,
FRI, 04 NOV 2011 O2 Academy 2 Birmingham16-18 Horsefair Birmingham, United Kingdom,
SUN, 06 NOV 2011 MelkwegLijnbaansgracht 234A Amsterdam, Netherlands,
MON, 07 NOV 2011 ZechePrinz-Regent-Str. 50-60 Bochum, Germany,
TUE, 08 NOV 2011 LogoLogo Büro Hamburg, Germany,
THU, 10 NOV 2011 C-ClubColumbiadamm 9-11 Berlin, Germany,
FRI, 11 NOV 2011 ForumMeller Str. 2 Bielefeld, Germany,
SAT, 12 NOV 2011 E-WerkKulturzentrum GmbH Erlangen, Germany,
SUN, 13 NOV 2011 BackstageHale-Straße 38 Munich, Germany,
TUE, 15 NOV 2011 GloriaApostelnstraße 11 Cologne, Germany,
WED, 16 NOV 2011 Halle 02Güteramtsstr. 2 Heidelberg, Germany,
THU, 17 NOV 2011 SzeneHauffgasse 26 Vienna, Austria,
SAT, 19 NOV 2011 Z7Kraftwerkstrasse 7 Pratteln, Switzerland,
SUN, 20 NOV 2011 BatschkappMaybachstraße 24 Frankfurt, Germany, OUT
MON, 21 NOV 2011 LKA LonghornHeiligenwiesen 6 D Stuttgart, Germany,
TUE, 22 NOV 2011 Den Atelier54 Rue de Hollerich Luxembourg,
On the Web:
http://www.blueoctober.com
https://www.facebook.com/blueoctober
http://twitter.com/#!/blueoctober
