Carnival of Madness - Charlotte, NC

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to be able to photograph at Carnival of Madness at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Charlotte. Let me just say, it was an incredible show. The heat index was 105°, but the stadium was still packed - as Shinedown vocalist Brent Smith pointed out - with at least 12,000 strong.

10 Years opened the show, and I loved it. They were really interactive and you could tell they were into it. Singer Jesse Hasek braved the intense heat wearing a parka for the first part of the show. Following their first song, he made it quite clear that no one else was allowed to complain because they weren't wearing parkas. Anyway, the band definitely kicked things off with a ton of energy, and the crowd loved them. Sometimes it's hard for the openers to get much out of the crowd, but these guys didn't have a problem. They pulled out what is likely their biggest hit - "Wasteland" - as the second song, which put the crowd in an energetic frenzy. Interspersing old favorites with newer songs like "Dead in the Water," they were anything but boring. They also interacted really, really well with the crowd, which I appreciate. When Hasek came down to the barrier, I saw tears in the eyes of one of their pit fans. It was beautiful.
Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/musiccritmari/sets/72157624454887165/

Sevendust came next, and wow. They kept the energy going as if the stage had never cleared. As a photographer, I loved that singer Lajon "LJ" Witherspoon definitely played it up for the camera while we were down there. They were lively and exciting and made things really fun for the crowd. Bassist Vinnie Hornsby was also a lot of fun. He smiled a lot, which makes everyone else smile - it lets us know that he really enjoyed what he was doing. Drummer Morgan Rose was sick (the good kind) - completely flailing (also the good kind) and carrying the most wild energy of anyone there.
Side note, later on (following the three songs I got for Chevelle) I went back to VIP. LJ was back there taking pictures and talking with his fans. That was really cool to me; he seems very down-to-earth and I respect that more than I can say.
Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/musiccritmari/sets/72157624579563696/

Puddle of Mudd. I was talking to someone after the set, and we've agreed that Wes Scantlin either had a couple of drinks before hitting the stage or he had recently woken up. He was a little out of it - and it was great! He was a trip. I was really glad that I chose to have my camera held and stay out for this set. The biggest hit was surely the cover of AC/DC's "TNT". Between that and their final song, bassist Damien Starkey asked the crowd if they thought they were crazy. He started to say that "to be honest" no one was as crazy as singer Wes Scantlin - but then said singer interrupted to "be honest" about the fact that sweat was making his testicles stick to his legs. As that randomness implied (and as half the crowd had guessed anyway), the set ended with "Psycho" - and psycho it was.
Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/musiccritmari/sets/72157624579566300/

Let me start this one off by saying that I love Chevelle. That being said, I was sorely disappointed by their live performance. Musically, they were great, as they always are, but I could've put in a CD and gotten that. When I go to a show, I expect a performance, and I didn't get that from them. The stage was bare, which I can handle if they use the space, but they really didn't. All of my shots look alike because they didn't move. Bassist Dean Bernardini put the most into it, it seemed. They did eventually pick it up, but not 'til nearly the end of their set. I didn't even stay out for it - I saw it on the screens. Like I said, I do love the band, but their live show was definitely lacking to me.
Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/musiccritmari/sets/72157624454897351/
Addition: I have spoken to a lot of other people, and it seems like the band is a lot more involved when they play club shows and such. That's acceptable; a lot of bands are like that. Keep in mind that I'm not bashing the band, just the performance aspect at this particular date.

Shinedown. Any problems I'd had before vanished when they took the stage. They were phenomenal. Opening with the silhouettes through the screen, they opened with "Sound of Madness," and the Carnival began. Vocalist Brent Smith took on the true role of ringleader. Zach Myers was fabulous on the guitar - as he always is; bassist Eric Bass (irony, much?) and drummer Barry Kerch put their all into the rhythms and the crowd felt it. When they sang "Fly From the Inside," even though we'd all been out there for a good five to six hours, the energy returned ten-fold, as if none of us had faced the heat, the time, anything. There were two truly great moments in this set. One was prior to "If You Only Knew". Smith spoke between songs and told the crowd that the next song went out to "the most beautiful creatures in the world... the grandmothers, the mothers, the wives, the aunts, the sisters and the best friends. To the women." That, to me, was beautiful, and the emotion in the song as they performed let the crowd know that he meant his dedication. The other moment was when they, essentially, faked out the crowd by leaving the stage and taking the lights out. A bunch of people left, but after a few minutes Zach Myers returned with an acoustic guitar. Kerch and Bass followed, taking seats on the stage. Smith was nowhere to be found, but soon he emerged - he had gone around to the lawn, and Zach played as he sang "Simple Man" on his way through the crowd back to the stage. There was never a moment in this set where you doubted Shinedown's love and appreciation to their fans.
Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/musiccritmari/sets/72157624454902961/

I couldn't be more grateful for being able to cover this show. It was an incredible experience, and I enjoyed every second. The bands are all incredibly talented, and I love that they love it. I truly believed it when Brent Smith said they would have played for "five people or five hundred thousand," as long as they got to play for their fans. Thank you to the bands, and to Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte.

As to the photos, I had to choose a select amount out of 300 pictures. Eventually, I'll post more of them - promise! I also took it with relatively low zoom on a camera I wasn't used to, and none of my pictures have been edited. Even so, I'm pleased with many of them, and hope you enjoy them.

So much love,
Mari
xoxo

marissa.billiet@hotmail.com
(704)-868-6274