Eastpak Antidote Tour

Live rock concert at Volkshaus Zurich

Remember last year? I do - it was a 2hr trip by car to Pratteln, my friend Lina was with me, and among the bands on stage were AlexIsOnFire and Anti-Flag.

Eastpak Antidote Tour in Zurich, Switzerland

This year, the Eastpak Antidote Tour stopped a little closer by (a 30 minute ride by bicycle - downhill!), at Volkshaus in Zurich. On the bill four bands - or shall I say: Sum41 and 3 openers (The Black Pacific, The Riverboat Gamblers, and Veara). Especially the former two were definitely worth seeing - thanks for posing!



I don't know if the security guard thought it was my first time in a pit when he walked up to me before Sum41's set and told me that we'd have to watch out since they would be carrying out kids... but when the first song kicked in, I understood what he meant: They asked who wanted to sing along on stage, and chose some lucky (?) ones which then got pulled out of the crowd and helped onto the stage. A fine idea, which they repeated for most of the 2nd song, too, which almost threw me and my (only!) fellow shooter Macel's count of songs off.



Song number 3 went down without kids being picked from the crowd with the band idly noodling around, but I still wish they'd have as much effort into posing as their openers :)

Papa Roach

Singer Jacoby Shaddix of rock band Papa Roach

Papa Roach playing a live concert in Zurich, Switzerland

Papa Roach during the band's live performance at Volkshaus in Zurich

Papa roach live on stage in Zurich

Slayer

Kerry King of Slayer, his pants, and his chains, perform live again in Zurich, Switzerland

Live in concert: Tom Araya and Slayer

Slayer's Kerry King during the band's live concert in Zurich, Switzerland

The Cult

Singer Ian Astbury of the Cult

The Cult playing a live concert in Zurich, Switzerland

Cult band The Cult performing at Volkshaus Zurich

30 Seconds To Mars

Jared Leto of 30 Seconds To Mars sings live

Live Concert of rock band 30 Seconds To Mars at Volkshaus Zurich

Jared Leto and his band, 30 Seconds To Mars, play live at Volkshaus Zurich

30 Seconds To Mars live performance

Jared Leto of 30 Seconds To Mars

Lamb of God

Lamb of God during their concert in Zurich

Lamb of God perform live at Volkshaus Zurich

Metal band Lamb of God live

Machine Head

Machine Head know how to rock a show!

... and Hatebreed! And Bleeding Through! In reverse order. Even after the first band, everything was sticky with beer and sweat. Crazy!

Opening band Bleeding Though

Sold out, they were probably even moshing up on the seats. Didn't see it, couldn't turn around - had to duck from flying beers and crowd surfers.

Bleeding Through open the show for Machine Head at Volkshaus in Zurich

They'd put in extra subwoofers in the pit, I was *really* grateful for my earplugs. Brutal!!

Machine Head play a live concert in Zurich, Switzerland

Machine F*cking Head!

Sonata Arctica

Metal band Sonata Arctica playing live at Volkshaus

Gettin' crazy busy again with awesome shows! Sonata Arctica played Volkshaus last Sunday - no clue why only 400-something metalheads showed up. The show was sick!

Sonata Arctica perform a live concert in Zurich, Switzerland

Also, the audience was partying so hard that the floor started to bounce back - was afraid it'd break and we'd all land on our a$$es down in the basement :D

Sonata Arctica during a live concert

Air

Air - light, space, a little inconceivable. And from Ireland :-)

Air during their live show

Calm live concert: Air

PS: They're from France. The person doing the news updates got *that* memo sort of late-ish :-P

Wolfmother

A friend of mine warned me that he'd throw some beers at me during this show. Just to show his support of me. How nice! He ended up not doing it (why not??), but it was nice meeting him during the opener's set. Which was all red-light without spots, so no pics from there.

Wolfmother play a live concert

Then Wolfmother were up. Seeing them put a lot of "oh-yeah-back-thens" in my brain: Back then, when batik shirts were hip. Back then, when it was fashionable for men to let their head and facial hair freely express themselves. Back then, when phones had cords.

Wolfmother during a concert in Zurich, Switzerland

Back then, when bands weren't all about posing. Back then, when Rock was born. And for all ye Americans out there: Back then, when great shows still sold out. As did Wolfmother's.

Wolfmother at Volkshaus, Zurich

Thing to remember: AC/DC aren't the only rockers from Australia worth checkin' out!

Australian band Wolfmother performing a live concert

Europe

Rock idols Europe play live at Volkshaus Zurich

Europe, the band, came with China, also the band, as their openers. The audience was refreshingly older than 16 - during the changeover some guy told me about the times back in the day, when he watched AC/DC opening for Black Sabbath at the same place. Bet back in those days, also rubber boots were still made of wood.

... you too :) - Europe play a concert at Zurich's Volkshaus

With old stagers like them, you can either get a "hey we need money" show that makes you feel sorry for them and sorry for yourself 'cause now you've lost yet another hero to the graveyard of has-beens. Or you get a really, really great show that makes you feeling sorry for yourself 'cause now you sound like your own grandma ("you just don't get shows like that from the young bands any more").

Europe (the band) live

Europe's show was the latter. They had a blast on stage, they knew how to pose, knew how to play. Awesome, come back soon!

Europe

Amon Amarth

Headbangers don't wear shiny golden glitter stuff. They wear dark stuff. Instead of jumping around and posing, they're busy playing their guitars.

Metal band Amon Amarth play a live concert in Zurich, Switzerland

Amon Amarth are awesome music, but they once again proved a theory a photog friend of mine once stated: There are only two kinds of guitarists. A) the ones with new shoes (constantly bent over looking down) B) the ones with too few skin on their back (constantly bent back looking at the ceiling).

Headbanging mandatory: Amon Amarth play a concert at Volkshaus Zurich

Personally, I'd add two more categories: The wide-angled-legs-staring-at-my-fretboard and the one-foot-on-the-monitor-staring-into-the-nowhere guitarist. These two kinds of guitarists can additionally have the attributes I) holding head still such that hair falls all over their face, II) headbanging (up and down) III) headbanging (circular).



Fans are headbanging too, so as a photog you run danger getting whipped with hair / knocked over by heads from all sides. Fun times :D



PS: The last two pics are Dreamshade, openers for Amon Amarth.

Moby

Light during Moby's concert at Volkshaus

Dear musicians. If you don't want photographers to bother your devoted fans in the first row, just don't give us a photo pass. If you give me a pass, I assume you want me there and take great photos and promote you, your music, etc. (which comes, by the way, at zero cost to you).

Moby playing live at Volkshaus Zurich

There is no need for excessive use of dark red light, tons of light at the back of the stage, fog machines, lots of blue and green light, or light settings whose brightness varies all over the place. If you don't want us there, don't let us in. There's no need to annoy us.



Because I'd rather go and have pizza with my friend than wasting my time trying to take a good picture to promote you where you're doing everything in your power to make it impossible to take a good picture. Ok? Next time, just say "no, I hate photographers, please go eat a pizza". It'd be more honest :-P

Moby performing a concert

Thankfully my skills in making good photos out of non-optimal light situations excel the skills of whoever was in charge of the light at Mr. Moby's show in making my life harder. Hope you enjoy the pics :-)