Paying some respects to 2011..

Like last year, this year has also been extremely amazing and productive!
I went to some amazing places, did amazing things and met some amazing people.

I am proud of who I am and that I live with no regrets ever.

 

2011 was brought in with something I had never done before, seeing a band on New Years Eve. I was lucky enough that my parents willingly took me to Grand Rapids to see one of my favorite bands live, Good Charlotte. They put the cap on the previous great year of 2010, and opened the door to the next great year that was 2011. That show was my first highlight of the year, but certainly not the last.. as you will read on, there were quite a few more!

  

My top 3 highlights of 2011 were…

#1: Having my first photograph in Alternative Press magazine
(Issue #281 page 72 - Andy Hurley)

#2: Seeing McFly live for the first time ever while in London, U.K.
(4/1/11)

#3: Meeting Patrick Stump and seeing him live as a solo artist
(11/8/11 & 11/11/11)

 

My overall favorite performance this year was McFly in London, just because I had waited many years to finally see them live and they put on a hell of a show. I was an American girl screaming amongst the British and it felt fantastic and well deserved! 

However, choosing a favorite U.S. performance for the year, I would say it is a tie between Patrick Stump’s performance on 11/11/11 at The Metro in Chicago and this year’s Honda Civic Tour headliners My Chemical Romance and Blink-182 who played in Chicago on August 20th. Runner up shows would be Panic! At The Disco’s show in Grand Rapids from November 5th and The Maine’s Pioneer Tour stop in Chicago from December 21st. 

Two of the shows (Honda Civic and Pioneer Tour) were spent with my best friend which increased just how fun and memorable they were! The P!ATD one was my second time seeing them live, and was my 12 year old nephew’s first ever concert!! I’m so glad he was finally able to experience something that I found so much love for when I was his age, and I can’t wait to take him to another show again in 2012!! 

I saw Panic! At The Disco three times this year alone and each and every time I was more than impressed. It’s the same feeling I leave The Maine’s shows with, who by the way I saw live four times this year, getting me to my 10th time having seen them live!

This year I am very proud to say I’ve expanded my nervous driving to photograph shows in Tinley Park, IL and Grand Rapids, MI. I now feel comfortable enough that I can go to either place whenever I need to, and without problems. It is even notable that The Intersection in Grand Rapids, MI is quite intimate, has great lighting, and is actually better than several Chicago venues.

 

Here is a dated list of all the bands I have shot this year (There are 37!):

3/15/11 Good Charlotte

3/15/11 Forever The Sickest Kids

3/15/11 This Century

3/25/11 Black Cards

3/25/11 Travie McCoy

4/1/11 McFly

6/4/11 The Maine

6/4/11 Augustana

6/8/11 Neon Trees

6/8/11 Panic! At The Disco

6/15/11 Rihanna

7/9/11 D.R.U.G.S.

7/9/11 Simple Plan

7/9/11 The Ready Set

7/9/11 The Fold

7/9/11 Relient K

7/9/11 Every Avenue

7/30/11 Taking Back Sunday

7/30/11 Thursday

8/13/11 Selena Gomez

8/19/11 The Damned Things

8/20/11 Blink-182

8/20/11 My Chemical Romance

10/14/11 Taking Back Sunday

10/14/11 The Maine

11/3/11 Taking Back Sunday

11/3/11 The Maine

11/5/11 Foxy Shazam

11/5/11 Panic! At The Disco

11/8/11 Patrick Stump

11/8/11 Panic! At The Disco

11/11/11 Patrick Stump

11/18/11 Owl City

11/21/11 Simple Plan

11/21/11 Forever The Sickest Kids

11/21/11 The Cab

12/21/11 The Maine

Tomorrow I will pay some more respects to the outgoing 2011,

by posting up some of what I consider my best photography of the year!