Tenacious D - 11/29/06 @ E-Center (indoors) - Camden, NJ
I got extremely lucky with this show, as I found out about the ticket pre-sale the day before it happened, then got in quick enough to get a pit ticket (general admission, no seat, but right in front of the stage). It was ridiculously uncomfortable - very smokey, VERY hot & sweaty & stinky, wall-to-wall bodies, guys who don't care if they knock you over when they walk by you, and lots and lots of assholes (male and female). Tenacious D fans are largely pricks. They were horribly vulgar and rude to the opening act (even if it was part of his schtick to cuss at the audience, I thought he was hilarious!) But - I was in the pit, I was really close and everything sounded great. Probably even the best sounding show I'd ever seen at that horrible venue. I got even luckier when I checked the venue's info page before the show to find out the opening act and stumbled upon the note that said "professional cameras are not allowed". So I can bring my camera? I've been taking it to lots of local shows but never would think about trying to sneak it in to a big show like this. Well, I took it and showed it to the guy at the door. He checked out the case to make sure it was narcotics-free and I was good to go. Hell yeah.
Jammin' with The D. This and the next were taken with normal camera mode. As you can see, they are plenty bright and close-up, but still blurry. I didn't know how the light would effect the shutter speed.
Nice point, JB. Reminding us that KG is the man.
Then I increased the shutter speed and got some really good shots. And the amount of light was indeed great for most of them. Not a whole lot going on in this one, though.
LOVE the look on Jack's face, there. Awesome. And that's Lee on stage on the right, sitting down! That was the main problem with the pit, getting a clear shot - lots of other peoples' heads in the way.
Awesome expression again, JB. And Lee - what the HELL is up with him?
Lee got up to do a song or dance to a song or something. Hell, I forget. I used the super-fake-zoom to get some close-ups but they were a little shaky.
Uh, whatever. Some kinda dance routine, I think.
Get outta here. Or. Kyle plays a TAYLOR.
Tenacious D... could be three? Plant a tree, just for Lee!
Jack is a nutbar. Exhibit A. I feel honored to have caught this expression on film.
Looks like he's pointing to Lee here. But let's take a minute to enjoy the awesomeness of the dragons on Jack's shirt, shall we?
SAXABOOM.
So, the guys came out in front of this "bedroom" backdrop and did a slew of acoustic songs, but I knew they were touring with a band. They did this whole routine about Jack giving Kyle this "electric" guitar he made and how about Kyle was "going electric" or something. That eventually led to the big "reveal"...
They actually played this silly video that explained how The D met up with the guys in the band. That's Lucifer on lead guitar, Colonel Sanders on drums and Charlie Chaplin on bass. They all met in hell.
You tell 'em, JB. Colonel Sanders lurks in the shadows. If I had focused better, you could probably read that other guy's text message.
The stage setup was nice. Good lights. They're in hell.
Jack's getting a tad sweaty. The Colonel is rockin'.
JB finds The Pick Of Destiny! Colonel Sanders envies.
Not a great shot, but I like the pointing of the fingers.
So most of the night was a faithful re-enactment of the movie - Dave Grohl plays Satan in the film, but Lee gets the job on stage. And did a great job, at that. He also plays a cop (Car Chase City) and a mushroom (Papagenu), amongst other characters in the show.
I fucking love this picture, I only wish I hadn't cropped out his head. Lovely expression, right about to bust into some powerful note or something. He's a little damp, though. Good stuff.
