Derekx's Journals

The Flaming Lips Bring New Years Eve Early to Pomona

The Flaming Lips brought New Years Eve early to the Fox Theater in Pomona. The indie-rock band filmed the entire show and couldn’t have chosen a better day to do it. Glad I was there to witness this all go down. [cut=Details ...]

The band was equipped with confetti canons, lasers, balloons, costumes, and Wayne’s signature plastic bubble. Hit after hit was played accompanied by a visual spectacle such as Vein of Stars. Fans were given laser pointers prior to their set beginning and midway through the song were instructed to point them at Wayne, who was holding a large mirror, which made for a fiery red display of lights burning across the stage.

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt.1, The W.A.N.D. and She Don’t Use Jelly all made the set for an amazing performance by the long time band. The band ended out the set with Do You Realize as confetti flew through the air nx and fans with hands reaching out as if it were magic dust. Whether or not the confetti was really magical, The Flaming Lips definitely were.

Pictures from the show can be found here

The band continues on their US tour and will soon be making a trek to Europe in the Fall.

Setlist:

Intro

Race for the Prize

Silver Trembling Hands

The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)

Fight Test

Bad Days

Enthusiasm for Life Defeats Existential Fear

Convinced to the Hex

Vein of Stars

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1

Pompeii am Götterdämmerung

The W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat)

She Don't Use Jelly

Do You Realize??

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Hard Summer 2009 Shut Down

Hard Summer was scheduled to be one of the biggest dance parties this year. Underworld, Chromeo, Crystal Castles, Crookers, The Bloody Beetroots, and several others rounded out the line up. Little did anyone know, we were in for one disaster of a night.

The night started out in a cluster fuck. Thousands of confused fans circled The Forum in Inglewood, CA looking for entrances and will call pick up. With will-call being the only free option provided by Groovetickets and Ticketmaster, it showed to be a problem in itself, with hundreds of people lined up just to pick up their tickets. These problems were a mere glimpse of what was to come.

The sets got off to a good start with Busy P spinning on the main stage as the crowd flowed in. Having Hard Summer at The Forum was a huge mistake. The set up inside the venue was a complete failure. There were 2 aisles dedicated for floor entry and another 2 for floor exit. As Crystal Castles started their lackluster set with overuse of feedback and Alice Glass’ obnoxious shriek the floor had reached capacity, leaving angered fans stuck in the aisles. This didn’t stop fans from finding a way down to the floor. With about a 15 foot drop between the seats and the floor, people started jumping over the railing. Security scrambled to clear the aisles and to stop the fans from jumping down.

After Crystal Castles set, an unknown man on stage urged the crowd to settle down and find there way to a seat so that the music could continue. An hour had passed and the people in the sound booth began to pack up their equipment. This was a sure sign that this was being shut down. Riot police strapped with tear gas and batons filled the front of the floor and began to push the crowd back towards the exits. Hard Summer was officially over.

Gary Richards, the promoter of Hard, issued this statement via Twitter earlier today, “Full refund will be made available for those who purchased tickets to HARD SUMMER more info coming ASAP.”

Beautiful Burnout

It's August! Oh you took so long to come. This is going to be one of the most epic months of my life.

This is why,

Shooting Hard Summer this Saturday. I GET TO SEE UNDERWORLD! :D

Going to Six Flags in a week or two with my friends.

Seeing Depeche Mode 2 nights in a row at the Hollywood Bowl. Can you say awesome seats?!

Possibly and I'm still hoping I'll be shooting The Flaming Lips and Ghostland Observatory.

Warped Tour in Carson maybe?

So stoked! :D

What is everyone up to this month?

Attention So-Cal: Squirt It Up For A Free Girl Talk Show

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you mixed together all of your favorite hip hop and rock tracks, and everything else in-between? Your answer is, Girl Talk. How can you witness this? [cut=Find out ...]

Gregg Gillis of Pittsburgh is not a DJ. He produces tracks using only samples from various artists to create a new piece. Tracks like, What's It All About, contain about 35 different samples from Beyonce to Queen seamlessly mended together to create a masterpiece of a club banger. His live sets feature Girl Talk mixing on his laptop, pants off, surrounded by tons of dancing fans. Girl Talk released his fourth album, Feed the Animals, in June of 2008, following Radiohead's pick-your-price concept with In Rainbows, exclusively on his website. His critically acclaimed parties have been held all across the world at festivals such as Sasquatch Music Festival, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, and Monolith Festival.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxcCfqbazpg

Girl Talk has recently teamed up with Squirt and Habitat for Humanity to bring an exclusive free show at the Fox Theater in Pomona, CA on July 24, 2009. The only way to ensure that you make it to the party is to bring in empty cans or bottles of Squirt! The more empty bottles or cans you bring the better your chances are of gaining VIP access to a meet & greet with Girl Talk.

All cans and bottles collected will be donated to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles which makes home ownership possible for low-income, working families.

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The Hardest Dance Party In Los Angeles This Summer: Underworld, Chromeo, Crookers And Crystal Castles

Hard Summer is back for the second year in a row with a star studded line up guaranteed to be the best dance party on the west coast. Featuring techno legends, Underworld, funky dance group Chromeo, those 2 Italians that have you dancing Day 'n' Nite, Crookers, the group that mixed 8-bit and electro, Crystal Castles, the duo that just makes you want to warp, The Bloody Beetroots and many many more. [cut=Details for you ...]

Underworld

With a span of just over 20 years, Underworld have made their presence in the electronic music scene known. Their biggest hit, Born Slippy .Nuxx, was featured in the movie, Trainspotting. Members Karl Hyde and Rick Smith create this unique style of techno featuring atmospheric guitars and obscure lyrics.

Chromeo

Dave 1 and P-Thugg are the 2 members of the electrofunk band Chromeo. They describe themselves as, "the only successful Arab/Jewish partnership since the dawn of human culture." Their music has been in various commercials and video games The groovy bass lines and talk box vocals are sure to get you showing your Fancy Footwork on the dance floor.

Crookers

These Italian Stallions have blown up tremendously in the past year with a single remix. Day 'n' Nite by Kid Cudi was remixed by Crookers in 2008 and peaked number 1 on the UK Dance Chart. With tons of big hit remixes under their belt, the group is ready to release their first full length album later this year.

Crystal Castles

The controversial electronic duo hailing from Ontario, Canada broke out into the music scene in 2005 with their hit Alice Practice. Crystal Castles have toured with Nine Inch Nails, Blur, and have played festivals worldwide including Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Glastonbury Festival, and Ultra Music Festival. Their self-titled album released in 2008 has been a huge hit and they continue to thrash throughout world.

The Bloody Beetroots

Dim Mak's newest breakout out DJ's representing Italy have gone all out to bring the party to wherever they go. Bobby Rifo and Tommy Tea drop hard electro house tunes such as Cornelius and the more recent Warp 1.9 featuring Steve Aoki. The Venom mask wearing duo have paid their dues and are at the top of the electro scene.

Hard Summer will be taking place August 8, 2009 at The Forum in Los Angeles, CA.

For more details visit: http://www.hardfest.com/ [/cut]

The List of Bands I've Seen Live

I tried to remember every band I've seen and how many times I saw them. Yes, this took forever. I'm pretty sure I'm missing a ton.

AFI (7 times)
Tiger Army (7 times)
Bauhaus
The Cure (5 times)
65 Days of Static (2 times)
Morrissey (4 times)
12 Step Rebels (2 times)
The Faint (3 times)
Social Distortion
Death By Stereo
Avenged Sevenfold
A Static Lullaby
Coheed and Cambria
Take the Crown
Dear and Departed
Saosin (2 times)
Tenacious D
F-Minus
Roger Miret and the Disasters
US Roughnecks
Odd Project
Thrice (3 times)
30 Seconds to Mars
Cobra Starship (2 times)
Gym Class Heroes
The Fall of Troy (2 times)
Pistolita
Hellogoodbye
Jacks Mannequin
Murs
Horse the band
Sugarcult
Yellowcard
The Bled (2 times)
Van Stone
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
My American Heart
Escape the Fate (3 times)
Drop Dead, Gorgeous
Chris Conley
Big Japan
Cute is What We Aim For
The Street Dogs
Psyclon Nine
The Hangmen
xDEATHSTARx
Korn
Limp Bizkit (2 times)
Papa Roach
Black Sabbath
Moby
Incubus
Lit
Third Eye Blind
No Doubt
Cypress Hill
D12
Eminem
Stone Temple Pilots
Moving Units (2 times)
Darkest Hour (2 times)
Bleeding Through
Dead to Fall
The Acacia Strain
A Life Once Lost
Fight Paris
Zao
Brand New
Kristeen Young (2 times)
Himsa
The Offspring
Gone Without Trace
Tiesto
Red hot chili peppers
The Arcade Fire
Justice (5 times)
Peter Bjorn and John
!!!
Girl Talk
Hot Chip (3 times)
Fields
The Cribs
The Fratellis
Ozomatli
Busy P (5 times)
DJ Mehdi (2 times)
mewithoutYou (2 times)
Manchester Orchestra
Piebald
The Snake, The Cross, The Crown
SebastiAn (3 times)
Kavinsky (3 times)
Ratatat
Daft Punk
Kanye West (2 times)
DJ Howie Pyro
Blaqk Audio
Chromeo
Steve Aoki (3 times)
Spank Rock
DJ AM
Young Americans
Skeet Skeet
Mickey Avalon
Flosstradamus
Kid Sister
Amanda Blank
Crystal Castles (2 times)
Santo Gold
Dirty Nasty
Andre Legacy
The Funeral Party
Har Mar Superstar
Blake Miller
Royal Rumble
So Me
Mink
Bloc Party (2 times)
Satelite Party
Kinky
The Aggrolites
Turbonegro
Comedians of Comedy
Scissors for Lefty
The Deadly Syndrome
The Noisettes
The Pity Party
Bruce Perdew
Franki Chan
Nico Vega (2 times)
The Deadly Syndrome (2 times)
Passage
Minus The Bear (4 times)
Helio Sequence
Grand Archives
Thursday (3 times)
Portugal, The Man
Circle Takes the Square
Fancy
Diplo
From First to Last
Saves the Day
7 Seconds
MxPx
Goldfinger
The Start
Hawthorne Heights
Chiodos
Hot Water Music
My Chemical Romance
The Bravery
Billy Talent (2 times)
Anti-Flag
Dear Life
Protest the Hero
Foxy Shazam
Lupe Fiasco
Rihanna
N.E.R.D.
Prince (2 times)
Holy Fuck
Cut Copy (3 times)
Midnight Juggernauts
Booka Shade
Stars
Death Cab for Cutie
Love and Rockets
Metric
Goldfrapp
Boys Noize
Erol Alkan
Curses!
Orgasmic (2 times)
Surkin (4 times)
Para One (3 times)
Uffie
Simian Mobile Disco (2 times)
The Verve
Aphex Twin
Kraftwerk
Portishead
Perry Farrell
Gogol Bordello (3 times)
Modeselektor
Tegan and Sara
An Horse
IO Echo
Does it Offend You, Yeah?
The Mae Shi
The Bloody Beetroots (2 times)
DJ Kid Lightning
AC Means
Grand Ole Party
The Mars Volta
We Are Wolves
Datarock
Noah and the Whale
Paparazzi
Don Moy
The Presets
Heartbreak
Deadmau5 (2 times)
Soulwax
2manydjs
Destructo
Daedelus
MSTRKRFT (2 times)
Congorock
Felix Cartel
The Number 12 Looks Like You
Black Houses
Warship
Attack! Attack!
Black Tide
Burn Halo
Four Year Strong (2 times)
Cancer Bats (2 times)
Pierce the Veil (2 times)
Bring Me the Horizon (2 times)
Annuals
Helms Alee
Switch
Gui Boratto
Felix Da Housecat
Ghostland Observatory
The Crystal Method
The Black Keys
A Place to Bury Strangers
Paul McCartney
Patton and Rahzel
Drop the Lime
Zane Lowe
Crookers
The Chemical Brothers
Shepard Fairey
M.A.N.D.Y.
No Age
Plump Djs
Throbbing Gristle
Etienne De Crecy
Lykke Li
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
My Bloody Valentine
Devendra Banhart
Peanut Butter Wolf
The Aquabats
Suicide Silence
Metro Station
Fall Out Boy
Deftones
Have Heart
Trash Talk
Leathermouth
The Used
Senses Fail
Silverstein
The Get Up Kids
Sonny
DJ Prime
DJ Dubta
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
Depeche Mode
Blink 182
Peaches
Evil Beaver
Shunda K
Drums of Death
The Dear Hunter
Bear Colony
Combichrist
Dismantled
Julien K
Aesthetic Perfection
Cursive
A Day to Remember
NOFX
Bad Religion
Innerpartysystem
A Rocket to the Moon
FEAR
Guttermouth
Jeffree Star
Box Elders
Mt. St. Helen’s Vietnam Band
Duane Peters Gunfight
Less than Jake
Alien Ant Farm
Underoath
The Maine
Lights

Standing on the Edge of Summer

Hmm...

Well I'm finally out of school. I did good! :D

These past few months have been hectic with school, relationships, shows, drama, family, work, and more drama. YAY! NOT!

The year is almost half over. So far it's had its ups and downs. So many awesome shows and hopefully many more to come. Hopefully, most of them I'll be shooting. I'm actually kind of proud of myself right now. I've definitely seen an improvement in my photography. I'm getting better, yay! Well at least I think I am...Anyways, August needs to come sooner. HARD Summer and Depeche Mode! It's going to be insane.

Reading the One Love for Chi site made me pretty depressed. I really hope Chi pulls through, the Deftones are just insane and need him. I need him, the fans need him, his family needs him, the world needs Chi!

I need new shoes. Anyone know of any awesome shoes that I don't know about? Preferably something in black and white.

Listening to the Fever Ray album. Get it! Karin Dreijer Andersson is amazing.

My Coachella Schedule

Friday

2:25 - 3:15 Noah and the Whale

3:30 - 4:30 Steve Aoki

4:30 - 5:30 Felix Da Housecat

5:30 - 6:20 The Ting Tings

6:35 - 7:25 Franz Ferdinand

7:30 - 8:30 Leonard Cohen

7:50 - 8:40 Ghostland Observatory

8:30 - 9:30 Morrissey

9:45 - 10:35 A Place to Bury Strangers

10:00 - ??? Paul McCartney

11:25 - ??? The Crystal Method

Saturday

1:00 - 1:30 P.O.S.

2:00 - 3:00 Drop the Lime

3:00 - 4:05 Para One

4:05 - 5:10 Surkin

6:00 - 7:00 The Bloody Beetroots

6:25 - 7:15 TV on the Radio

8:30 - 9:30 Crookers

8:45 - 9:35 Junior Boys

9:30 - 11:00 The Chemical Brothers

11:05 - ??? MSTRKRFT

Sunday

12:00 - 1:00 Marshall Barnes

3:15 - 4:15 Busy P

4:05 - 4:55 Lykke Li

5:00 - 5:50 Peter Bjorn and John

6:15 - 7:15 Plump Djs

7:50 - 9:00 My Bloody Valentine

9:00 - 10:00 The Orb

9:25 - ??? The Cure

10:15 - ??? Throbbing Gristle

10:50 - ??? Etienne De Crecy

Damn the Saturday night conflict! :(

I WON!!!!!!

I'm going to Bamboozle Left!!!
I won the official photographer contest! So stoked to see Deftones! :D Bamboozle had a contest to be their official photographer. All you had to do was send in some sample shots and your info. Well, i did, not really expecting to win, but of course, hoping. Last night I got an email saying I won! The prize is 5 tickets for both days and a media pass! :D So stoked! Now I can continue my streak. I've been all three years to Bamboozle Left.

The Purple One

I'm seeing Prince at Club Nokia next Saturday! Got a GA Floor ticket! :D So excited!