Slaughter and Great White 2/1/14

Slaughter and Great White played the East Side Cannery Casino Ballroom on Feb 1st 2014. Slaughter opened the show to a sold out crowd of die hard fans. I remember when the band came out in 90 with “Up All Night”, off of “Stick it to Ya” which was a song that inspired me to live that lifestyle and have  for 25 years now. Thanks Mark! They put on a high energy show with Dana Strum bouncing about the stage like a madman, something that he has always done. The man doesn’t stop. Marks vocals arn’t up to par as they were over 25 years ago but I guess hitting those high notes after over 25 years can put a strain on a persons voice. Jeff Blando was mostly on the other side of the stage but when he came over to our side he showed us right up front what a guitar God he really is!! The only complaint I had was the volume was ridiculously loud and if you were in front of the monitors it was painful. The best thing about the show was getting all access with my dear fellow photographer friend, Valerie Nerres, and being able to be onstage behind the drum kit to watch the maniac skin beater, Zoltan Chaney, do things to drums that only he does. The man is unbridled energy, jumping about, balancing sticks on his hands, and then at the end jumping from his amps down the the riser and hitting the drums with the power of Thor!! Yes Zoltan is one of my favorite drummers in rock!!! What a show he puts on!!

Great White puts on a little mellower show, focusing on the music and not so much the showmanship. I was honored to be onstage watching most the show, enjoying how the stage was bouncing to the music and watching the fans expressions. Its really a different perspective watching a show up there along with the band. I haven’t been able to do that much so I wanted to capture some of those moments while I could. Terry Ilous of XYZ fame, has gotten in the groove being the front man for Great White. Terry has an incredible voice and that night he was ill, but he carried on with the essence of a pro. I could see him in the back praying that he could get through the show and he did just that. I have a new respect for him getting through it and doing the best he could. Michael Lardie, an old friend of mine, was smiling non stop and having fun. He is a really cool guy and will never forget your name. The bass ace Scott Snyder, was all over the place pounding that bass hard. Mark Kendall was on fire as he always is and is a true legend of blues rock guitar playing. Great White rocked the place and the fans loved it. I especially loved when Terry took a photog’s camera and filmed the crowd and gave it back. That is super cool when singers do that and are nice about it.

It was a really fun night being all access and the band were very cool as always and they still both rock!! I had a great time!!

  • Client: Slaughter & Great White
  • Year: 2014