What the heck?

I came accross this in a shop window. It is a curious art piece made from a number of musical instruments. I don't think it actually makes any sound but it is interestsing.

B.B. King's

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Beale Street

Life is too short

If you are a regular visitor you many have noticed that my recent posts are not from my home territory. I recently river cruised the lower Mississippi and have quite a few pictures to share. Being in unfamiliar surroundings provides many opportunities for exploring and photographing. 

This photo is from Memphis, the former home of Elvis Presley. In the Graceland domain there are multiple tributes to the King, including a museum showcasing Elvis's collection of cars, as well as two aeroplanes. I am not a huge Elvis fan but found the many exhibits fun.  

TSO

The Tans-Siberian Orchestra annual Christmas show is a spectacular featuring tons of intelligent lighting, lazers, fireworks, flame throwers, a half dozen video panels, hydraulic risers, multiple undulating trusses and individual LED clusters along with over-the-top rock style music. Nothing subtle here. It is an enjoyable show that was performed for about 15,000 people here in Jacksonville FL.

One man band

Italian Baroque Organ

An impressive historic tracker action organ that was restored and recently insalled at the Memorial Art Gallery. It is a beautiful story of reclamation and also a beautiful sounding instrument. It is demoed and played regularly by facility and students of the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester.

Roger Waters

I have been fortunate to see a few of my favorites this year in concert, starting with Santana in Canandaigua, then U2 in Buffalo, and now Roger Waters in Toronto. Waters was key member of Pink Floyd and responsible for much of the iconic music of their prime years. Pink Floyd has continued without him but Waters has created some great music since his departure. His concert playlist spanned his full career with powerful performances, much of which took on a political tone repurposing some of his music to criticize the current USA leadership under Donald Trump (a large floating pig circled the arena and with an image of Trump, eyes replaced with dollar signs, was only one example).

Staging and effects were quite spectacular, with a huge brick building suddenly appearing over the full length of the hockey field, which included puffing smokestacks (an image from one of the albums).

I played around a bit with creating an animated GIF... hope the flashing does not drive you crazy.

Into the stadium

No, I am not suddenly a sports fan... I am on my way to a seat at a concert by the Irish rock band U2. It is taking place at the New Era Field, home of the NFL Buffalo Bills.

Concerts of this scale are not only a sound explosion, but also a visual extravaganza. The staging is massive and the size of the video screen is almost beyond belief. The spectacle was so much more than the typical i-mag (image magnification) but rather a carefully crafted visual journey; at times intense, and at others hypnotic, and always elegantly stylish.

Needless to say it was a wonderful experience both musically and visually... even if it was in a NFL stadium.

Santana

A nice evening listening to the latin inspired rock of Santana at CMAC (Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center) in Canandaigua, NY. Lots of people were using the digital zoom on their phones to try for a close-up of the guitar virtuoso, but I chose to capture the setting and the peek at the setting sun.

Steel Stacks

Bethlehem Steel ceased operations 1995 and left behind a large industrial site including these blast furnaces. Although there was talk of tearing them down to recover the site, it was eventually decided to leave the stacks as a backdrop for a redevelopment effort. It is now a music, arts and festival site for residents and tourists. The project was in part aided by the approval and development of a casino and hotel on part of the property. It appears to have been a successful transformation despite the sometimes detrimental downside that a casino can bring.

Sweet

This is perhaps my favorite picture from our Toronto weekend with its angles, unusual construction and colors. The unaware passerby also adds to the image, but the title comes from the fact that the industrial building pictured is the Redpath Sugar Refinery on the waterfront.

And we were in Toronto to see Sir Paul McCartney, who at age 73 was still able to provide two and half hours of continuous entertainment to 16,000 of his fans. A very good concert in my opinion from one of the music worlds greats. And that is pretty sweet too.