Arena Rock: Muse

The Muse 2nd Law tour landed in Tampa, Florida with a mind-boggling laser light show to accompany the band's many hit songs.  The production - music and stage effects - set the bar very high for all other bands to try and match.

Muse lead singer and guitarist, Matthew Bellamy, strikes the "Rock Star" pose in front of admiring fans at the St Petersburg Times Forum in downtown Tampa, Florida.

The show closed with these giant steam blasts.  We went home happy after seeing a fantastic performance by the band.

Los Angeles City Hall and Other Stuff

This is my favorite shot from the park directly across the street from Los Angeles City Hall.  The building is reflected in a polished silver wall and I created this mirror image of the landmark. 

I got this shot with my last camera blast as my battery went dead after I got this view of Los Angeles City Hall.  It was snapped from the park across the street.

This is the long escalator from the underground Metrolink Cty Hall train station. 

Across from Los Angeles City Hall is a park with tables and chairs.  So I put one of the chairs in the perfect spot for City Hall gazing.

RUSH comes to Brooklyn

The smoke machine was cranking as Alex Lifeson of RUSH performs a solo during the band's nearly three hour show at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.



Drummer Neil Peart is always a fan favorite when RUSH comes to town.  He writes the lyrics for the songs in addition to being the musical heartbeat of the three man group.

 

RUSH was formed in 1968 and these three guys, Alex Lifeson (L), Geddy Lee and Neil Peart (R) have been together since 1974.

Geddy Lee sings, plays bass and keyboards for the band, RUSH.  Drummer Neil Peart performs in the background.

Neil Peart likes to flips his drum sticks and - in this case - twirl one of his sticks during a song.

The Barclays Center in Brooklyn is packed for RUSH's first concert in Brooklyn.

Neil Peart and his famous drum kit.  It rotates and provides him with any numbers of ways to provide percussion for the group.

The NBA Comes to Brooklyn

Here is the first center jump ball as the Nets begin their life in Brooklyn in their new building, the Barclays Center.

The Brooklyn Nets played their first game in their new home - The Barclays Center.  This fan was among the many thousands to turned up for the tip-off wearing brand new Nets gear.

It rained and the slick streets helped add to the scene as fans make their way to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

I had a seat upstairs and took this shot during the pre-game introductions at the Barclays Center prior to the first big time professional sporting event in Brooklyn since the Los Angeles Dodgers moved from the borough after the 1957 season.



The new basketball floor at the Nets' new home, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, has a herringbone pattern which is unlike any other floor design in the NBA.

The water on the metal traffic blocks outside the Barclays Center helped provide a nice frame at the bottom of the photo.

These three Lakers' fans were in attendance at opening night of the NBA pre-season at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn.  They looked ... a little ... out of place!  But at least they got their limit in the beer line.

The famous Brooklyn deli, Junior's, has a concession stand at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn.  These cupcakes were a nice treat.



Remembering 9/11

And here is the shot I was thinking about getting all day.  The Lights Tribute directly next to the new One World Trade Center which is always done up in red, white and blue.  I'm on a Staten Island Ferry boat - which is a free ride - using my point-and-shoot Panasonic camera's zoom to frame the buildings for the shot.

I wanted this view - and many other people did as well.   I'm on a Staten Island Ferry boat in order to get the Lights Tribute next to the new One World Trade Center - formally known as The Freedom Tower.

In lower Manhattan there are many buildings that can be used in the composition of the photo.

I always like to add a foreground element to photos where I can to create a "layer" of depth to a picture.

Thousands of photos were taken of the Lights Tribute.  I took this shot on my way to the location where I was seeking to get the perfect shot.

The annual tribute in lights to the fallen twin towers is a reminder of the importance of never forgetting what occurred on 9/11/2001

Several of these chalk tributes were on the sidewalk near ground zero.

The New Place

It's just about ready to open!   Brooklyn's new multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena - The Barclays Center.  The Rolling Stones will play two of their only four 50th anniversary concerts in this building in November.

A unique feature of the new Barclays Center is the open-air front entrance canopy that features a high-def video screen on the inside walls.  Here you see the start - on the right - of a test for the color blue.

The NBA's New Jersey Nets will begin play in this new building in a few weeks.  The start of the pro basketball season will mark the return of major professional sports to Brooklyn ever since the Dodgers moved from the borough to Los Angeles after the 1957 baseball season.

I hear the inside of the arena is fantastic.  Not all that crazy however about the exterior color.

These street light banners are up all over the borough.

A Slice of New York Life

I didn't expect to see anything like this scene being played out in a Williamsburg, Brooklyn bar when I was walking from the subway to check out a local guitar show.  But the tattooed ladies are very much into this game of JENGA.
The name JENGA was derived from a Swahili word meaning "to build"

There is a great variety of subjects to photograph ... if you look around.  But you gotta be quick to get these butterflies!

An old red truck will always catch my camera's eye!

The curvy bodies of expensive guitars catch the eye of Brooklyn Bowl Guitar Show attendees

I used a window on the water taxi to frame this shot of midtown Manhattan

The sun shines on the Williamsburg Bridge.  I was on a NYC water taxi after it left the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn when I took this shot.

The day AFTER the crazy weather in New York City - including two low-grade tornadoes - the skies were dotted with puffy clouds on a calm, cool afternoon.