Demi Lovato & Mandy Moore at Kidd Kraddick

Demi Lovato
Originally uploaded by rachelparker

In May we had Dallasite Demi Lovato in studio at Kidd Kraddick. She sounded great and during sound check I even got to hear her sing a little bit of Kelly Clarksons "My Life Would Suck Without You," which was playing on the radio during the break. That was pretty cool.

There's lots more photos over on www.kiddlive.com

We also had Mandy Moore stop by to chat about her cd that just came out. She was ridiculously nice and took time to meet everyone that came to see her.

Once again there's lots more at www.kiddlive.com

I should have a post about the No Doubt show very very soon! Oh and then the Heroes Baseball Game.

Rachel

James Morrison

James Morrison
Originally uploaded by rachelparker

Ok so just as promised James Morrison photos. He put on one heck of a show. I wish I could have shot more than just the first 3 songs because he got into it more and more as the night progressed. He did come out with a bang though. The show was at the Granada, so lighting wasn't all that great, which is funny because they could have an awesome set up if they would be willing to shell out a few bucks and add few more lights and smoke... oh and learn how to use the lights they already have. That place has so much potential and books some great gigs, so it's a shame its such a cave to shoot in at times.

If James comes to your town you should definitely go see him! He doesn't come to the states too often, so its a rare treat!

Here's a few shots from the show


And coming up I have some Kidd Kraddick stuff like Demi Lovato, plus I shot No Doubt and Paramore at the end of May which was awesome! This weekend is going to be insane. Warped Tour rolls through Dallas on sunday.

Rachel

Believers Never Die Tour w/Fall Out Boy, 50 cent, and More

Fall Out Boy
Originally uploaded by rachelparker

So back to mid April when this tour rolled through town. I always always enjoy shooting Fall Out Boy. These guys put on a great show, it was my first time shooting 50 cent and I know it sounds crazy that he was opening for Fall Out Boy but he did a great job and it worked out well. Lighting for those two was great. Lots of colorful back lights and spotlights for consistent lighting.

For the other 3 acts however lighting was mostly that back lighting which is way tough to work with. When the fronts cant compete with the back light you end up with a lot of blown out photos. Oh well though!

Here are some shots!

Fall Out Boy


50 Cent


Cobra Starship


All Time Low


Hey Monday



Ok James Morrison shots coming very soon since theyre all edited and just need to be uploaded. Then No Doubt and Paramore plus some Kidd Kraddick stuff!


Later guys!
Rachel

Fall Out Boy/Cobra Starship

Fall Out Boy
Originally uploaded by rachelparker

So Mid April Fall Out Boy's Pete and Patrick stopped by Kidd Kraddick. Still as nice as the time they came in before. Pete was quite chatty as well, which was cool. He showed me his new tattoo of Texas and I believe a yellow rose. Cobra Starships Gabe and Ryland made a surprise appearance. Kellie is in love with, and if you listen to the show you probably know that. So that was very cool.

Here's a couple shots, there's a couple more on my flickr, but a TON MORE on Kiddlive.com


Ok some shots from the show that night to come very very soon. Then I have some shots from James Morrison!

Later guys!
Rachel

Forever the Sickest

Forever the Sickest Kids
Originally uploaded by rachelparker

Back in April I was fortunate enough to shoot the Forever the Sickest Kids show. This band hails from Dallas so I guess I should have shot them more than I have. But I haven't. This was however one of the first time's they've had pretty good lighting though. And with the way this band moves all over the place it's necessary. In the first song Jonathan had already broken his microphone stand and it was tangled in his microphone cord, nearly decapitating myself and the other 2 photographers in the pit as he just dragged it along on stage with him.

This band was way fun to shoot though. The kind of band you could shoot multiple times and not get bored at all. So major kudos and thank you Forever the Sickest Kids for making fun and a challenge. Those are always the best shoots.

Ok here are a few pics, and there's a few more at my flickr!


I'm hoping to get Fall Out Boy, Cobra Starship, and Hey Monday up soon. Oh and Fall Out Boy at Kidd Kraddick.

Later Yall
Rachel

Gavin Degraw.. Yes Again

Gavin Degraw
Originally uploaded by rachelparker

So in April I went to see/shoot Gavin Degraw again, this tour titled "Where It Began" was full of new material off his latest album "Free." It wasn't your traditional Gavin show, it was a more mellow stripped down show, and back to his old ways of having a different set list every night, which is awesome. There was no barricade it was up close and personal. Oh and also! He didn't wear his hat at first.. proving to the world he has hair! Sure I knew that already, but a lot of people didn't. Even Perez Hilton was amazed.

The show picked up energy at the end though. Gavin rocking out on the piano as usual. So all in all a great show yet again. Sure this is a biased opinion because he's one of my favorites, but the guy's got soul. I'm crossing my fingers for the day he'll cover "Let's Get It On" again and get up and do the splits then sing you give me good feelings without a microphone like he did the first time I saw him.

Here's a few shots. Lots more on my flickr! Go check them out. :)


I've got some Forever the Sickest Kids on the way! I'm hoping to shoot No Doubt on Saturday! Crossing my fingers for that one! So excited they're back.

Rachel

Nascar Spring 09

Jeff Gordon
Originally uploaded by rachelparker

Nascar was last month, and that's always fun to shoot, my ears got burnt pretty good though. It's definitely grueling, but I feel like I learn something each time I go out there. As you all well know I don't shoot a whole bunch of sports. And ok I'll admit it, I like every other girl my age have a crush on Kasey Kahne. However when I'm down there shooting I can't play favorites and professionalism is the name of the game. So that's a major upside to being out there shooting. On another note traffic wasn't too bad on Race day either, I took a differn't route home this time, it seems as though 121 I think it was.. is far less congested than 35 south. But that's only helpful to East Arlington and Dallas residents, if you live in Fort Worth it would take you way out of the way. The Texas Motor Speedway folks are always hospitable so I'm giving a shout out to them. Tickets for the Fall Race are on sale now. So Dallas folks you should check it out, but bring the sunscreen!

Here are some shots from the Spring Race

Samsung 500


Samsung 500 Qualifying


O'reilly 300


O'reilly 300 Qualifying




Ok well that's it for right now. I have some Gavin Degraw to come! I just need to write the blog on that! And then some Forever the Sickest Kids, Fall Out Boy, 50 Cent, Cobra Starship, James Morrison, Demi Lovato, and Mandy Moore. So just a few things.

Yall have a good friday! TGIF!
Rachel

Britney Spears & Adele

Britney Spears
Originally uploaded by rachelparker

Well at the end of March I got to shoot Britney's Circus tour stop here. There were about a billion dancers and stuff on stage with her. They had us up on the side because honestly when you've only got 3 songs to shoot and a stage that big in the round. It's about the only thing that makes sense. I mean I imagine one could keep up on the floor but it would be like running a marathon back and forth and difficult to focus on shooting.

Spotlights were good for most of it. The second song was a little tough cause Britney was in a cage thing of sorts. But I think I got some ok shots, no cool lights or anything because of where we shot from. Here are some shots.



Also in March I got to shoot Adele who was great. I got to actually stay and watch the show which is rare so I was happy about that. She seems so giddy sometimes when she performs, as if she can't believe folks are there cheering for her. I think the modesty is a great. Here are a few from that!



Ok that's it for now. Lots of stuff from April to come including Nascar, Gavin Degraw, Fall Out Boy, 50 Cent, and James Morrison. So definitely stay tuned!

This weekend Robin Thicke and Jennifer Hudson are here, hopefully I'll get to shoot that one! Also here on Wednesday, Mandy Moore will be at Kidd Kraddick. Should be a good one!

Kidd Kraddick!

Paul Rudd
Originally uploaded by rachelparker

Ok lots and lots and lots of stuff from Kidd Kraddick over the past month and a half. We had the most awesome Paul Rudd in studio, and I have to admit I was really excited about it. I don't think there was a female that works up there that wasn't excited, and I'm happy to say he was extremely nice. He was there promoting "I Love You, Man" which is hilarious if you haven't seen it.


Also in studio we had Matt Nathanson. He's always hilarious, especially on the fly. They showed him the new performance hall which also includes the new green room, or as I call it my room of narcassism.. there are a bunch of photos I've taken in the room. It's like they are my children, he totally pointed that out too when he was in there.


Nextly we had the one and only Miley Cyrus in studio. She was doing a bit of a promotional tour for the new single from the new Hannah Montana movie. She was very nice and chatty, actually asking about my camera, I thought it was very cool she's interested in photography. I have to say she carries herself very well its hard to remember sometimes that she's only 16.


Ok last up for this batch oh blog goodness is the up and comer Jessie James. She's managed by Johnny Wright and has some pipes on her like Christina Aguilera. I'd keep my eyes peeled for her to blow up if I were you.


They've booked a big guest for in studio tomorrow. I dont know if its on the DL or not. Also! just a reminder that there are a ton more photos at www.kiddlive.com

Later everyone!
Rachel

Awesome Aussie and Freezing Jonas

Missy Higgins
Originally uploaded by rachelparker

So the end of February brought Missy Higgins and the Jonas Brothers. Missy was awesome, a bit more mellow set than I was expecting and short due to there being a show booked an hour after hers was set to end. The Aussie accent made up for the shortness of set though. It however did not make up for the lack of the song Scar! Whats up with that Missy!? Lighting for Higgins was rather dim as well. I guess trying to match the mellow. Hilarious moment when I was shooting, some girl in the crowd yelled "I'll be the Right Girl!" when Missy was singing "Wrong Girl" On another Missy note they've been playing "Steer" a ton at my other job on the satellite radio. I get kind of excited when it comes on. It played today matter of fact! If you dont know Missy Higgins.. get with it!





Ok now on to the Jonas.. that's like completely opposite of Missy Higgins. This however was a red carpet event. It was outside and like 38 degrees and that doesn't include the wind chill. I have to hand it to the fans that stood out there and waited for hours on end. We eventually got to go stand in the lobby of Main Event. Jonas were supposed to arrive at around 11:00 pm but were running late with all the promotion they were doing across the U.S. (It happens) But they didn't walk the Red Carpet till 1:30 A.M. Demi Lovato also walked the carpet, but she got there at 10:30 when it first started. She recently twittered that she gets nervous on red carpets. I think she handled this one marvelously, especially since it was freezing and she was in a knee length skirt of sorts (the wind tried to blow that thing up too, that would have sucked!)



Hope you enjoyed the shots from both events. I'm going to try and get a slew of Kidd Kraddick stuff blogged. Speaking of which.. Ashley Tisdale will be in studio tomorrow morning, and friday we have Fall Out Boy! Dallasites should come down! Should be good!

How was everyone's easter? I'm reading New Moon now.. I know lame.. I've fallen Victim to reading these books.

Ok back to work now!

Rachel

Bahamas pt 3: The final installment!

Kelly Clarkson
Originally uploaded by rachelparker

Alright so this is it. The last and final entry about the Bahamas trip last month. Man why on earth are yall reading my blog I'm so behind. But thank you!

It was definitely a music filled weekend. And no doubt I was exhausted by the end of it all. Late nights, Early Mornings, Afternoon Naps, and still way too much stuff to do, it was impossible to cram it all into 4 days! There were concerts Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.. I mean really.. who needs sleep?

Ok no doubt I'm going to start with the main feature of the weekend and my personal fav, Kelly Clarkson.



Unfortunately the crowd was pretty lame for most of the night, up until security let the younger fans move right up against the stage for the end of the set. You just have to feel empathetic for an artist who's trying to work a crowd that wants to sit down the whole time because they all won the trip for free and dont really care. With the exception of a few people. None the less the girl sang her butt of and tried her hardest to get folks to interact.

The Host for the weekend was Nick Lachey. I dont know why he didn't perform? I guess he doesn't have a band put together at the moment. He does have a new album coming out though? One song acapella wouldn't have hurt?


Friday Night they had Lily Allen who is hilarious. I think I stressed this previously, but her songs just prove it. Opening for Lily was Secondhand Serenade. This was prior to the awkward hugging experience. I never saw it coming..



Lastly Kevin Rudolph sang a few songs in the Dragon Club Thursday night. It's odd that my entry is going backwards but whatever. We all went to dinner and then went to the performance. One of the girls I met from from Baton Rouge was rocking out with Kevin during Let It Rock. Shout out Baton Rouge girls!



Ok so that concludes the photo fun from the Bahamas. I do suggest going! It's lots of fun and the weather is fantastic. I'd love to go back and leave the camera at home. Who would have though I'd ever say that! There are more photos at www.kiddlive.com if you want to check them out.

I've got tons more stuff to edit. I'm shooting Britney tomorrow night. Nascar this weekend. I'll do my best to try and catch up. I've been doing a lot of reading lately as well. I've fallen victim to the Twilight book.. it all started as curiosity.. and now.. well you know. Hopefully everyone had a great spring break!

Until Later!
Rachel

Bahamas pt 2

Kelly Clarkson
Originally uploaded by rachelparker

Ok so like I said.. last month Bahamas.. if you're confused read the previous entry.

So our Friday morning there, they had a bunch of interviews with the performers for the Pop Rocks Atlantis or whatever the concert was being called this year.

Of course I was very excited about Kelly Clarkson. During the interview she talked about how someone stole her dog.. they were trying to help find it after we got home. So if you know anyone in the Mansfield area who found a Golden Lab puppy like 6 weeks ago call in to the show http://kiddlive.com and let them know...

I got to chat with her for a couple minutes during the break. She recognized me from times I met her previously which was cool, then I asked her if she named her dogs Eddie and Bella (the ones she talked about in the interview) after Twilight. She admitted yes to Bella, but said Eddie wasn't named after Edward.



Nick Lachey was very cool, the power at the resort went out and he was just hanging till it came back on then they finished. He seemed really cool. Not to sure why he wasn't performing at the show though. He was hosting.



Lily Allen stopped by and she was really funny. She has no problem saying what she's thinking and I like that. After interviews were done she went walking by with some Cheetos and gladly shared them with Big Al Mack. Something I wish they had gotten on video.

They also had a couple Performance/Interviews from up and coming act Krista and Kevin Rudolph performing an acoustic version of "Let It Rock"



The next day Secondhand Serenade did a little private acoustic performance/interview in a Suite at the resort. It was pretty neat except when I got the worlds most awkward hug ever in my life. John walked up to me and started hugging me with his guitar on and everything and the entire time I was thinking "my camera is going to scratch his guitar oh no!" What capped off the awkward was the room full of people staring at me. Sometimes I like attention.. most the time I don't.. and especially don't like to be the center of it. But I gave in and hugged him back. I guess he needed some Valentines day love?

Ok so that tops off the interviews! Performance pictures from the 2 concerts to come very soon! If you'd like to see more interview photos, there's a TON on http://kiddlive.com

Rachel

Bahamas pt 1

Atlantis Resort
Originally uploaded by rachelparker

Ok so last month I got to go the the fantastic Atlantis in the Bahamas for the Pop Rocks Atlantis event.. It was gorgeous. I just wish I had done alot more touristy stuff, I was waking up so early that by mid day it was nap time for me, especially because of the late nights with the concerts and what not. I do think I need to learn to set the dang camera down every now and then though.

Though I do have to admit I walked onto the beach.. and remembered that I hate the sand. I also hate the sun because I burn easy, and lastly I hate to be wet... I'm probably the most pale person to return from the Bahamas. Now I know you're thinking the Bahamas is a horrible place for me to go. Well frankly I probably should have been wearing shorts and flip flops. So I guess the anger at the sand is my own fault. It was way pretty there though, the water was so clear. The weather was fantastic the entire time. I really loved the aquariums and marine life they had at the resort. I went through the predator tunnel and thought "Nsync totally stood here.." yeah I'm a loser.

It would have been cool to go snorkeling... and swallow my irrational fear of drowning (Cause I'm a totally fine swimmer). Maybe I should go see a therapist.. haha. Oh and I stumbled across the first ever Scuba Wedding at the resort. I thought that was pretty neat.

Here are some photos from around the resort.



That last one is the scuba wedding with the giant manta ray swimming over them. I would totally go back in a heartbeat and try to be more beach friendly. My only warning to anyone going is that food is way expensive, but the food at the deli was almost reasonably priced.

Ok there's more to come, I have pictures from the morning interviews with the performers plus show photos! Sorry about the delay in getting these up. I keep saying sorry! I really am trying. But I'm also trying to be more rounded so I've been reading actual books and stuff lately. I figure learning big words from reading is beneficial.
I'm debating if I want to read the book "Into the Wild" sometime soon. Yes I've seen the movie, I was envious of the locations those photographers got to shoot on.

Ok so till next time!
Rachel

The Fray

The Fray
Originally uploaded by rachelparker

Look at that! I'm on a roll!

The Fray stopped by Dallas at the end of January to promote their newest self titled sophomore album. Selling out the House of Blues and stopping by Kidd Kraddick, so needless to say my day was Fray filled. The guys were very nice, taking lots of time to meet the fans that came up to see them at the morning show. The performance that night was good. I thought lighting was going to be horrible at first when it was a wash of reds and then they had these awesome lamps onstage light up synchronized to the music, and that was really cool, especially while shooting. It was odd though not knowing so many of the songs they were performing. They were great songs though. Fantastic album. Go pick it up, it's in stores now.

Here are some of the shots from the day.


Some Kidd Kraddick shots. See more at http://kiddlive.com


More to come soon!
Rachel

AC/DC

AC/DC
Originally uploaded by rachelparker

Rock Legends AC/DC stopped at the American Airlines Center last month. I was lucky enough to shoot them, didn't think we were going to send a shooter, so it was a pleasant surprise. The first number was incredibly smokey. Definitely a tough situation to shoot through. Other than that it was fantastic. Angus and Brian were rockin' it.




Lots more to come as always!
Rachel

Marc Broussard

Marc Broussard
Originally uploaded by rachelparker

Ok so this will be it I think till I get back from out of town. I am almost caught up. Were in the year 2009.. that's always good. The first show I went to this year was Marc Broussard who I love to death. He was fantastic. I'd put it in the top 3 out of the handful of times i've seen him. His fans were dancing like I've never seen them dance before. Lighting was pretty good too. Yay House of Blues lighting guy.. yay! He's gotten much much better in the recent months.

Marcs openers were Josh Hoge and Sons of William. Who were both great as always. They even joined him on his most popular number "Home."

We also spotted Miranda Lambert's guitar player Scotty Wray at the show.

But hey on to the photos!


Sons of William & Josh Hoge


Ok enjoy! Still to come AC/DC and The Fray.
Rachel

Kidd Kraddick: Last show of 08

Gym Class Heroes
Originally uploaded by rachelparker

So Kidd had a bunch of musicians in for the final show of the year. It was in the "performance hall." Big Al dressed like an Elf and bands playing. Cant get better than that. Not to mention the Veronicas thought my "Commando Roll" was awesome.

Here are some shots from the show.



Ok I know that was like the most lame entry ever. And I neglected to put up Colbie & All American Rejects photos from December, but hey they are up on kiddlive. Ok I have some shots from shows in January I'm gonna try and get up.

Rachel

November Part 3: Usher, Coldplay, and Graham Colton

Usher
Originally uploaded by rachelparker

Ok this will be my final installment for November. Then we can move to December which will be all Kidd Kraddick stuff because that's pretty much all I shot that month.. plus a couple symphony related things.. well and kids with Santa at a daycare for the owner whom I know.. exciting huh?

So the end of November I shot Usher for Sony Ericcson. That was cool being there for the tour sponsor. I shot the meet and greet as well as the performance, so we set up while soundcheck was going on so after I got done moving lights I just set my stuff down and watched the rest of soundcheck.

Usher had these catwalks that made it near impossible to get into the front barricade thanks to having to walk through the crowd. Fortunately the fans were nice and let me through. Lighting was great. It was pretty much one song, they said first 2 but I wouldnt count the first songs as an entire song since he wasn't on stage for most of it, however the second song love in this club had this entire dance break added into it. Here are some shots.



Next I got to shoot Coldplay! What did I learn from this experience.. well that Chris Martin loves to run around onstage like a lunatic, it was great. I also think that next time Coldplay comes to town I should get a ticket and go because what I got to hear from the concourse while editing photos was great. Here are a few from that



And lastly I shot Graham Colton at the House of Blues Pontiac Garage. It was an acoustic gig with Michael Tolcher, Bryan Greenberg, and Tim Brantley. It was great as usual, Graham did a lot of older material and some cool covers with the other acts, even a version of "Dancing in the Dark"



Ok that's all for now! Yay november is done! I will have all the Kidd Kraddick stuff soon! Then a couple gigs from this month that I shot. :)

Rachel

November Part 2: Kelly Clarkson & Reba McEntire, Amy Grant, and the Latin Grammys

Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire
Originally uploaded by rachelparker

So I wasn't joking when I said I was busy in November!

In a span of 3 days I was in Houston for the Latin Grammys, back in Fort Worth the next day shooting Amy Grant, and then off to Little Rock for Kelly & Reba. Talk about exhausted after that!

So we'll start with Kelly and Reba since it's the main thing pictured. Yes I'm playing favorites. The show was amazing, I'd say even better than the show in Bossier City. Not to mention the addition of Stuff Like That There was a great. Kelly hadn't done that song in a long time. We had a blast, and stayed at the Peabody and watched the ducks march on the carpet the next morning.





So the night before that I shot Amy Grant performing an entire set of her older material at the Fort Worth Convention Center. Her stage set up and lights were way better than I was expecting. It was a pretty good shoot.



And the night before that I was in Houston shooting the Latin Grammys. It was my first award show, red carpet experience. It was probably the worst night ever for my flash to be moody and it was. When we got into the Media room where they pose with the awards it was all good because I just set it to manual and bounced the flash. It was a good learning experience. Here are some shots.




Ok so part 3 to come with Coldplay, Graham Colton, and Usher.

I hope everyone's year is going well so far!

Later
Rachel