Tag Archives: concert

Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium – 11/23/24

December 3, 2024Tennesseeblack and white, building, concert, music, panorama, peopleEd Rosack

MK invited us to Nashville for Thanksgiving week. We’re huge fans of the Nashville TV show, so we made sure to arrive the weekend before so we could catch the Nashville Reunion Tour at the Ryman Auditorium. They’ve done this tour before, but this year there were only two dates: Atlanta and Nashville. Given the incredible choice of the historic Ryman venue, we couldn’t resist!

Note: the header Image is a shot from behind the control booth before the concert.

Ford Lounge

We splurged and upgraded our tickets to add the Ford VIP Lounge and we think it was well worth it. This comes with a dedicated and fast security line, a private lounge with included beverages and snacks, private bathrooms, in/out access, and a place to sit and visit before the show. The Lounge has memorabilia inside that we enjoyed having the chance to see. And before the show, we were able to use VIP level access on the balcony level to see more memorabilia.

The Ryman Auditorium has a long history and is an icon in Nashville. The first concert there was in 1892 and many famous acts have performed on its stage over the years.

A few previous Ryman performers

We had good seats close to the front (except for a column that partially blocked our view) and really enjoyed the proximity to the stage. While there isn’t a bad seat in the house, the seats themselves are the original wood pews. Next time we’d bring stadium cushions to make them more comfortable.

The Crowd

We all enjoyed watching the Nashville TV show. For those of you that aren’t big fans, here’s the characters played by this show’s performers:

Charles Esten as Deacon Claybourne
Clare Bowen as Scarlett O’Connor
Sam Palladio as Gunnar Scott
Jonathan Jackson as Avery Barkley
Colin Linden was a musician / songwriter for the show and appears in many scenes. While Charles Esten sang his songs on the show, Colin played the guitar parts for the them.
And … the bartender in the Ford Lounge was an extra on the show!

Clare Bowen, Sam Palladio, Colin Linden

Charles Esten, Colin Linden

Sam Palladio, Charles Esten, Clare Bowen, Colin Linden, & Jonathan Jackson

Autographed Nashville Reunion Tour Hatch Print (photo by MK Rosack, used with permission)

Another benefit of the VIP Ford Lounge is that we each received a limited-edition Hatch Show Print poster commemorating the Nashville Reunion Tour…. and they were autographed by all four performers! Hatch Show Print is another Nashville icon: “a working letterpress print shop since 1879, [Hatch Show Print] uses its vast collection of vintage type and hand-carved imagery to create timeless designs that express and commemorate America’s evolving cultural identity.”

North side view

The Ryman windows themselves are iconic. But despite rumors that they were a gift from country legend Johnny Cash to his wife and artist June Carter, they were actually added as a stylistic choice to the arches windows on the north side of the building in 1966. It’s hard to imagine the Ryman without them today! https://www.ryman.com/story/6-myths-and-misconceptions-about-the-ryman-debunked

The music / experience at the Ryman was amazing! We’re very grateful we went and we’d recommend a similar concert if you have the chance.

Photography: The Ryman Auditorium FAQ says “Professional cameras with detachable or telephoto lenses are prohibited.” so I relied on my iPhone 16 Pro Max for photos. With our close seats and its 5x telephoto lens, I think it worked very well.

We did many other things while we were at MK’s: Some movies / TV shows, eating too much very good food, shopping, touring the Vanderbilt campus, and lots of family time. Even some chores too! MK is a wonderful host! What a great trip!

Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog! Stay positive, be kind, and take care of yourselves and each other. Visit with family. And if you have a chance, go listen to some live music – and make some photos!

Arlo Guthrie at the Plaza

January 24, 2016INSIDE FLORIDA, Orlando, Plaza TheatreAlice's Restaurant, Arlo Guthrie, concert, music, Plaza Live, Sarah Lee GuthrieEd Rosack

I’m sitting here this morning writing this while wearing the new t-shirt I got last night at the Plaza Live in Downtown Orlando.

During the Vietnam War, the US government required men to register for the draft. I suspect that many of these folks and their loved ones were and still are fans of Arlo Guthrie and his song “The Alice’s Restaurant Massacree“. He stopped by last night on his Alice’s Restaurant 50th Anniversary Tour to entertain a full house.

Arlo Guthrie

Sarah Lee Guthrie (his daughter) opened for him and she’s a wonderful talent too.

Sara Lee Guthrie

“Alices Restaurant” is a favorite tune of mine and one of the first fingerstyle songs I learned to play on the guitar. It was a special treat to see and hear him perform this and many other songs. It was also special to hear him and Sarah Lee talk about their life, family, and friends. Here are a couple of things I learned:

In the Alice’s Restaurant movie, Arlo, Officer Obie, Judge James Hannon and his seeing eye dog all portray themselves. Relations between Arlo and Officer Obie were frosty at first, but they became good friends.
The Alice’s Restaurant song is 18 1/2 minutes long which is the same length as the famous gap in Nixon’s Watergate tapes. Arlo suggested that Nixon listened to the song and that’s why he had to erase that section.

Arlo Guthrie and his band

Photography notes: These were all made with a Sony RX-100 III point and shoot camera. I took this one because I’m never sure what the camera policy will be at the Plaza – it seems to vary. The Sony only has a 24 – 70mm equivalent lens, but we had seats up front. I used it wide open (f/2.8) in aperture priority with the spot meter. I manually varied ISO between 800 and 1600. The shutter speeds varied between 1/60 and 1/200 seconds. I shot in RAW and used DXO Optics Pro to process the RAW files. This SW is excellent at removing noise and preserving sharpness – even with the smaller sensor in this camera. The camera’s auto white balance did OK, but I used the eyedropper to set it based on Arlo’s gray shirt.

Lynn and I really enjoyed the concert. And I like my new t-shirt too. We need more songs about social consciousness, activism, and protest. There’re certainly enough subjects to write about.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go support your favorite artists and make some photos!

James Taylor at the Amway

November 21, 2014Downtown Orlando, INSIDE FLORIDA, OrlandoAmway, concert, James Taylor, music, peopleEd Rosack

Lynn and I went to see James Taylor last Tuesday. He played at the arena downtown and the place was packed. I guess there’s still a lot of us old timers that like his music (and can still hear). He played a lot of his hits and a few newer songs too.

James Taylor and his All Star Band – In concert at the Amway in Orlando, Florida. November 18th, 2014. (ISO 800, f2.8 @ 1/80 sec., 70mm eq.)

Like any large sports type arena, the acoustics and sound mix weren’t the best, and the prices for this type of entertainment (along with parking and popcorn) are very high. But it was a very good show and we both enjoyed ourselves.

Photographically, this is a very tough assignment. Unless you have a stage or press pass, your camera gear and access will be limited. For these events, the Amway has a very restrictive camera policy: Your camera has to “fit in your pocket”. Even though we had good seats, we were still pretty far from the stage. My Sony point-and-shoot camera does fit in my pocket and I thought the photo above was worth keeping. But I still wish the lens was longer than 24-70mm equivalent.

Back when I was in the Navy, I had to go to sea for months at a time and leave Lynn behind in Charleston, South Carolina. We missed each other terribly. One of my favorite songs from then was James Taylor’s “Carolina in my mind”. It was wonderful to hear him play it live – with Lynn in the seat right beside me.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go make some photos!
©2014, Ed Rosack. All rights reserved.

Keb Mo at the Plaza, February 28, 2013

March 1, 2013Downtown Orlando, INSIDE FLORIDA, Orlando, Plaza Theatreconcert, guitar, Keb Mo, music, peopleEd Rosack

Keb Mo (Kevin Moore) made a return visit to the Plaza Theatre in downtown Orlando last night. This time he left the band home and performed solo.

Keb Mo

The man has a lot of talent. I enjoyed this show every bit as much as his last one here. He sang and played four different instruments – including three guitars and a harmonica. The place was full of his fans and they obviously enjoyed the show too. He interacted quite a bit with the audience and most of the songs he played were based on requests. There was even one funny part where he played a montage of several cover tunes while waiting for an audience member to return – since she had requested the next song.

Once again Lynn and I had excellent seats (this time on the left) and I was able to get a couple nice photos of him.

Keb Mo

I highly recommend both Keb Mo’s music and the Plaza. If you get a chance, check ’em out.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go make some photos (and listen to some music)!
©2013, Ed Rosack. All rights reserved

Queen Extravaganza at the Plaza

June 19, 2012INSIDE FLORIDA, Orlando, Plaza Theatre, Techniqueband, concert, music, people, Queen, reviewsEd Rosack

Queen Extravaganza performed at Orlando’s Plaza Theater on Fathers Day to a sold out, enthusiastic crowd.

Queen Extravaganza at the Plaza: Yvan Pedneault, Francois-Olivier Doyon, Tyler Warren, Brian Gresh, Tristan Avakian

QE as we’ll call them, is a tribute band backed by Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. The show ‘celebrates the music and live experience of Queen’. They’re on their summer tour and stopped for one night in Orlando.

Brian Gresh solo

This very talented group of musicians put on a wonderful show and performed many of Queen’s greatest hits. I’m not a proper Queen super fan, but to my uninitiated ears, QE were really good. The very loud sound mix and very annoying lighting (which occasionally flashed strobes directly into the eyes of the audience) bothered me a bit. I suspect that the sound level and lights are purposeful and similar to a live Queen show, but I have to admit I never saw them live, so I don’t know.

Brandon Ethridge, Brian Gresh, Tristan Avakian, Francois-Olivier Doyon and Yvan Pedneault

The Plaza has been one of my favorite venues for concert photography. I think their policy used to be “no professional cameras”, but at this show their sign said “no interchangeable lens cameras” and “no flash or video”. They didn’t give me any hassle at all, but they were stopping people making videos with their phones. I’m not sure if this is a permanent change or was specific to this event. It would be a shame if it’s permanent. I really enjoy the acts at the Plaza, but one of the key draws for me is the opportunity to make some photos. If it becomes too hard to carry my camera in, I’ll probably go there less.

You can read my earlier blog entries about the Plaza here Keb’ Mo’ at the Plaza and here Hot Tuna at the Plaza. You can view more Queen Extravaganza photos in this set on Flickr, and other photos from the Plaza in this collection on Flickr.

Keb’ Mo’ at the Plaza

February 2, 2012INSIDE FLORIDA, Orlando, Plaza Theatreconcert, music, peopleEd Rosack

Another wonderful concert at Orlando’s Plaza Theater last night! Keb’ Mo’ was in town – if you like the blues you probably already know about him. If not, you should.

Lynn and I had excellent seats which made for great listening as well as a great photo vantage point.

Keb’ Mo’

He and his band seemed to really enjoy themselves. They played a combination of older tunes and some off of his new album (The Reflection). The audience enjoyed it too.

… And the band

If you live in or near Orlando, pay attention to the Plaza. There might be some shows you’d be interested in. It’s a great venue. If you go and want to take a camera, bring a smaller one. They don’t allow “professional cameras or flash photography”. I’ve posted a couple other photos from last night in this set on Flickr. And you can read a blog entry I wrote about Hot Tuna at the Plaza here.

Hot Tuna at the Plaza

August 5, 2011INSIDE FLORIDA, Orlando, Plaza Theatreconcert, Hot Tuna, Jorma KaukonenEd Rosack

I’ve been a fan of Jorma Kaukonen for a long time. His band (Hot Tuna) was in town last night at the Plaza Theater and I went to see him. Here’s a couple of photos:

Hot Tuna: Jack Casady, Jorma Kaukonen, and Barry Mitterhoff at the Plaza Theater in Orlando, Florida. August 4th, 2011

Jorma Kaukonen, and Barry Mitterhoff at the Plaza Theater in Orlando, Florida. August 4th, 2011

If you live in Orlando and haven’t checked out the Plaza, do so. It’s a great venue: nice sound and maybe a photo op or two.

Central Florida Photo Ops

What and where they are and how to photograph them.