Jake Shimabukuro Concert.

On Sunday night I had the great pleasure of attending the Jake Shimabukuro at The Kessler concert with my family. We had first heard of Jake through a PBS special and we were instantly captivated by this incredible musician. Jake grew up in Hawaii and began playing the ukulele from a very young age, as the years went by and Jake grew up he found himself inspired by “Guitar heros”. While at a Van Halen concert he couldn’t help but feel “that’s what an ukulele concert should be like” this lead him to experiment with different styles of playing resulting in the amazing sound he has now, mixing the traditional Hawaiian with classic rock and roll guitar riffs, and let me tell you I never knew that someone could shred on a ukulele like that! The variety of styles of music Jake can play on one ukulele is truly something incredible to behold! If you ever have the opportunity to see Mr Shimabukuro you must seize the day and buy those tickets, you are in for such a treat.

61396327614362416163Like I said…the man can shred!

6222614062536066618262356202I hope you all enjoyed my pictures, and that you all check Jake out http://jakeshimabukuro.com/ the man is the stuff of musical legends! Have a very happy Tuesday.

Concert Photography.

So the other night I went to a concert, with some of my favorite people. It was a really great venue…for being up close and doing a little photography! We got their shortly after the doors opened, so I was able to position myself quite close to the stage. Added bonus though, was that I brought my 300mm lens, so I could get right in their face all from the comfort of my seat. This was my first time photographing a concert, with all the equipment I would normally leave at home, because of rowdy concert goers. But since the setting was really relaxed I was able to get some great pictures of Elizabeth Wills, Emmet Cahill, and Keith Harkin.

Elizabeth Wills was the opening act for Keith, now I will be honest my expectations for an opener are always pretty low. But in this case was pleasantly surprised with Elizabeth. She has an amazing folksy sound and pretty much everything she preformed was her own. So be sure to check her out http://www.elizabethwills.com/!

After Elizabeth, Keith Harkin of Celtic Thunder was up, a nice surprise though was that Emmet Cahill came too. Emmet is new to Celtic Thunder he joined in 201o, and I must say is immensely talented for someone so young (21) he has a beautiful classical voice and winning personality. You can check him out at http://www.emmetcahill.com/ There is much more information about him on his website, including a long list of musical accomplishments, that would take quite a while to list on my blog, so be certain to pop on over and check him out.

Emmet Cahill and Keith Harkin. Can we all just take a moment to appreciate how adorable these two are? 

Keith Harkin, the main reason everyone came. Keith has been with Celtic Thunder from the beginning, 2007. His musical style is sort of hard to define, some of his influence include Tom Waites, Neil Young, The Beatles, and Bon Iver, so there is a little something for everyone when he performs. Keith not only tours with the world-wide phenomena that is Celtic Thunder, but he does individual tours, rocking out with his McPherson guitar and wonderful vocals, and winning hearts all along the way. All of his fans are currently waiting on his solo album, it has taken a good bit longer than originally thought, mostly because he has signed with someone new, just a little somebody known as DAVID FOSTER! Color me impressed. David has discovered house hold names like Michael Buble and Josh Groban. So I am certain even bigger things are in store for Keith. http://www.keithharkin.com/

Keith Harkin. Good grief! The way he plays guitar is like nothing I have ever heard before! So much talent.

His hands just fly when he is playing his guitar!

He was just killin’ it. and I loved every minute of it. When the concert ended, the guys stuck around to pose for pictures and sign things, so naturally I had to say hello, how much I love their music, and of course have my picture taken with them. It’s not everyday you get to be around gorgeous Irish musicians is all I am sayin’.

Keith was real sweet, even though just about every woman in the place was clamoring for his attention, he managed to give real attention to his fans individually (myself included) *swoon*.

Then I went and said hi to Emmet. He was such a sweetheart, great people skills, and really down to earth. He and I actually talked for a little bit, so that pretty much made my night. *swoon again*

All in all I had an amazing time and can’t wait to see these guys again. I hope everyone enjoyed this post! Happy Tuesday!