Venue: The Viper Room
City: Hollywood, CA
Set length: About 40 minutes
Tonight’s Lineup:
-
Willem & Dakota 7:00 PM
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Tap This 8:15 PM (Tribute to Spinal Tap)
-
Skip Dixon 9:15 PM
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The Violet Lights 10:15 PM
-
Luz de Luna 11:00 PM
Pre-show banter…
Off to the Viper Room in Hollywood to shoot Tap This (an all-girl tribute to Spinal Tap). My gear for the night was:
- Camera: Canon 7D.
- Flash: None.
- Lenses: Canon’s 70-200mm f/2.8 and the 15mm Fisheye f/2.8. Sigma’s 24-70mm f/2.8.
Okay, here we go…
Venue Review…
I got there early enough to get a parking spot behind the venue, which was nice. Usually I have to park in the lot behind The Whiskey and walk down, which is not far at all but it’s always nice to be close. The place was not very packed at all so there was room to move around a bit during the bands, but I really hate being the guy blocking the stage while taking photos so I was trying hard to stay low. From a spectator standpoint I’ve always thought it to be distracting when a photographer is constantly moving around and shooting the bands right up front so I was really making an attempt to stay clear while still getting the shots. The Viper Room is a GREAT place to see bands when the crowd-count is low but if it is packed it can be hell to even get to the bathroom; tonight was just right! Kinda sucks for the bands though… Fun place to photograph bands!
www.ViperRoom.com
Reviews, comments, and possible putdowns for The Violet Lights…
This was my first time seeing the band and I got the impression that this group means business as they are a no-frills, straight-ahead rock band. They are not the typical rock band that I usually go for like The Murder City Devils, Clutch or Zeke, rather, they are more in the alternative realm with some hooky phrasing that will probably get them some radio play – genuinely though, none of the Payola crap that I still believe is alive and well. My initial thought when I was watching them is that they would be a good addition to a Killers gig or even Rilo Kiley, although a little heavier than both of those bands. You can sample some of their music on their site, linked below.
www.TheVioletLights.com
