Las Vegas Concert Photography: The Darkness

I have a love/hate relationship with The House of Blues here in Las Vegas.  I love it because it's an awesome venue to catch you're favorite artist if they happen to be performing there.  It's size ensures you a good spot, no matter where you may be standing (or seated—if the upstairs section is open).  But I hate it because it's probably one of the most difficult venues in Vegas for photography.  The stage is about 6.5' high, which means I'm having to shoot up at the artist.  It also makes capturing some wider angle shots extremely difficult.  The lighting is generally poor, but there are some rare moments during the show where the lighting is exceptional.  Those moments usually come after the first three songs when professional photography is no longer allowed.

It is what it is.  You take the good with the bad.  I'd rather have the opportunity to shoot a show there than not so I take what I can get.  And last weekend I got The Darkness!

What do you get when you mix the flamboyance and insane vocals of Queen/Freddie Mercury, the crazy guitar sounds of AC/DC,  throw in a few 80's hair bands, such as Cinderella and Firehouse,  and add a dash of Russell Brand?  "Give me a 'D'.  Give me an 'arkness'," said lead-singer, Justin Hawkins, dressed in an American Flag suit and looking sightly like Captain Jack Sparrow, after The Darkness belted out their first song last Friday night at The House of Blues.  Best known for their mega-hit, "I Believe in a Thing Called Love," the original band hasn't played together since 2005, with the reunion occurring in 2011.

Musically, I don't know which was hitting the higher notes—Hawkins' vocals or his guitar.  His soaring falsetto is just simply amazing.  Just look them up on iTunes and listen to any of their other songs—you'll see what I mean.  I was blown away by the notes Hawkins is able to hit.  The Darkness proves that Glam Rock is still alive and well, but when it sounds as good as these guys do, who really cares?  It's still rock n' roll and it's still freakin' awesome!

Pics from the show below.  Click on any picture to be taken to the full gallery.

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