A few weeks ago my friend, Ryan, sent me an instant message and asked if I would be interested in taking photos at an upcoming gig. I’ve taken photos of Ryan for a few years with various bands, but not since I got serious about it. He’s been playing with a new band, a talented young violinist named Omar Lopez. Of course I agreed to shoot the gig, even before they told me the details. Once I got the details, I think I asked if I could pay THEM to shoot it. (I kid, but only a little). The show was the night before my birthday at the Municipal Auditorium in San Antonio - they would be opening for Pat Benatar.

It was an awesome opportunity. The venue was beautiful and Omar and the band were really wonderful to work with. It was a short show, only 40 minutes, so I also took pictures at the rehearsal the day before, the hotel (where Omar and Chris, on the lobby piano, did an impromptu concert for the guests), the sound check (we got to see Pat do hers too!) and back stage. I’m glad I did, it really helped us remember the day as whole, not just the time on stage.

Sadly, I wasn’t able to take any photos of Pat Benatar. She is apparently very sensitive about video and photography, so her people were very specific. A few people got photos from their cell phones or small cameras, but I didn’t want to get the Omar folks in trouble since I had been pointedly warned. Ah well.

Here are my pictures from the show.