Overall, the year felt like it was really touch-and-go with shows for me. I don’t know if that’s the burn-out talking, or if that’s just the reality of things. The handful of local shows I both photographed and attended as a spectator had wicked turn outs, and that’s always an awesome thing to see. Maybe more so now than previous years, ya know, ‘cause of the Vid wreaking havoc on everybody and everything fun in life, and all that. However, seeing a great swell in local attendance is only something to be happy about and thankful for. If I can speak plainly, and let’s be honest… This is my blog, so I’m gonna… Leading up to the pandemic stricken years, show attendance on the local level was kind of meh. So seeing a plethora of familiar and new faces at these local gigs can only mean good things ahead. Or so one can hope.
As for the big-time shows… To summarize them into one word? Explosive. Seeing internationally touring bands coming out of the pandemic swinging with both fists had me all sorts of stoked. Although many were ones that I have photographed before, and don’t get me wrong, I’ll happily photograph them again, there were a few bucket-list gigs that had me over the moon: Blackberry Smoke, Opeth and Avril Lavigne to name a few, although one of those gigs I really had a bone to pick with… 10 points if you actually follow my half-assed blog and can guess which one I’m talking about 👀 Much like the local gigs, it was just great to be within the atmosphere of live music again.
In truth, 2022’s rendition of concert events was really great. Yeah, it was slower than it maybe should have been for me, but as I’m sure many of you know and can relate, burn out is a great, big bitch. It’s something that I’ve been wrestling with for the last year, and I’m making it a goal to overcome it and kick it’s ass. Nothing is quite as gut-wrenching as looking at something I once revolved my whole life around, and feeling apathetic towards it. Perhaps I’m going through some sort of a phase, or a transition of thought, but either way, I’m looking forward to bursting out of it, quite like how Ace Ventura busted out of an animatronic rhino that one time.
On the flip side, I had another big year on a personal level. Many awesome things happened, and I’ll only speak on a few of them, otherwise you’ll be here for way too long. Between huge advancements like locking down a solid job that I enjoy doing most days to getting a drivers license (I know, some of you might be thinking “Isn’t she like, 30? and just getting a license now?” I’m 29, and yes, trauma sometimes creates late bloomers so shuddup.) This is a huge deal for me, and if you know me personally, you’ll understand why. Let’s brighten the mood, eh? I had a great year growing my passion project! If you’re not familiar, I’m currently on a journey of creating a photo-documentary of the dogs that reside in Edmonton, and I call it The Edmonton Dog Blog. It fills my cup to meet like-minded dog-people in the city who are down to share their dogs’ story, regardless of whether it’s peachy or heartbreaking. It’s totally adorable, and if you’re a dog-obsessed person like me, I think you’ll love it. I also got engaged! That’s right, someone went and put a ring on it, and I’m totally smitten. I’m looking forward to continuing the many musical and foodie inspired adventures that we’ll have forevermore. Who would have thought that someone who hired me to photograph their CD release at The Artery so many years ago would be asking me to spend their life with them. Pretty fuckin’ cute.
Alright, alright, mushy stuff aside, I had a massive achievement occur in 2022, and I really don’t think anything will top it. To give you a little backstory: In 2015 I photographed the formidable rock ‘n roll gods of AC/DC at Commonwealth Stadium in the pouring rain. This was my first stadium-level show, ever. So needless to say, it holds a sentimental place in my heart. Little did I know (or quite frankly, did anybody know) during this particular performance, frontman Brian Johnson completely lost his hearing. Fast forward to 2022, Mr Brian Johnson puts out an autobiography called The Lives of Brian, and wants to retell this specific story about how he lost his hearing during a gig in Edmonton. An email from Penguin Publishing comes across my inbox, asking to license an image. The image in question? One that I photographed during that show back in 2015! After pinching myself and agreeing to a deal with Penguin Publishing, I’m extremely proud to say that I’m officially internationally published in Brian Johnson’s book that’s currently being sold and read by book lovers and music fans all over the globe! Check the little carousel below for photos of the book, the photo in the book, and the photo I also had featured on Good Morning America during the release campaign of the book. The broadcast that features my photo can be seen HERE.
