New and Improved: Who made us look closer in 2014

This year brought us closer to artists we’ve certainly heard before, but might not have appreciated enough. Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society conjured a wuthering guitar solo at House of Blues, pulling strings from classical music and opera into a 20-minute musical storm that none of his recordings quite live up to.

Black Label Society performs at the House of Blues in New Orleans, LA on May 27,2014. (HIGH ISO Music, LLC)

 

Another eye-opener was Keith Morris and OFF! at Siberia. It almost became an eye-shutter as well, since the crowd got so riled up in the tiny club that more than one elbow came flying into our cameras and faces. Morris insisted on the club going smoke-free for the night (for health reasons) in order to perform, which might have further invigorated the moshing as people actually could breathe in there.

Keith Morris and OFF! perform at Siberia in New Orleans, LA on 8/11/2014. (HIGH ISO Music, LLC)

We caught Gwar not just once, but twice this year. One of our Nikon D3S cameras bit the dust just days after the second show, despite careful bagging to protect our gear from the fountains of fake blood. Anyway, Nikon fixed it, and now we have this awesome image of House of Blues security guard Amber Quick getting blasted along with the rest of us.

Gwar performs at the House of Blues in New Orleans, LA on October 24, 2014. (HIGH ISO Music, LLC)

Someone we’ve seen a lot before is Big Freedia. At Voodoo this year, she really stepped up her game with a thoroughly art directed and costumed stage show. We can’t wait to see what she’s got in store for next year.

Big Freedia performs at the 2014 Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans, LA. (HIGH ISO Music, LLC)

Finally, our parents listened to John Fogerty. It’s hard to express just how nice it was to see him at Jazz Fest this year, rocking our socks off. Real music, done right. We hope to see him again in 2015.

John Fogerty performs at Jazz Fest 2014 in New Orleans, LA on Day 7. (HIGH ISO Music, LLC)

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