The New Regime
There is something spectacular about a band who can sound just like their album when they play live. The New Regime felt like one of those bands that truly surpasses their recorded material in energy and atmosphere. During their final song, as I was writing this, I got chills. CHILLS! Upon hearing their music, my body evoked a physical response. How awesome is that! Based on the energy and classic rock n' roll tone, I feel like I have to buy their LP (and a record player to go along with it). While The New Regime is currently unsigned, I would surmise that that will be changing very soon.
The Used
Currently on their 15 Year Anniversary Tour, The Used is doing something remarkable. In each city on the tour, they're playing 2 shows and 2 playing albums in their entirety. In the SoCal area alone, The Used is playing 6 different shows. The first two shows are played at The Novo downtown LA and the final 4 shows are at The Observatory in Santa Ana. I had the privilege of shooting the first show at The Novo and it was simply incredible. The Used out on a spectacular performance filled with raw energy and the crowd went wild. Bert McCracken had a captivating stage presence both during the songs and in between them. He told a bunch of jokes with dark humor that either had the crowd laughing or cringing. All in all it was a fantastic show to experience and photograph.