shoreline season 21 comes to an end

It's difficult to believe BUT I just finished my 21st season working at Shoreline Amphitheatre. (I was 12 years old when I started there!) It was a "light" season as we say in the biz -- about 25 shows scheduled. The reason I'm able to manage a part-time job with a full-time job and motherhood is my dear friend Laura Parks. Laura and I job-share the smaller scale shows and work the big festival shows as a team.

lovely laura parks and me: partners in crime

We ended this season with the Bridge School Benefit http://www.bridgeschool.org/. It was a great gig to end the season with. Part of what made it great was that I got to spend time with Laura and my best buddies from the world of concert photography. They all came out for the Bridge shows. I turned the table and took some pics of them over the Bridge weekend. Here are some shots of my photographer pals:

los angeles-based photographer john shearer is ready to go

misha vladimirskiy and john shearer shooting away


the gang waiting for the next act to begin
from left: anthony pidgeon (kneeling), jerome brunet, stephen miner, tim mosenfelder (kneeling), john marr

The Bridge Benefit this year featured Regina Spektor, Tom Waits with the Kronos Quartet, John Mayer, Tegan and Sarah, Jerry Lee Lewis, Metallica and Neil Young. Something happened that has never happened at a Bridge show before: an opening act (first artist in the line-up) received a standing ovation. That person was Regina Spektor. Her set on Sunday was phenomenal and apparently the audience agreed. She seemed pretty shocked by the ovation and very appreciative as well.

Regina was good but Tom Waits and Kronos stole the show on both days. I haven't seen Tom Waits live before and he blew me away! I downloaded a bunch of his songs from iTunes right after his set on Saturday night. I'm a believer!

tom waits takes flight at the bridge benefit
photo by jerome brunet

Thanks to all of my Shoreline friends for another great season -- see you next year!