Legend has it that Tom Petty wrote the third verse of Mary Jane’s Last Dance while looking down on Market Square from his hotel room.
“There’s pigeons down on Market Square
She’s standin’ in her underwear
Lookin’ down from a hotel room
The nightfall will be comin’ soon”
Who knows if it is true but Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers did play in Pittsburgh frequently and there are usually pigeons in market square. In any case, it is a fun place to spend some time in.
For our first outing in almost two years to someplace other than a restaurant we decided to see the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit on the North Side. It was an exhilarating and amazing experience. It literally made me gasp and my wife said it gave her the chills. The music was perfect for each series of images and sound was beautifully rendered. Make sure you are sitting down and experience a psychedelic experience without ingesting drugs.
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In the summer of 2019 we saw a few concerts. The last one was Peter Frampton at The Benedum Center. We had a busy fall and winter traveling to Europe for a chunk of it and then we traveled to Palm Desert in the beginning of 2020. Never realizing we had seen our last live concert for a while. We already had tickets for 2020 for the symphony and Ringo StarBe which were refunded due to the pandemic. I can’t wait to feel safe enough to sit inside a venue and listen to live music. Until them memories and recorded music will have to do.
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I hope the August Wilson Center survives the pandemic crisis. It is a wonderful small venue to see concerts and plays. The last concert we saw there was The Bad Plus. I can’t wait until we can attend again. I love listening to live music. If you can afford it please make a donation to keep this wonderful Pittsburgh Institution afloat.
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The Bad Plus
The Bad Plus
The Bad Plus
On October 15, 1972 we went to see Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band at The Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh. Things were so different back then. I simply walked backstage and acted like I belonged. Stood next to the Captain before he went on stage and took this picture and a few others before I was escorted off.
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Captain Beefheart
I am excited to announce that I have signed an agreement with Rhino Records to license my images of the 1973 Grateful Dead concert at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. The images will be used with the upcoming release of Dave’s Picks Volume 38. Finally I will become a part of the grateful dead universe.
Here are a few more images from the show that will be included in the box set,
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Grateful Dead Pittsburgh 1973
Grateful Dead Pittsburgh 1973
Grateful Dead Pittsburgh 1973
Grateful Dead Pittsburgh 1973
Grateful Dead Pittsburgh 1973
I am excited to announce that I have signed an agreement with Rhino Records to license my images of the 1973 Grateful Dead concert at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. The images will be used with the upcoming release of Dave’s Picks Volume 38. Finally I will become a part of the grateful dead universe.
To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.
Grateful Dead Pittsburgh 1973
Every now and then you get lucky with tickets and performers. A hew yers ago we saw Medals, Martin and Wood at the Sherman Theather in Stroudsburg Pennsylvania and we had tickets in the front row, I have published a number of images and have one show piece entitled Bass Hands.
I took a lot of pictures that night and here are a few more from the set.
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Like today, 1972 was a great time of social unrest in the United States. In August of that year there was a two day event at Pitt Stadium in Oakland sponsored by the NAACP. The festival was a celebration joining the forces of African Americans and young, socially conscious activists around the commonality of music. Bill Preston, Taj Mahal, Savoy Brown and Quicksilver Messenger Service were among those performing.
I had recently purchased my first Nikon F camera and an event occurred at the concert that shaped my entire photographic career. While listening to Billy Preston, I noticed Gary Duncan and Dino Valenti of Quicksilver Messenger Service sitting behind us. I turned quickly and captured this image of Valenti kissing a young lady. I entitled it Caught in The Act. It was my first photojournalistic image and suddenly I knew what I wanted to do with my life. Since then I have dedicated my artistic photography to trying to capture perfect moments. This was my first one.
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My beautiful picture
At 4 PM on May 16 the first online Art All Night event will take place. Normally for 24 hours artist and performers display the works in a warehouse in Pittsburgh. It is a large and fun event with food trucks, beer, performance art, music and free for all to enter and attend. This year the event will be virtual but still have on line music, performance art and a gallery of two dimensional art and sculpture. Anyone can submit art and you will professional art displayed side by side with children’s finger paintings.
This year I am submitting Steel City Flyer. This is a photo I took of a jet ski flyer soaring in front of Heinz Field.
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Steel City Flyer
Imagery Photography 