When I got called to see if I would be interested in photographing Spank Rock perform during the Ke$ha & LMFAO tour, I quickly said yes without thinking twice about it. I’ve seen many shows before, many performances, also met some of my favorite artists but have never been backstage or saw how a show comes to life. There was no way I was about to pass up this opportunity.
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I had never been to Oakland’s Fox Theater before so I was excited to see how the venue looked and what a nice venue it was. When I arrived I met Spank Rock’s team and was told that he was at the hotel and would be arriving in an hour for sound check. That gave me time to walk around the venue freely and met a few bartenders that served me free drinks. Not bad huh? When Spank Rock arrived, we talked a bit about his new album, his show and life on tour. At that point the rest of the artists arrived, Ke$ha & LMFAO. I was introduced to them and they all where very kind to me. It was a treat for me seeing these artists during sound check. Seeing how much work is put into a show and how many people are involved was an eye opener for me. When the time came for the show to begin, I was asked to turn off my camera when Ke$ha & LMFAO were around. I was not authorized to photograph them. I didn’t mind. Just being backstage with them was enough for me.
When Spank Rock took the stage I couldn’t help but get a few goose bumps, seeing the crowd cheer for him, the amplified sound of music, and his performance is something that needs to be seen. The energy this guy puts into a show was mind blowing. I took several shots from backstage but when I wanted to move to the front of the stage, I was denied access by security. I guess it was due to lack of communication by Spank Rock’s team and the venue’s security team. At first I was bummed out because I wanted to take photos of him from the front of the stage but quickly got over it. None the less, I had an amazing experience, I saw an amazing performance by Spank Rock and got to see Ke$ha & LMFAO perform. After the show ended the backstage parties were in full effect. Turned off the camera and learned to party like a rock star… haha
Rolling Stone magazine gave Spank Rock’s album, “Everything Is Boring, And Everyone’s A Fucking Liar”, 4 out of 5 stars.
