February 26, 2019

The Watchmen at The Danforth Music Hall - Concert Photos

The Watchmen at The Danforth Music Hall on December 14, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Watchmen at The Danforth Music Hall on December 14, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Watchmen at The Danforth Music Hall on December 14, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Watchmen at The Danforth Music Hall on December 14, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Watchmen at The Danforth Music Hall on December 14, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Watchmen at The Danforth Music Hall on December 14, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Watchmen at The Danforth Music Hall on December 14, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Watchmen at The Danforth Music Hall on December 14, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Watchmen at The Danforth Music Hall on December 14, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Watchmen at The Danforth Music Hall on December 14, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
This show by The Watchmen at The Danforth Music Hall began a series of shows that spanned the new year, bringing me back to my younger days. The Watchmen was a band I used to listen to and see live a ton back in the early to mid 90s. My band often compared ourselves to The Watchmen in that we played generally accessible rock tunes with strong, clear vocals and driving beats.

That one of my all-time favourite singer/songwriters Ron Hawkins opened the show was the proverbial icing on the cake. My photos and thoughts on his set are here.

You’ll see that the next several posts will be from bands from around this same era and before. Guess there’s something in the December-January concert calendar that just brought these artists out for me. It’s actually been pretty cool.

The Watchmen played a stellar set featuring so many of my favourite tunes. They started off with "Middle East" and "Boneyard Tree" before "Soul Stealer" with a bit of Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now" and "Calm". That was followed by some trademark Daniel Greaves a cappella with a rendition of Tom Waits' "Looking for the Heart of Saturday Night". They brought out the acoustic instruments for a cover of The Tragically Hip's "Wheat Kings" and "All Uncovered". "Incarnate", "I Must to be Free", "Any Day Now", "Run and Hide" and "Absolutely Anytime" with a bit of The Clique's "Superman" (yeah, everyone thinks it's an R.E.M tune, but they covered it, too) filled out the rest of the main set.

The encore began with a solo keyboard performance of "Highwayman" by Daniel Greaves before the band returned for "Brighter Hell". They brought out Ron Hawkins to perform a rousing cover of Billy Bragg's "A New England". The whole show was supposed to wrap up with "Stereo", but a second encore was called by the impassioned audience. It featured "I’m Still Gone", "Say Something" with a bit of The Police's "Walking in your Footsteps" and the final closing tune of Tom Petty's "Square One"

It was an incredible night. Check out some of my favourite tunes from the show below, and click here for my photos from the last time I covered The Watchmen when they played Bandshell Park at The Ex. When I saw that show, I commented that I'd like to see them headlining their own show so I could hear more of their tunes live. I guess some wishes do come true.

"Boneyard Tree"

"All Uncovered"

"Any Day Now"

"Run and Hide"

"Absolutely Anytime"

"Brighter Hell"

"Stereo"

Ron Hawkins at The Danforth Music Hall - Concert Photos

Ron Hawkins of Lowest of the Low (and much more) at The Danforth Music Hall on December 14, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Ron Hawkins of Lowest of the Low (and much more) at The Danforth Music Hall on December 14, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Ron Hawkins of Lowest of the Low (and much more) at The Danforth Music Hall on December 14, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Ron Hawkins of Lowest of the Low (and much more) at The Danforth Music Hall on December 14, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Ron Hawkins of Lowest of the Low (and much more) at The Danforth Music Hall on December 14, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Ron Hawkins. One of my absolute favourite singer songwriters. He and his guitar held us in rapt attention and musical bliss as he opened The Danforth Music Hall show for The Watchmen. I think it's pretty obvious that I loved his performance and loved hearing him sing his tunes along with the rest of the crowd.

His set started off with Lowest of the Low tune "Eternal Fatalist" with a bit of The Clash's "The Guns of Brixton" to celebrate the 39th anniversary of London Calling. That was followed by "Powerlines" from The Low's latest album Do The Right Now. Classic tune "Bite Down Hard" from Ron Hawkins and The Rusty Nails was next, followed by another recent tune "South Ontario". Ron brought out former Lowest of The Low sideman Steve Stanley for a couple of tunes, namely The Low's "Bleed a Little While Tonight" and Steve's "Minahbird". Ron continued the set with "Salesmen, Cheats and Liars", "Peace and Quiet" and one of my favourites of the favourites, "Black Monday". It's missing from my notes, and my memory's poor, but I have to assume Ron closed out with "Rosy and Grey". Correct me if I'm wrong.

As Ron himself commented, he definitely got a headlining band reception from the crowd. It was an amazing set no matter how you measure it.

Of course, I've covered Ron and The Lowest of the Low before. Check out my photos from The Low at The Danforth, Ron Hawkins and the Do-Good Assassins at TURF, Lowest of the Low at Festival of Beer, Ron Hawkins and the Do-Good Assassins at The Drake, Ron Hawkins and the Do-Good Assassins at The Horseshoe in 2014, and again in 2013, and Lowest of the Low at TURF in 2013.

Don't miss my photos of The Watchmen's headlining set here.

Enjoy some tunes:

"Eternal Fatalist"

"Powerlines"

"Bite Down Hard"

"Peace and Quiet"

"Black Monday"

February 25, 2019

Stars at The Danforth Music Hall - Concert Photos

Stars at The Danforth Music Hall on December 12, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Stars at The Danforth Music Hall on December 12, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Stars at The Danforth Music Hall on December 12, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Stars at The Danforth Music Hall on December 12, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Stars at The Danforth Music Hall on December 12, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Stars at The Danforth Music Hall on December 12, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Stars at The Danforth Music Hall on December 12, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Stars at The Danforth Music Hall on December 12, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Stars at The Danforth Music Hall on December 12, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Stars at The Danforth Music Hall on December 12, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Stars at The Danforth Music Hall on December 12, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Over the past fifteen years or so, Stars have gone from being a band crafting some of the most ambitious and emotionally connected indie pop tunes anywhere to being legends of the Canadian indie pop world. Their output has been consistently envelope-pushing and they’ve never rested on their laurels. So few artists ever get the chance to create a work as powerful, compelling and connected to their fans as Set Yourself on Fire has become. Some might be content to ride that wave and continue to create work in that vein for the rest of their careers. Not Stars, and probably not any true artist.

Stars showed us all just how much they’ve accomplished musically over the years with two sold-out shows at Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall. The sets spanned their career from early tunes like “Elevator Love Letter” through personal favourites like "Ageless Beauty", Take Me to the Riot", "Dead Hearts", "Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It", "Trap Door", "Your Ex-Lover is Dead" (it's so glorious hearing everyone singing along), and "No One Is Lost", through to their most recent releases featuring tracks like "Alone" and "Ship to Shore".

Before the band played "Privilege" from their latest full-length release, There Is No Love In Fluorescent Light, Torq admonished the crowd by saying, "If you talk during this next song the ghost that you’re most afraid of will haunt you for the rest of your fucking life. It’s not a threat, it's science." If only that was true. Everyone standing around me near the back of the hall still yapped away.

Being a Christmastime concert, the finished out the night with their faithful yet uniquely-Stars cover of The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl's "Fairytale of New York".

I love this band, I love their music and I will forever want to continue experiencing their music, their live shows and to continue to capture their images at those shows. One thing that struck me as I watched this show was, "Was it really two whole years since I saw a Stars show?" Shocking that it was.

Check out our previous Stars coverage from The Danforth Music Hall in 2016, Wayhome 2016, The Phoenix in 2015, Nathan Phillips Square during the Pan Am Games, again at The Danforth back in 2015 and at Riot Fest in 2014.

My Brightest Diamond put on a fantastic opening set. Check out my photos here.

And enjoy a bunch of music from Stars setlist.

"Fluorescent Light"

"Elevator Love Letter"

"Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It"

"This Is the Last Time"

"Trap Door"

"Your Ex-Lover Is Dead"

"No One Is Lost"

"Fairytale of New York"

My Brightest Diamond at The Danforth Music Hall - Concert Photos

My Brightest Diamond at The Danforth Music Hall on December 12, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
My Brightest Diamond at The Danforth Music Hall on December 12, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
My Brightest Diamond at The Danforth Music Hall on December 12, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
My Brightest Diamond at The Danforth Music Hall on December 12, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
My Brightest Diamond at The Danforth Music Hall on December 12, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
My Brightest Diamond at The Danforth Music Hall on December 12, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
My Brightest Diamond at The Danforth Music Hall on December 12, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
My Brightest Diamond at The Danforth Music Hall on December 12, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
My Brightest Diamond is Shara Nova. She and her drummer opened for Stars at The Danforth Music Hall. Click here for those photos.

I enjoyed her soaring, ambitious, orchestral and almost operatic songs and delivery. It was one of the most fun-to-photograph artists in recent memory.

Check out some of her tunes below and don't miss her return to Toronto at The Velvet Underground on May 11, 2019. Her setlist from the Danforth show is here.

"It's Me on the Dance Floor"

"Rising Star"

"Be Brave"

"I Have Never Loved Someone"

February 24, 2019

Gang of Youths at The Phoenix Concert Theatre - Concert Photos

Gang of Youths at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Gang of Youths at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Gang of Youths at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Gang of Youths at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Gang of Youths at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Gang of Youths at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Gang of Youths at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Gang of Youths at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Gang of Youths at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Gang of Youths at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Gang of Youths at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Gang of Youths at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Gang of Youths at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Gang of Youths at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Gang of Youths at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
I had heard great things about Gang of Youths' live show, so I was excited when I saw their name on the Osheaga line-up. Sadly, they couldn't make it to that show. When they announced their Toronto tour stop at The Phoenix Concert Theatre, I knew I didn't want to miss it.

The show started with David Le'aupepe taking to the stage solo and performing The Tragically Hip's "Ahead by a Centrury". That's a pretty sure way to get a Canadian crowd going. The show just went up and up from there, with incredible energy and a massive outpouring of love being exchanged between the band and the crowd. It was everything that I had expected and heard so much about.

I love watching fans who absolutely love the band they’re seeing. There were so many of those faces at this show and tons of singing along. Le'aupepe noted this when he stated how humbling it is to have 1,000 people in a foreign country singing along to his songs.

The evening featured fellow Australian Gretta Ray opening the show with her magnificent tunes. My photos of her are here.

Check out some tunes from their set.

"What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out?"

"The Heart Is a Muscle"

"The Deepest Sighs, the Frankest Shadows"

"Let Me Down Easy"

"Magnolia"

"Say Yes To Life"

Gretta Ray at The Phoenix Concert Theatre - Concert Photos

Gretta Ray at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Gretta Ray at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Gretta Ray at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Gretta Ray at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Gretta Ray at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on December 7, 2018 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Melbourne Australia singer songwriter Gretta Ray hit The Phoenix Concert Theatre stage solo ahead of Gang of Youth's headlining show. Ray's gorgeous and tender melodies filled the air and were embraced by the crowd.

This show was Ray's first Canadian show and she voiced how honoured she was that members of the audience were singing along to her songs.

Check out some of Gretta Ray's music below and click here for my shots of Gang of Youth's show.

"Drive"

"Radio Silence"

"Time"

February 2, 2019

Best of: Top 25: My favourite concert photos of 2018

The experience of the concert itself cannot be separated from the photos. The photos are a reminder of what was; a method of communicating what the show was like. I can't objectively say, "This is a great photo from a performance I just didn't dig." So, my favourite concert photos may as well be my favourite concerts, or performances of the year. They capture, in image form, something special from a performance that moved me.

Click through on the venue/festival names for the full posts of photos.

As always, a special thank you to all the wonderful industry people who let me into the festivals and venues to make these photos and take in these shows, and to you for looking at the photos, reading my words, and listening to the music.

And if you haven't checked them out yet, follow the links to my Favourite Songs of 2018 and Favourite Albums of 2018 posts. It was a great year for music!

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
I couldn't be more pleased with this shot of Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne at Riverfest Elora. After shooting from the pit, I got a good spot to take in the rest of the show. It gave me a perfect spot to capture Wayne Coyne surfing across the crowd in his hamster ball. I love the balloons, the fans' hands and Wayne's pose in the ball. Check out all the rest of my shots from this set here, including the laser hands and an exploding, confetti filled balloon. Woot!

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
July Talk are one of my favourite live bands. They attract huge crowds and create a frenzy every time they play. I knew going in that this show at The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern for CMW was going to be crazy due to the intimate size of the venue combined with their fans' enthusiasm. This shot captures the band, some of the crowd and the scrum of photographers at the front to capture it all. What a crazy time!

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Dizzy has become one of my favourite bands with their intimate tunes and Katie Munshaw's unselfconscious and emotive stage presence. This shot from Field Trip captures the joy of Katie's performance perfectly.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Frightened Rabbit is one of my favourite bands. I love the songs so much. I was so happy to see their performance at The Mod Club celebrating the tenth anniversary of The Midnight Organ Fight. I never thought that it would be my last time ever seeing Scott Hutchison perform. Scott's passing broke my heart for so many reasons. I didn't know him personally, but I'm saddened that his illness caused him to take his life. We need more awareness of mental health issues and need more help so that people like Scott get the help they need to live another day and help others.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
I'd never seen Yeah Yeah Yeahs perform live until Field Trip. I loved their show and loved them again at Osheaga. This shot of Karen O typifies their performance and the spectacle they put on while playing such amazing tunes.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
One of my favourite bands: Chvrches. One of my favourite venues: The Danforth Music Hall. And one of my favourite lenses: the fisheye. What more can I say?

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
A very early 2018 show by Alexis Krauss and the rest of Sleigh Bells at The Mod Club yielded this shot. It took quite a bit of post-processing but I love how it turned out. The band always puts on a high-energy show and I just love their music.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Pale Waves puts on a polished show and Heather Baron-Gracie delivers some awesome stage moves. I liked this one from their show at The Velvet Underground.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
At this year's Riverfest Elora, Sam Coffey and The Iron Lungs became my new favourite band. Their songs are amazing, their energy infectious and their Sam's stage presence unparalleled. And I love that I got this shot.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Brutal Youth put on a gigantically intense show at The Horseshoe Tavern ahead of The Creepshow's headlining set. I love this shot, capturing the power of the performance.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Dream Wife has to get recognition as a band that absolutely blew my mind with the power of their performance. They may have been warming up The Horseshoe Tavern crowd for Sunflower Bean, but they made sure not one person in attendance would forget about them. Incredible.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
I got to see Johnny Marr twice in 2018. This shot is from the intimate first show at The Velvet Underground. I felt so lucky to be there and to capture this absolute legend of alternative music, songwriting and guitar playing in action. Wow. His performance later in the year at The Phoenix Concert Theatre was amazing as well.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Hold Steady are one of my favourite bands and put on an incredible live show, thanks in large part to their enthusiastic and dedicated fans. This year, I went to all four nights of their four-night stand at The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern. I only brought my camera on the first night and this is one of my favourite shots. Once again, the fisheye comes into service to capture the whole band on stage.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Yungblud blew my mind with his energy at his NXNE performance at Yonge-Dundas Square. He was hard to keep up with and he provided so many amazing photo opportunities. I just love this moment in particular. The next time I saw him, he had a broken leg, but still put on a manic performance at The Rivoli.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The legalization of cannabis in Canada was a momentous occasion as we became the second country on the planet to legalize recreational cannabis. Local radio station Indie 88 put on a party at The Phoenix Concert Theatre to celebrate and Japandroids headlined. They're one of my favourite bands, they put on a great show and I got both of them in this photo! The rest of my pics are here.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
One of the only artists to have two photos on this list, Sam Coffey and The Iron Lungs put on amazing live performances. This shot of Sam with his winged costume from their show at The Phoenix Concert Theatre opening for Frank Turner was just perfect. Now if I could only capture a really good jump shot of him...

Photo by Brad Goldstein for One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
This year, photographer Brad Goldstein started contributing to One In Ten Words. His shots are fantastic, but this shot of Leon Bridges at Echo Beach stands out. I look forward to more of Brad's contributions in 2019.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue were a huge highlight of Field Trip this summer. I love this shot for the interaction between the band members and how that tambourine kind of becomes a halo.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The colours, the motion, the intensity of this shot sums up a Metric live show. I captured the band as they returned after some time away with a great set at Field Trip.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Dizzy is the other act that made it onto this list with two photos. This one is from their incredible performance at Royal Mountain Records Festival at The Royal Botanical Gardens' Arboretum in Hamilton. The way the sun shines through the stage smoke and the natural backdrop of trees, along with Katie's unbridled joy and enthusiasm make this one of my favourite shots.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
I remember being really tired by the end of the first day of Hillside. I dug deep to walk all the way to the stage that Cadence Weapon was performing on. But the shots I was able to get of his performance made it worth it. Here's my favourite from that set. Check out that fierce determination on his face.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Carole Pope is an inspiration; for the music she made, for the battles she fought, for being badass and courageous and bold and confident and trailblazing and empowering. So many people would not be able to live the lives that they can today without people like Carole putting up with and fighting through adversity that no one should have to endure. And the music that Carole made with Rough Trade made a strong impression on me from a very young age. It was an honour to witness her performance at Riverfest Elora and to capture these photos. Special thanks to the wonderful people who let me interrupt their view so I could capture these images.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Barns Courtney puts on a crowd-pleasing performance. I love the way this captures Barns surfing The Danforth Music Hall crowd as he and his band heated things up for The Wombats.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Calpurnia is one of the biggest breakthrough bands of 2018. I saw them perform three times and photographed them twice; first at Royal Mountain Records Festival and then at The Phoenix Concert Theatre. Great band; great tunes; great people. Thanks to the band for sharing my photos, special thanks to Finn: really glad you liked the photo and shared it, and thanks to Calpurnia’s fans for following and liking so many of my shots this year. Stick around for all the great music I’ll continue to capture in photos.

Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The ambience at a festival or concert does a lot to contribute to the experience. The setting for Royal Mountain Records Festival at The Royal Botanical Gardens' Arboretum in Hamilton was so idillic; the wide open space, so perfectly surrounded by mature trees and the fact that they left the back of the stage open to that natural backdrop, left a solid and positive impression on me. This post has links to every performer from that magical day. I can't wait for more festivals on this beautiful site.