I never thought I'd have the opportunity to see/photograph the legendary blues man B.B. King, so when I found out he was playing Bonnaroo this year, I was ecstatic. King's arrival on stage was greeted with thunderous applause from the crowd and a committee of Manchester officials there to present him with the key to the city. After a few minutes of acknowledging and throwing guitar picks to the crowd, King took a seat and began to play. His 82 years may be evident in his ailing health, but you'd never know it by the way he plays and his jovial sense of humour. The passion he still has is awe-inspiring...and that's why he's one of the greatest blues guitarists of all time.

Photo gallery to come.

The Raconteurs rolled into town last Thursday night for a laid back performance at the Kool Haus, in support of their newly (and very quietly) released album Consolers of the Lonely. Remembering that, hey, this isn't the White Stripes, it's still very difficult to tear your eyes away from Jack White from the minute he walks onto the stage. At the risk of sounding all fangirl, this was the fourth time I've photographed him (with both The Raconteurs and White Stripes) and I still feel privileged every time.

While I'm not going to review the show here (I was shooting for someone else), hearing "Together" was my highlight of the night, even though Jack's voice was sounding a little rough (his doctor told him to lay off the vocals for a while, but he soldiered on).

I'll be down in Tennessee for Bonnaroo this week, where I hope to catch The Raconteurs again. After the festival, things should become more active on this site with plenty of content from down there.

The Raconteurs gallery is here.

Swedish pop musician Robyn hit Toronto last week for her first performance in our fair city in 10 years, in support of her 2005 release Robyn, which was just issued in North America at the end of this past April. From the second she walked on stage, she had the crowd (at the front, at least) in hysterics, with constant shouts of "I love you!" and "OMG! OMG! I'm so close!!"--most of which came from the gentlemen in the crowd.

To be perfectly honest, I knew very little of Robyn, give or take a few songs, but heard she put on a fantastic show and was not to be missed. As she launched into "Cobrastyle" you could feel her intense energy, which, aside from a few slower moments in the middle, carried through her entire set. I could see immediately why she was so adored, with her endearing smile and fun dance moves.

On a photography note, this was a tough one. Robyn didn't seem to be a fan of light at all. Quite opposite to what is usually the case, she was very dimly lit while her band mates were lit up like Christmas trees. I shot 1/60th of a second the entire time and was lucky to come out with anything usable, given how much she moves around.

More Robyn photos here.

After seeing coverage of Tegan & Sara at Coachella over the past week, it reminded me that I have photos of them from last year's Rogers Picnic that have never been posted. It's likely because the photos are all sort of "same-ish"...they weren't all that active on stage, and it doesn't help that they're twins. From what I recall, they played a pretty good set and had a ton of fans in the crowd (more than the other bands, it seemed), who were very easy to spot, since they all dress and cut their hair like the twins.

Tegan & Sara gallery here.

Without a doubt, one of my favourite bands to see and shoot over the past few years has been Gogol Bordello. The first time I ever caught them was a bit of an accident a few years back when I was having drinks upstairs at The Drake. I knew very little about the band, who were playing downstairs, but on my way back from the washroom, I popped my head in the door to check out the show, only to find Eugene Hutz atop his drum in the middle of the crowd. I then quickly ran upstairs to grab my friend and we crashed the show for the last few songs. It only took those few songs, but I was hooked.

Over the past year, I have seen and shot Gogol three times, and they've never disappointed. The show doesn't change all that much, but somehow you don't really care in the midst of all that energy. They seem to be playing the festival circuit all summer, so I don't doubt that I'll end up seeing them a few more times, which will end up being close to the record for seeing a band the most times in one year (U2 has it so far at 6).

Gogol Bordello gallery here.