Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer, Paul Stanley - KISS

KISS Unleashes Freedom to Rock Tour on Edmonton - July 12, 2016

Dana Zuk July 18, 2016

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM!.CA

After a weekend of camping in the mountains with some of my closest friends, I've finally had some time to collect my thoughts about my time spent shooting the one and only KISS last week. It was three years to the day since the hottest band in the world graced the stage at Rexall Place, bringing the heat with their current Freedom to Rock tour, KISS electrified Edmonton, and had Northlands park rockin' on Tuesday July 12th.

Being a huge fan of the band since I was little, having the chance to see them for the second time was just as magical as the first. The lights, the pyro, the theatrics! Turning those who gathered at Rexall Place into creatures of the night, who wanted nothing more than to rock and party the night away. From a photographers perspective though, being close enough to touch the members of the band was surreal to say the least, not to mention that having the "Star Child" himself, Paul Stanley, flick a guitar pick directly to me while I was shooting was something out of a dream.

This is certainly a memory that I will cherish forever. It's not all too often that concert photographers get an opportunity to photograph their favourite bands, so needless to say, I am quite honored to have had the chance to have rock n roll gods and hall-of-famers such as KISS in front of my lens. After an outstanding performance, and ending the concert on a high note, this gig will certainly be a hard one to top!

Missed the show? Don't worry! Check out the official show review courtesy of Exclaim Magazine HERE!

Punk-Rock Nostalgia Hits Edmonton With Blink-182 Concert - July 9, 2016

Dana Zuk July 11, 2016

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR VANDALA MAGAZINE

The kings of punk rock graced the stage at Rexall Place on Saturday night, delivering a hefty dose of nostalgia to the vast majority of 20-something-year-olds in the audience. After recently releasing a brand new album, Blink 182 has been dominating cities on this tour, all the while fueling the love for music to fans both old and new.

STAY TUNED TO VANDALA MAGAZINE FOR THE OFFICIAL SHOW REVIEW!

City & Colour Brings Acoustic Mastery to Rexall Place - June 10, 2016

Dana Zuk June 12, 2016

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM!.CA

Gracing the City of Champions on Friday night was Canadian acoustic phenomenon, City & Colour. Accompanied by the talented fellow acoustic jammer Shakey Graves, from Austin TX, they collectively brought Edmonton to their knees with the purity and beauty contained within their songs. City and Colour founder, and Alexisonfire guitarist Dallas Green poetically glided into his set with the familiar guitar ambience of "Woman" pouring through the monitors.

The band continued on through an 18-song set, featuring a number of fan favourite tracks such as: "If I Should Go Before You," "Hello, I'm in Delaware" and "Lover Come Back," which left eager concertgoers in awe and some in tears, all the while, with smiles adorned on their faces.

C&C included a tribute cover to send his best wishes and kind regards to Gord Downie, frontman of fellow Canadians the Tragically Hip, as he played a beautiful rendition of the Hip's "Bobcaygeon." The audience roared as the familiar melody soaked through the monitors, so gracefully paired with Green's heavenly voice. Following up with "The Girl," which featured Green on his own for part of the song, and having his whole band chime in to deliver the song's pounding outro. Lastly, performing an encore with fan favourites "Fragile Bird" and "Sorrow Man", Dallas Green and his band unified to send their gratitude to Edmonton for a rockin' Friday night show.

Marianas Trench Unleashes 80's Inspired "Never Say Die" Tour On Edmonton - April 1, 2016

Dana Zuk April 4, 2016

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR VANDALA MAGAZINE

April Fools Day of 2016 was no joke in Edmonton, as Vancouver's very own, Marianas Trench, delivered a gritty, pop-rock performance on Friday night to a reasonably full Rexall Place. With the release of their newest and 80's inspired album, "Astoria", Marianas Trench unleashed a whole new kind of energy on their Edmontonian audience. As frontman, Josh Ramsay, lead the charge, the band immediately had the youth in the house on their feet, dancing and singing along from the get-go, followed by the dynamic of the music, successfully maintaining the adrenaline levels in the venue.
Warming up the crowd for Marianas Trench, hailing from Ontario, the infamous YouTube sensations, Walk Off The Earth really had Rexall Place energized. Largely famous for their videos of creative spins on covering top 40 pop songs, the multi-talented five-piece band dominated the stage, and totally stole the show (for me, at least!). Between having multiple people playing numerous instruments all at once while pumping up the audience, to the entire band playing just one acoustic guitar, recreating their infamous video: "five people playing one guitar" and playing a mash up of some of the hottest top 40 songs on the radio today, Walk Off The Earth left a sterling impression on those who attended the concert on Friday night.
Throughout the entire evening, there was no shortage of talent and energy in sight. Everyone who graced the stage with their presence brought their A-game, and delivered a performance that will be talked about for months to come.

MARIANAS TRENCH

WALK OFF THE EARTH

Death Cab For Cutie Opens "Lights on the Horizon" Tour with Metric at Rexall Place - March 29, 2016

Dana Zuk March 31, 2016

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM!.CA

Seattle's alternative indie-rock sensations, Death Cab For Cutie, opened up the night at Rexall Place with fellow Canadian's, Metric, headlining on Tuesday night, on the Edmonton stop of the "Lights on the Horizon" tour. Playing to a full floor of people of all ages, Death Cab For Cutie crushed their 45 minute set, playing various songs spanning their 18-plus year career, resulting in fans dancing and singing along to every song; Always a pleasant sight. Paying homage to a friend and loved one who had passed on earlier this year, Aaron Huffman of fellow alt. rock group Harvey Danger, Death Cab For Cutie played a touching cover of Harvey Danger's "Why I'm Lonely", which caused the sea of fans on the floor to clap and wave their hands from side to side, while cheering at the acknowledgement of saying goodbye to the band's long-time friend. Finally, putting the hammer down on the band's 15 song set, Death Cab For Cutie pleasantly met the expectations of those who gathered at the arena for the evening, as the band's praises were sung among concert goers in the halls of Rexall Place.

Check out the official show review, and more concert photos of Metric's set HERE!

Brad Paisley Rocks Rexall Place on Crushin' It World Tour - February 19, 2016

Dana Zuk February 24, 2016

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR NORTHLANDS EDMONTON

What a fun way to kick off last weekend! I photographed my first country music show, and had the opportunity to play house-photographer at Rexall Place on Friday February 19th, as the one and only, Brad Paisley, brought the party to Edmonton.

Brad had one of the coolest stages that I have ever had the chance to shoot; enormous video screens backing the stage, playing various clips of people partying and celebrating, including a long cat-walk that stretched into the crowd, giving concert goers a chance to be within reaching distance of Brad as he would strut his stuff from one end of the stage to the other.

As per usual, I had a really great time shooting this gig, and I'm hoping for more opportunities like this to arise so I can continue to expand my genre-horizon, and to smash the goal I have for 2016!

Alice Cooper Shocks and Rocks Edmonton on Motley Crue Farewell Tour - December 12, 2015

Dana Zuk December 14, 2015

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM.CA

What an excellent way to close off 2015! On Saturday December 12th, I ventured out to Rexall Place to catch the buzz on what was in store for the night. As my final concert shoot of the year, I found it only fitting to go out with a bang. Of course, the one and only, Alice Cooper and his talented band of shredders, were the perfect choice for closing the book on 2015, as they collectively warmed up the dancing feet and singing voices of Edmonton for rock 'n roll demigods, Motley Crue, on this, their farewell tour, and final concert in Edmonton.

Want to know more about the show?
Check out the official show review HERE!

The Weeknd Unleashes Bass and Melody on Edmonton Stop of The Madness Tour - November 30, 2015

Dana Zuk December 1, 2015

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM.CA

R&B superstar, The Weeknd ,boomed and blasted his way though Edmonton on The Madness Fall Tour on Monday night, leaving his fans at Rexall Place dancing, singing along and screaming for more. After a few weeks of relaxation and, getting over a very nasty and persistent cold, it felt great to shake off the stir-craziness and get out of the house to shoot. I wasn't really sure of what to expect at this did, and despite not being much of an r&b fan, I had a great time catching The Weeknd in action! I'm definitely looking forward to catching more gigs like this in the future.

Want to know more about the show went?
Check out the live show review HERE!

The West Turns Wild in Edmonton for 42nd year of the Canadian Finals Rodeo - November 11-15, 2015

Dana Zuk November 17, 2015

I had a blast last week photographing the 42nd year of the Canadian Finals Rodeo at Rexall Place in the heart of Edmonton, AB. My family and I attend the rodeo every year, but getting assigned to photograph each day of the event itself was truly something else, and something I have wanted to do since I began my journey as a professional photographer. Plus, growing up as a farm kid, it was just an all around cool experience; Being behind the scenes, seeing all of the livestock up close, and of course, sneaking a few scratches through the fence to the foreheads of a few of the bucking horses awaiting their turn to be led into the chutes for their time to shine.

The rodeo consists of 10 events: Bareback Broncs, Steer Wrestling, Novice Bareback Broncs, Novice Saddle Broncs, Boys Steer Riding, Team Roping, Saddle Broncs, Tie-Down Roping, Ladies Barrel Racing and Bull Riding. Each event is judged based on livestock performance, speed, or the ability to stay on the back of a bucking animal for 8 seconds, while various rules are in place that apply to all of the events that can alter the contestant's outcome of their run/ride which can determine their chance of being crowned as a Canadian champion. The wellness of the animals in these events is just as important, if not more so than that of the riders! Nothing is forced, it's simply just another day at work. For further information on events, rules, animal care and everything in between, check out the Canadian Finals Rodeo website at: www.cfr.ca

Despite my undying love for photographing musical artists while they melt faces, it felt pretty good to be able to switch things up for a few days. I've always been one of those people who wants to be right up close to the action, and believe it or not, having dirt kicked in my face and feeling the heat from the body of an enormous bull on the other side of the media fence was way too awesome to put into words. Overall, I'd say that this was a great experience for me being the first time for shooting a sporting event.

Though not all of the photos I took of each event made the cut, I really wanted to focus on catching the powerful movements of the animals and riders in action, my personal favorites being the broncs, bulls, barrel racers, and Saturday's matinee show half time event, wild pony racing. After sifting through a few thousand photos, I came away with 50 top favorites that I feel best caught the essence and energy of the sport of rodeo. I had too much fun over the course of 5 days, and can't wait for more opportunities like this to come along in the future!

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