Last week I had the pleasure of shooting all four of these bands back to back. I was surprised that these big bands allowed photographers to shoot from the pit, not the soundboard. I'm not complaining, I'm thrilled with how these photos all turned out!

Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran: Photo by Melissa Fossum

I saw Duran Duran for the first time during my first Coachella in 2011. I was very impressed with their stage presence, and last week's show was no exception, even though I only saw the first three songs due to photo restrictions.

Dom Brown of Duran Duran: Photo by Melissa Fossum

Duran Duran was a delight to shoot. The band was energetic and the lighting was perfect. I would love to photograph them again!

See the full Duran Duran and Chic slideshow here.

Nile Rodgers of Chic: Photo by Melissa Fossum

Openers Chic were so spectacular that I feared that Duran Duran would fall short. I'm ashamed to say that I was unaware of the extent of Nile Rodgers' legacy until seeing Chic perform live. Songs like Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" were definitely a surprise!

Rodgers' back up vocalists were a blast to watch as well.

Panic! at the Disco: Photo by Melissa Fossum

Onto Weezer and Panic! at the Disco. Getting to this show was a nightmare due to the "100 year flood," which trapped me in downtown Phoenix. Unfortunately, I was unable to photograph Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, but I heard the show was great.

Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco: Photo by Melissa Fossum

PATD is always a delight to shoot thanks to Brendon Urie's very energetic stage presence.

Weezer's Rivers Cuomo: Photo by Melissa Fossum

As a lifelong Weezer fan, I was over the moon at an opportunity to shoot the band. The opening backdrop of California imagery made it all the better.

Scott Shriner of Weezer: Photo by Melissa Fossum

Plus, look at Scott Shriner's grin! Isn't that adorable?

Check out my full Weezer and Panic! at the Disco slideshow here.

See you in the photo pit. Hopefully with less rain next time.

2016 is off to a rocky start. The Eagles' Glenn Frey is the latest addition to recent celebrity deaths, along the ranks of David Bowie and Alan Rickman.

I photographed The Eagles at Gila River Arena in 2014. Most big arena shows like that allow the photographers to shoot from the soundboard for the first three songs. This was a rare exception where we were granted four songs. The songs were all pretty long since the musicians loved what they were doing. You can see that in Glenn's face here.

Here's a link to the full slideshow if you would like to see more.

If there is one thing I've learned over the last couple of years, it's to see the bands you love live. I have a good recent example of this-- a friend and I went to Yucca Tap Room a couple of years ago to see Iron Chic. We didn't feel like watching the openers (yeah, I know, faux pas), so we snuck some rum into Robocop instead. We got back to Yucca just as the concert let out. Now Rob McAllister is dead and Iron Chic is no more, all at the expense of watching a mediocre movie.

Don't do what I did. Get off your butt and go to a concert. You won't regret it, unless of course, you're seeing the revamped "Dead Kennedys" or "Black Flag."

See you in the photo pit.

Weezer/Panic! At The Disco/Duran Duran/Chic

R.I.P. Glenn Frey