Thomas Mars of Phoenix - Red Rocks 2009
The last minute cancellation of the band MSTRKRFT allowed the indie rock band Phoenix from France to be bumped to the main stage at the Monolith Festival on September 13, 2009. The Monolith Festival is a showcase of the best progressive and Indie bands on tour today. This was just another stop along Phoenix’s SOLD OUT American tour. I had decided not to stage hop at this festival, instead I would just hunker down at the Main stage and shoot whoever came on the stage. Some festivals I try to shoot every band, they are all so good, but in the end I just end up up running around like a photographer with his lens cap cut off. This was a far more relaxing method for covering(partially) a multi-day festival. This was my first time seeing Phoenix and I was very impressed with their stage presence, powerful vocals, musicianship and passion and Phoenix made the best of this opportunity to play the main stage at Red Rocks and proceeded to blow the crowd away with a great performance. The set list included many songs from thier latest CD Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.
Phoenix is a French alternative rockband started during their childhood by Thomas Mars, Deck D’Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz in the suburb of Versailles, in the same culture that produced late-’90s bands such as Air and Daft Punk.
Members
Thomas Mars (vocals)
Deck D’Arcy (bass)
Christian Mazzalai (guitar)
Thomas Hedlund (drums)
Robin Coudert (keyboards)
Phoenix started as the backing band for a remix of Air‘s “Kelly Watch the Stars” single. Soon after, Phoenix released their 2000 debut album United. The name Phoenix was officially chosen in 1996 when Laurent Brancowitz permanently joined the band after the end of the short-lived band Darlin’ he formed with Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, who eventually became Daft Punk.
Following their two singles “If I Ever Feel Better” and “Too Young”, “United” was released in 2000.
The second album, Alphabetical, released in 2004, saw the band reach more mainstream success, with the singles “Everything Is Everything” and “Run Run Run” reaching some alternative pop charts. Hedi Slimane commissioned a special mix of their song “Victim of the Crime” as the soundtrack to one of his runway shows for Dior Homme.
Following Alphabetical, the band toured three continents, playing 150 dates. This tour was followed up with a live album, Live! Thirty Days Ago, released only 30 days after the end of the tour.
Phoenix then spent time in Berlinduring the summer of 2005, making use of Planet Roc studios to produce their third album, It’s Never Been Like That.
To promote the release of It’s Never Been Like That, Phoenix toured the United States and Europe in 2006.
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – 2009
In early 2009, it was announced that the band were returning with a new album titled Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, which was released on May 25, 2009[3]. The album was recorded in Paris by Cassius’sPhilippe Zdar who co-produced and mixed the album.[4] The track “1901” was released on February 23, 2009, as a free download prior to the release of the first single, and aired for the first time on Australian radio station Triple J.
To promote the album, Phoenix performed “Lisztomania”, “1901″, and “Too Young” on Saturday Night Live on April 4.[5]. They also performed “Lisztomania” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and “1901″ on The Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.
Their track “1901″ was used for the theatrical trailer of the film New York, I Love Youand has been featured in commercials for the 2010 Cadillac SRX. “Lisztomania” was used for a Where The Wild Things Are trailer, the season premiere of Cougar Townand was also featured in the season 6 finale of HBO’s Entourage.
An excerpt from “Love Like a Sunset” can be heard in the Ghost Town episode of the tenth CSI:Crime Scene Investigation season.
A clip of “Lisztomania” can be heard in the Entourage Season 6 Episode 12 “Give A Little Bit”.
They are about to start a sold out American tour.
For a complete set of photos from this performance see the Flickr set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gonzoshots/sets/72157622253282659/
GonzoShots.com is a photography website dedicated to the promotion of live music and anything beautiful.
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Nice shots, Lewis! I hadn’t seen these yet… it was a nasty weekend though, wasn’t it? I love the line “like a photographer with his lens cap cut off” it’s classic.