If this name, Black Star Riders, doesn’t ring you a bell, you just have to know that essentially they are the latest incarnation of Thin Lizzy, and they use this name simply because they didn’t want to write any new songs under the Thin Lizzy name, which is understandable, as Thin Lizzy is an heavy legacy to have, and you just can’t get rid of it easily. Fans will always expect Thin Lizzy’s songs from you, always. And it’s not an easy job for Ricky Warwick to replace Phil Lynott, I presume you will always be compared to the one of the most loved musician in Ireland (and no Bono, you are not in that list), of one of the most important, if not THE most important band came out from Ireland.
But despite the legacy they have to carry around, despite that you will always have to make the fans happy playing some of the old songs, they are still a great band to see live, and even the new stuff is pretty damn good to be honest.
But I’m not here to talk about music, but I’m a photographer, who shoot music. And I have to say that this gig was a really good one to photograph. I’ll never stop saying, the Olympia Theatre is one of the best venues to photograph a gig, great atmosphere and mostly, great lights! And from a band that was originated when the rock was Rock, they are not shy to lights, even if they were the supporter band, which generally gets only the basic venue lights, it was a really good show to photograph, very dynamic band on stage, not statues like Jake Bugg (sorry Jake, but you didn’t move by a notch when I saw you). Plus no bullshits like photo releases to signs, which it’s always great, just pure Rock.
Down here you can see some of the best shots I took that night, while here on flickr you can find the full set.