The Black Crowes vs. Tom Petty at The Gorge Amphitheater

by chris cunningham

Pacific Northwest 2005

I had to get up early this morning to pick up the car and head out to the Gorge for tonights concert. Can’t say much for the hotel I’m at but it’s home for the next three nights and it’s cheap. Just need a place to stay while I’m out site seeing. On the way out to The Gorge amphitheatre for The Black Crowes and Tom Petty I stopped in Snoqualmie for lunch. I decided to hike down to the base of the falls. After all my waterfall trekking in Australia paid off with some beautiful sights, I figured I’d give it a go. Yeah, it was pretty much straight down. Made a stop at the Wild Horses Monument to stretch the legs and hike up another incredibly steep hill. I’m going to be soooo beat having to drive all the way back to Seattle after the concert.

Anyway, Black Crowes, finally back together and playing again. Now, I’m a pretty big Black Crowes fan, but hell if they only played like three songs I recognized. One of the reasons I wanted to catch this show was, well I missed the L.A. show and it was going to be at The Gorge which kicks ass. (of course tickets for three L.A. shows go on sale when I go home, but whatev) Also, I’ve never seen Tom Petty. One more classic rock act to cross off the list. Both the Crowes and Petty were kinda… eh. No matter though, the Gorge is pretty much the best place ever for an outdoor show.

I left a little bit before Petty ended so I could beat the traffic out to the single lane highway exit. 20,000 people exiting a concert, some drunk, and a 2.5 hour drive back to Seattle with them is not my idea of safe. I stopped once back at the Wild Horses Monument. IT WAS PITCH BLACK. Looking up you could see the Milky Way going from horizon to horizon. I spent about 1/2 an hour trying various exposures to capture it. Finally got one. Barely got back to Seattle before the head nods started happening.

Pacific Northwest 2005