Halsey Takes Us Back to Badlands With High Energy Show in A Graveyard in Hollywood

Posted on October 18, 2025 by Jonathanshensa

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Greetings and welcome to another edition of my journey exploring some of the entertainment industry’s coolest events. This blog is dedicated to the 10th anniversary of one of the greatest debut albums of the 21st century: Badlands. It is the debut studio album by American singer Halsey (a.k.a. Ashley Nicolette Frangipane). It was released on August 28, 2015, via Astralwerks. The album blends electropop, dark pop, alternative pop, synth-pop, with touches of industrial sound. Badlands debuted at #2 on the US Billboard 200 chart, with strong first-week sales. Wikipedia +1 It has been certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA. Wikipedia +1 It’s one of very few albums where every track achieved RIAA certification (Gold, Platinum, or multi-Platinum).

Badlands is a concept album: Halsey describes it as taking place in a fictional dystopian world called “The Badlands”—a metaphorical landscape representing her mental and emotional state during that period. The name Badlands is symbolic; it gives a physical form to feelings of desolation, isolation, and inner turmoil.In simple terms, it’s a kick-ass album with many different styles of music and stories. This is the second blog I’ve done on Halsey. My first was about the opening night of her Spring/Summer tour.

Regarding my last feature: The Tour was Halsey’s fifth headlining concert tour, supporting her fifth studio album, The Great Impersonator (2024). The tour began in Concord on May 10, 2025, and concluded in Highland on July 6, 2025. You can find that blog and photos from the show here. https://tinyurl.com/2s4xkaru

My personal experience with Halsey started the first time I heard the song “New Americana”. The songs catchy chorus “We are the new Americana
High on legal marijuana Raised on Biggie and Nirvana We are the New Americana.” The great thing about “Badlands is every song on the album is amazing in its own way. When I saw her in Concord the only negative thing I can say was she only played 4 songs of “Badlands”, which was completely understandable since the tour was in support of “The Great Impersonator” in my opinion the best album of 2025. Too bad the record company didn’t put it on their Grammy promotion for your concideration. Halsey released a live album of “Badlands” tour Badlands (Live From Webster Hall) is Halsey‘s first live album. It was released on August 28, 2020 through Capitol Records to celebrate the five year anniversary of her album, Badlands. The album was recorded on May 8, 2019 during the Badlands concert at Webster Hall.

After seeing the show in Concord I wrote a post saying for the 10th Anniversary she should do a Badlands tour. She must have read my mind. The Back to Badlands tour kicks off October 14 with “a very special show” at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Forever before the trek moves eastward. Stops include Atlanta’s Roxy, Washington DC’s the Anthem and New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom before the North American leg concludes January 17 at Detroit’s Fillmore. After that, the Badlands 10th anniversary tour moves to Europe and Australia.

Tickets for the shows in small venues was one of the cheapest around with tickets with fees were less than 100 bucks. I was hoping for a San Francisco or Northern California show but there were not any. So if Halsey dosent come to me, I’ll go to her. After not being able to get tickets for opening night I was able to get tickets for the second night at Hollywood Forever. When I googled it I found this: Hollywood Forever, cemetery, mortuary & cultural event center in the heart of Hollywood, offers cremation, funeral & memorial services. I then found out the venue also has concerts and movies on the lawn. I first thought that makes sense for her since one of her popular songs is “Graveyard”.

I arrived at the venue in the middle of Hollywood to see a line of people. Halsey sings about strong women who don’t need no man, so it was not a surpprise the crown was 75% female. This show seemed to have an older age comparded to Concord, where there we a lot of kids and teenagers. As I got to the show I had to walk through the cemetary with very artistic headstones. You couldn’t beleive you were in Hollywood or at a concert. I finally got to the stage are and was able to gets towards the middle of the pit. The crowed was so excited and were singing songs before the show even started. Fans kept on talking about what they hoped she would play besides “Badlands”. If you never been to a Halsey show she dosent go out and play her greatest hits. Its not a No Doubt show were the entire set is their greatest hits and singles released. She goes to great lengths to make sure she finds the right songs to go along with her latest release.

The show started on time at 7:30. A unique tribute: The performance focused on Halsey’s debut album, Badlands. The performance took fans back to her “blue-haired Tumblr days”. Many of the fans wore blue wigs in honor of her
Album classics: The setlist included all of Badlands, but not in order like she did at Webster Hall. The set also included”Without Me” and “Bad at Love,” were reimagined within the Badlands theme. Fans were given 3D glasses for the beginng and later in the show. This was my first exsperience with 3D at a concert. It defiatly enhanced the performance.

The Hollywood Forever Cemetery created a memorable backdrop for the show. The fans got there early and headed for the merch tent which was located next to the general admission line. The t shirts were $50 which were a little less than the TGI merch.

Halsey decided on smaller venues for this tour, Halsey created a more personal and reflective show, allowing for a deeper connection with fans. Fans were able to get much closer than they did at her sold out Hollywood Bowl show in May. If your a Halsey fan, you know how much shew loves and cared for her fans. She never talks down to them. She is a strong female which many of the ladies singing along with the personal lyrics. Everything about Halsey is real. You can feel that in the music and during her talking a live performances. There was a girl in front of me that was live streaming the entire show to a friend of hers who was so excited to be able to share the experience. That’s what a Halsey show is not just a concert its an experience. Halsey brings together all people not based on gender, age, sex orientation every fan is different, unique and loves Halsey for a different reasons. Her lyrics are about finding yourself and being independent and not listening to what other people are saying.

The show started with a Badlands TV video Halsey opened the show with “Badlands”Gasoline” and was followed by one of most popular songs “Castle”. Where she demanded her audience to not just stand up but to jump. If you want to go to a concert where you can sit on the grass, bring a picnic, while you are on social media this is not the show for you. Halsey shows are events where fans take part in the show. She tells them she demands it.

Next up was “Control followed by “Bells in Santa Fe”. Another crowd favorite from “Badlands” “Drive” with the perfect lyrics for the setting “And California never felt like home to me And California never felt like home And California never felt like home to me Until I had you on the open road and now we’re singing.” “Coming” down was followed by another and one of my personal favorites “You Should Be Sad”. “She then played a rocking version of “The Lighthouse”followed by “Strange Love”, “Haunting”. Halsey then went back to Badlands to where it all started “New Americana” and “Hurricane”. The set also included “Nightmare”, “Hold Me Down”, “Garden”, “Ghost”, “Roman Holiday”.

Halsey then played “Closer” by The Chainsmokers, which was also a crowd favorite. She then played a new classic from her latest album “Ego”, “Colors” “Ashley”, “People Disappear”, with a really cool. Next she played a new A new rocking version of “Without Me” followed by a really cool Badlands on 3D video. “Lonely is the Muse”, “Young God”closed out the set. Before the encore Halsey once again wanted her fans to take part in the show threatening to not do an encore if the crowed didn’t make some noise. The encore was from her 2nd album another classic “Bad at Love” where the screen flashed Send Loved. The show ended with a Acoustic Trouble, Tokyo Narita (freestyle) (Halsey & Lido song) Is There Somewhere. The show ended with fireworks. After 30 songs in 2 1/2 hours our trip back to Badlands ended. One thing is for sure I can’t wait to see what Halsey will do next.

For dates and tickets go to https://badlandstour.com and for all things Halsey go to https://www.iamhalsey.com.

For Halsey’s set lists go to: https://tinyurl.com/2y3tsnts

ALL PHOTOS: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Posted in blog, Blogger, Celbrity Photos, celebrity blog, celebrity blogger, Celebrity Book signing, celebrity candids, Celebrity Event Photos, Celebrity Photography, Celebrity Photos, celebrity tribute, concert, Concert Review, Concerts, Entertainment, Entertainment Blogger, Entertainment Blogs, Entertainment Photographer Blog, entertainment photos, Event Photographer for Hire, Hollywood celebrity photos, Hollywood Walk of Fame pictures, Jonathan Scott Shensa Celebrity Photography Blog, Jonathan Shensa, live concert review, Los Angeles, Music Blog, Photo by Jonathan Scott Shensa, The Outsiders Guide To The Inside of Hollywood, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Neil Young Returns Home to the Bay Area with New Band and Rocks a Packed House at Shoreline Amphitheatre

Posted on September 15, 2025 by Jonathanshensa

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Greetings and welcome back to my latest blog for “The Outsiders Guide to the Inside of Hollywood. This blog is a concert review and tribute, to the musical legend Neil Young. The Godfather of Grunge debuted his new band “The Chrome Hearts”, on Friday September 12, 2025 at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View California.

Young who lives in the Bay Area, is backed up, the Chrome Hearts, which consists of legendary organist Spooner Oldham, Micah Nelson (guitar, vocals), Corey McCormick (bass, vocals), and Anthony Logerfo (drums). Nelson, McCormick, and Logerfo are former members of the band Promise of the Real, which previously served as Neil Young’s backing band.

The evening kicked off with an opening set from “Reverend Billy & The Stop Shopping Choir” is a radical performance community based in New York City that uses performance art and gospel-style music to protest consumerism and environmental destruction. The group is led by performance artist William Talen, who portrays the flamboyant persona of “Reverend Billyom Reverend Billy & The Stop Shopping Choir. The “Church of Stop Shopping” believes that manic consumerism, or the “Shopocalypse,” is a major threat to humanity and the environment.

The choir’s songs often draw attention to these environmental and consumerist issues.Direct actions: The group performs guerrilla theater, staging musical protest actions inside stores and at corporate headquarters, including those of Starbucks, Chase Bank, and Monsanto. Some of their creative, carnivalesque protests have led to arrests. The bands 6 song set included, “Hey Kid”, “La La La”, “Strange Enough to Change Enough”, ” Fabulous Unknown” and “Beautiful Earth”.

As the show got closer my anticipation grew. This was actually a milestone for me. It was 25 years ago in October, that I saw my first Neil show and my first show at the historic venue. This was also the first time seeing Neil play Electric guitar since all my Neil shows were Acoustic Bridge School Benefit shows. the Bridge school was organized by Neil Young and his then‑wife Pegi Young. The Bridge School +2 Wikipedia +2 The concerts were acoustic and non‑profit. Wikipedia +2 The Bridge School +2 The proceeds benefitted The Bridge School, a school for children with severe speech and physical impairments, to support them in communication, assistive technology, and education. The reason that the Young’s were involved with the school Ben Young – Ben was born with cerebral palsy. Neil has spoken publicly about how raising a child with disabilities shaped his life and inspired much of his activism and work, particularly in the field of technology for people with disabilities.

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Although Talkin’ to the Trees, their recent album, had just dropped, the set list leaned heavily on classics and deeper cuts. Only one new track, “Silver Eagle,” was played from the new album. Most of the night was given over to fan favorites spanning the ’70s and beyond

As the lights dimmed Neil walked on stage and picked up his guitar and played the opening song “Ambulance Blues” from Neil’s 1974 Album “On The Beach”, next up was “Cowgirl in the Sand” a Neil Young & Crazy Horse song from Neil’s “Everybody knows This is Nowhere. The show featured a number of deep album cuts like “Vampire Blues,“Powderfinger”,and “Long Walk Home”.

The 7th song of the set picked up the pace. Neil sang a powerful “Southern Man” followed by the crowd favorite “Ohio” The song “Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young is a protest anthem written by Neil Young in response to the Kent State shootings of May 4, 1970, when the Ohio National Guard killed four students during an anti-Vietnam War demonstration. The song, released shortly after the massacre, became a powerful rallying cry for the anti-war movement and a symbol of national outrage and sorrow over the incident.

Next up was a new song “Big Crime” and one of my highlights of the evening. “Big Crime” is a 2025 protest song by Neil Young and his band, The Chrome Hearts, that directly criticizes then-President Donald Trump and the deployment of federal troops in Washington D.C. in late 2025, with Young singing “No more great again/ There’s big crime in DC at the White House” and calling for the removal of fascists from power. The song was premiered at a Chicago concert in August 2025.
The set continued with “Silver Eagle” and “Sail Away”. After that Neil played one of his hits “Harvest Moon” to the crowds delight. “Looking Forward” (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young cover) was followed by “Sun Green”. Then Neil erupted with a rocking version of “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)” followed by “Like a Hurricane”. Neil then played another rarity this time it was a Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song “Name of Love”.

Neil then closed out the set by playing the crowd favorite “Old Man” which the crowd sang along to. Neil thanked everyone for coming be for he ripped into a hard rocking “Keep on Rocking in the Free World”. With everything going on in the US it was the perfect song to close out a stellar show. As I got to my car I could still hear the crowed yelling “Keep on Rocking in the Free World.”

Although “Talkin’ to the Trees”, their recent album, had just dropped, the set list leaned heavily on classics and deeper cuts. Only one new track, “Silver Eagle,” was played from the new album. Most of the night was given over to fan favorites spanning the ’70s and beyond.

Young’s next show is September 15 at the famous Hollywood Bowl. Next month Neil will be headlining Farm Aid Farm Aid is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The fundraiser show is happening September 20, 2025 at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Also playing the charity concert are Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Margo Price, Billy Strings and more!It’s a full day event with music, food from family farms, and farm/food/agricultural experience.

For all things Neil Young check out his official site at:

https://neilyoungarchives.com/

All Photos © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JonathanScottShensaPhotography

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathanshensa

X: https://twitter.com/Jonathanshensa

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-shensa-77162126/ 

ALL PHOTOS: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Posted in best of, blog, Blogger, Celbrity Photos, celebrity blog, celebrity blogger, celebrity candids, Celebrity Event Photos, Celebrity Photography, Celebrity Photos, celebrity tribute, concert, Concert Review, Concerts, Entertainment, Entertainment Blogger, Entertainment Blogs, Entertainment Photographer Blog, entertainment photos, Event Photographer for Hire, Jonathan Scott Shensa Celebrity Photography Blog, Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography, Jonathan Shensa, live concert review, Music Blog, Photo by Jonathan Scott Shensa, The Outsiders Guide To The Inside of Hollywood, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

35th Birthday Tribute to, Jennifer Lawrence and my Personal Jlaw Experience

Posted on August 16, 2025 by Jonathanshensa

Greetings everyone! Thanks for checking out my blog “The Outsiders Guide to the Inside of Hollywood”. Today’s blog is dedicated to one of my favorite actresses Jennifer Lawrence, who turned 35 today. My history with Jen was short but definitely sweet.

My first time seeing Jlaw was in Debra Granik’s 2010 film “Winters Bone”. The film tells the story of a poverty-stricken teenage girl named Ree Dolly in the rural Ozarks of Missouri who is trying to find her missing father. Jen earned several awards and nominations for their performances including, for Best Actress Lawrence’s breakthrough role as Ree Dolly in this movie also earned her several Best Breakthrough Performance awards. At the 68th Golden Globe Awards ceremony, Winter’s Bone earned one nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. It received four nominations—including Best Actress—at the 83rd Academy Awards, but failed to win. The 20 year old, was the second-youngest person ever nominated for Best Actress by the academy at that time. Her performance was near perfect. It was easy to see that she would go on to do amazing work.

The next film I saw of hers, was one of my favorite independent films of 2011. Jennifer co stared in “Like Crazy” directed by Drake Doremus starring Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones, and Jennifer Lawrence. Her next 2 film would change her life forever. First she put on Jennifer Lawrence starred as Mystique in the film X-Men: First Class, which premiered on May 25, 2011.

After that was the movie that made her a mega star, “The Hunger Games” is a film encompassing a series of science fiction dystopian adventure films based on the novels by Suzanne Collins. In a future North America called Panem, the wealthy Capitol controls 12 districts. As punishment for a past rebellion, each district must send two teenage “tributes” to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death. The first movie follows Katniss Everdeen, who volunteers to take her younger sister Primrose’s place as a tribute from District 12. She is forced to compete alongside Peeta Mellark, another tribute from District 12. She would go on and film 3 more films in the saga.

My favorite Jennifer Lawrence, film is the one that won her an Oscar.  “Silver Linings Playbook”, received numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and three Golden Globe Awards. She won the Best Actress Oscar for “Silver Linings Playbook” (2012) She also won Golden Globes for American Hustle and Joy.

28th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival

My first time photographing Jennifer, was at the 28th Annual Santa Barbara International Festival. Jennifer was being honored for her work in  “Silver Linings Playbook”.Jennifer arrived wearing  a Stella McCartney blue jumpsuit. She immediately headed for her fans who were waiting for a couple hours for the chance to get an autograph and picture of the Oscar nominated actress. She walked quickly down the carpet after spending more time with videographers. She looked absolutely stunning and it was worth the trip just to see her.

After the carpet we headed into the Arlington theatre once again. Like the other nights Jennifer, sat just a few feet away from me. She was sitting with some girl friends and in front of the award presenter her director in “Silver Linings Playbook” David O. Russell. The festival’s executive director Roger Durling, introduced her described her work as “filled with electric energy and vitality,”. He then called her a star is doing her a disservice. She’s a supernova!”. Unfortunately for Roger he was also the moderator. In one of the most embracing and painful things I’ve seen Roger spoke about Jennifer getting her start in theatre. A shocked actress, told him she never did theatre. At this point the interview felt like a uncomfortable blind date. Roger looked embraced and there was a weird feeling for the rest of the interview. Jennifer did talk about how she never imagined this kind of life. She had pictured herself as a Soccer Mom. The actress admitted that she never prepares herself before filming. She doesn’t read her lines in advance or familiarize herself with shooting schedules. She also shared her  stage fight and feeling uncomfortable on the Red carpet and in interviews.

After the interview was over David O. Russell her director in “Silver Linings Playbook” gave a speech and presented her with the award. This also didn’t go smoothly. I’m guessing that no one told her that she was supose to give an aceptance speech. After getting the award she seemed confused where to go or what to do. She “Thank you Santa Barbara!” and rushed off the stage.

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1

My next time photographing Jen, was one my favorite premieres I ever covered. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, released in 2014, directed by Francis Lawrence. It is the third installment in The Hunger Games film series and the first of a two-part adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ novel, Mockingjay. The story ended the Saga and closed a chapter in the career of Jennifer. “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1” carpet was at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Nov. 17, 2014, in Los Angeles. All the stars from the film walked the carpet.

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

On October 19, 2019, Jennifer married Cooke Maroney, in a private ceremony in Rhode Island The couple had been dating since May 2018, got engaged in February 2019, and have two children, a son named Cy born in February 2022 and another child born in March 2025. After taking some time off she returned to the big screen in in two 2021 movies: “Don’t Look Up,” a satirical disaster film, and “Causeway, a drama about a soldier returning home from war”. She then did what I think will be a cult classic “No Hard Feelings” for Nexflix where she appeared naked in a hilarious scene.

Jennifer Lawrence has several upcoming projects, most notably the psychological drama “Die My Love” where she plays a new mother struggling with postpartum depression. She is also set to star in and produce “The Wives,” a film in pre-production. Additionally, she will star in a currently untitled biopic about talent agent Sue Mengers.

Thank you for checking out my Blog. Don’t forget to support Independent music and Independent movies and theaters in your town. For more celebrity blogs with photos and stories from the red carpet and beyond can be found here: https://theoutsidersguidetotheinsideofhollywood.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JonathanScottShensaPhotography

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathanshensa

X: https://twitter.com/Jonathanshensa

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-shensa-77162126/ 

ALL PHOTOS: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Posted in Academy Awards, best of, blog, Blogger, Celbrity Photos, celebrity blog, celebrity blogger, celebrity candids, Celebrity Event Photos, Celebrity Photography, Celebrity Photos, celebrity tribute, Entertainment, Entertainment Blogger, Entertainment Blogs, Entertainment Photographer Blog, entertainment photos, Jonathan Scott Shensa Celebrity Photography Blog, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Petaluma Music Festival Rocks to Help Keep Music Programs in Petaluma Public Schools

Posted on August 6, 2025 by Jonathanshensa

Greetings everyone. Welcome to my latest blog. If you read any of my past blogs or know me personally, you would know I’m a huge live music fan. I’ve been attending shows since I was in my diapers. So whenever I have the chance to photography live music no mater how big or small the act is I try and do it. However since Covid and anxiety over large crowds, I had not attended or photograph any music festivals. When the chance came to photograph one of my favorite early 90’s bands who I never saw live, I decided to make my return to the festival scene. The one I chose was my third time photographing the Petaluma Music Festival.

The Petaluma Music Festival is an annual event held at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds in Petaluma, California, that features multiple stages of live music and benefits local public school music programs in the Petaluma Public Schools. The festival featured 3 stages with a diverse lineup of bands. Tthe 2025 event includes The English Beat, Camper Van Beethoven, Ozomatli, Cracker, and more. 

The first band that hit the stage was local Petaluma band Sebastian Saint James Band. James is an American Indie Rock-Folk/Blues-influenced singer-songwriter, guitarist, He is best known for his work fronting the bands Hillside Fire and Highway Poets, both award-winning groups. I was really impressed with their set all of the musicians in the band. The audience seemed really into the band. I was impressed with how well they played together. I definitely will be checking out Sebastian again. For more information on the band checkout his website at:

https://www.sebastiansaintjames.com

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Next up on the Festival Stage, was the most popular band of the festival and the reason why I attended the show, the band Cracker. The band from from Richmond, Virginia made their debut in 1990.The band consists of lead singer David Lowery and guitarist Johnny Hickman. The band is known for its diversity a blend of rock, punk, grunge, country, blues, and folk influences. Cracker’s debut album, “Cracker,” released in 1992, featured the hit single “Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now),” which topped the U.S. Modern Rock chart. Their next album, “Kerosene Hat” (1993), included popular songs like “Low,” “Get Off This,” and “Euro-Trash Girl”. I first heard of the band in 1991 when I was an A.M. DJ at Emerson College. I was stoked that I finally got to see them play even if it was 30 years after I first heard the band.

The band hit the stage at 1:30 after preforming a live soundcheck of their song “Someday” in front of the fans. The band not currently on a large scale tour did not have their full road crew with them. The only problem I had was their set time. The band was given a 75 minute set instead of 90 that singer David Lowery other band Camper Van Beethoven got. The official set started with “Dr. Bernice” followed by St. Cajetan. After that the crowed exploded when the band launched into “Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now). The crowed yelled out the lyrics when the chorus hit. The band continued with “Sweet Potato”, “Pictures of Matchstick” and “Wedding Day”. The next 3 songs were the best of the set. It was started with the bands other rock athem “Low”. The crowed once again sang along with the band as they sang “Be with you, girl Like being low Hey-hey-hey, like being stoned.” The next song was a pleasant surprise a cover of Jerry Garcia’s “Loser”. The event was being held a week from what would have been Jerry’s birthday. This would not be the final Jerry/ Dead bad covers of the festival. After the Garcia tribute the band went back to another one of their classics “Euro-Trash Girl”. The band then closed their set with an Anne Harris cover “Sparrows” and Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Going Nowhere”. The band closed out their set with “California Country Boy”.

https://www.crackersoul.com/

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Next up was Los Angeles band “Ozomatli”. The band is a Grammy-winning band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1995. They are known for their energetic blend of musical styles, including Latin, hip-hop, funk, reggae, and other global influences. They also are amazing musicians. The band is known for their high energy live shows. The band is also known for their Activism: Ozomatli, is also recognized for their vocal activism and commitment to social justice, addressing issues such as immigrant rights, farm workers’ rights, and education. They were even appointed United States Cultural Ambassadors in 2008. The set included songs from the bands catalog. Unfortunately as it happens at music festivals with multiple stages, I only saw the beginning of their set due to a time conflict on another stage. Checkout the bands site here: https://ozomatli.com

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Bella Rayne & Friends

The next artist I wanted to checkout was an 18 year old guitarist named Bella Rayne, who was playing on the “The Petaluma Stage”. The guitarist known for her improvisational solos and unique musical style. Hailing from Northern California, she’s a self-taught musician who draws inspiration from genres like psychedelic rock, 90s grunge, Southern rock, and jam bands, including the Grateful Dead. Bella has received endorsements from Fender. She has also got the attention of publications like Guitar World and was mentioned by her idol, Susan Tedeschi, as an artist to watch.

One of the things I love about music festivals, is opening myself up to bands and different types of music than I usually would see. Every time I go to a music festival, there is always one act that I haven’t heard of that surprises me. In the past bands like Pearl Jam, Imagine Dragons and Twenty One Pilots (I saw photographed Imagine Dragons and Twenty One Pilots with just 1 other photographer) I saw for the first time without knowing any songs. Two days before the 2025 festival I researched all the bands playing on all 3 stages. Before the show, I only knew Cracker and Moonalice.

Bella was my best surprise at this years festival. The 18 year old guitarist, did not sing (at least at this show), she was supported by her musical friends, which included Alex Jordan on Vocals. Alex was one of my favorite artist who use to play Terrapin Crossroads. Terrapin Crossroads, was a music venue, bar, and restaurant open from 2011 until 2021 in San Rafael, California, founded by former Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh. It was a second home for Bay Area and Marin County bands.

Bella’s set included amazing covers. The show kicked off with Alex Jordan on vocals performing the Grateful Dead’s “Hell in a Bucket”. I couldn’t believe how much Alex sounded like Bob Weir. Lead singer Emerson Rose sounded amazing. This was the first time I saw her perform. The band then played a rocking “Mr. Charlie” with Bella tearing it up on her solos. Highlight of the set was a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Maggie’s Farm.” I didn’t get to see her full set but next time I see her I will make sure I do.

Checkout Bella’s website at: https://www.bella-rayne.com for the latest information including live shows.

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

After Bella’s set I made my way back to the Festival Stage for Camper Van Beethoven. The band who is fronted by Cracker’s David Lowery. Camper Van Beethoven is an American alternative rock band known for its eclectic mix of styles, including punk rock, folk, ska, and country. I only saw a few songs before having to make it to my third stage of the day.

https://campervanbeethoven.com/home

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

http://www.moonalice.com/splash

Up next on the schedule was Moonalice peformming on the Lagunitas Brewing Stage. I’ve seen Moonalice a few times over the years. Since I last saw them the band went through a makeover. Moonalice formed from members of the Flying Other Brothers. The band has been touring since May 2007, and has come to the attention of music critics. The band was made up of ten musicians, and led by businessman Roger McNamee.

The jamband added Lester Chambers: Lead vocalist and co-founder of the 1960s psychedelic soul group The Chambers Brothers. Roger McNamee: Guitarist, advisor to the Grateful Dead and U2, and prominent figure in the tech industry. Pete Sears: Bassist and founding member of Jefferson Starship.Barry Sless: Lead guitar and pedal steel.John Molo: Drums (formerly of Bruce Hornsby & The Range and Phil Lesh & Friends): Dylan Chambers: Vocals (Lester Chambers’ son). In 2019  Erika, Rachel, and Chloe Tietjen of acclaimed Americana band the T Sisters joined the band. The sisters recently  recently released an EP called “Sheroes,” featuring covers of songs by iconic female artists such as Madonna, Dolly Parton, Tina Turner, Taylor Swift, and Gloria Gaynor. They see this as a way to celebrate and empower women in music. 

Moonalice is known for extended jams and improvisational sections within their songs, so expect longer versions of their songs than the studio recordings. They definitely fall into the Jam Band category. Some highlights of the show were covers of “Bird Song” by the Grateful Dead, was originally dedicated to Janis by the band, and then to Jerry Garcia after he passed. The T sisters did a emotional cover of Jefferson Starship “White Rabbit”. Unfortunately who ever was working the sound was having an off night. You could barley hear the vocals everything else sounded great. I spent 5 years as a music manager. I use to stand right by the sound guy and had them fix the sound levels. I look forward to the next time seeing Moonalice again soon.

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

The final and headliner of the evening was The English Beat. The English Beat, also known as The Beat (and sometimes The British Beat), was an English band formed in Birmingham in 1978. They gained prominence as founding members of the British Two-Tone ska movement, which blended ska, pop, soul, reggae, and punk rock. Their debut album, “I Just Can’t Stop It,” released in 1980, is considered a classic of the genre and produced several Top 10 singles. The band sounded good. I don’t usually listen to that kind of music, but I found them very entertaining.

http://englishbeat.net

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

I want to thank everyone at the Petaluma Music Festival for putting on a great festival for a great cause. Lets keep music in all public schools! You can find out more information on the festival here: https://petalumamusicfestival.org

Thank you for checking out my Blog. Don’t forget to support Independent music and Independent movies and theaters in your town. For more celebrity blogs with photos and stories from the red carpet and beyond can be found here: https://theoutsidersguidetotheinsideofhollywood.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathanshensa

X: https://twitter.com/Jonathanshensa

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-shensa-77162126/ 

ALL PHOTOS: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Posted in 18th Annual Petaluma Music Festival, Benefit Concert, Blogger, Celbrity Photos, celebrity blog, celebrity blogger, Celebrity Event Photos, Celebrity Photography, Celebrity Photos, Charity Concert, concert, Concert Review, Concerts, Entertainment, Entertainment Blogger, Entertainment Blogs, Entertainment Photographer Blog, entertainment photos, Event Photographer for Hire, Independent music blog, Jonathan Scott Shensa Celebrity Photography Blog, Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography, Jonathan Shensa, live concert review, mages of celebrities, Music Blog, Music Festival blog, Petaluma Music Festival, Photo by Jonathan Scott Shensa, Shenza's Reviews, The Outsiders Guide To The Inside of Hollywood, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

My Ozzy Osbourne Tribute and Experience

Posted on July 25, 2025 by Jonathanshensa

ALL PHOTOS: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

The music industry lost a true legend this week. Just two weeks after he preformed his final live show in his hometown of Birmingham, Ozzy lost his battle against Parkinson’s disease on July 22nd. Ozzy’s career spanned over 50 years. Ozzy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, as a member of Black Sabbath and as a solo artist

Back to the Beginning

In February 2025, Osbourne announced a farewell fund-raising Black Sabbath concert in his hometown. The show was called Back to the Beginning. The show featured live short sets by the original Black Sabbath lineup. For his last performance Ozzy, made it into a music festival with some of the greatest Heavy Metal bands of all time. Ozzy headlined the show, which included, Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass), and Bill Ward (drums). Ozzy sat from a throne was he watched the bands pay tribute to him.The event also included performances from Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Tool, and Guns N’ Roses. All played a few of their old songs along with an Ozzy or Sabbath cover.

The “Back to the Beginning” concert, a farewell performance for Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, benefited three charities: Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Acorn Children’s Hospice, and Cure Parkinson’s. The event raised over $190 million, making it the highest-grossing charity concert ever, according to Billboard. 

I first heard Ozzy when “Blizzard of Ozz”, came out. I’ll never forget when I heard his voice on “Crazy Train”. It was unlike any I have ever heard. Ozzy literally was the King and Founder of Heavy Metal. Without him there would be no Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, or Soundgarden. The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin were both influenced by American blues and rock. Ozzy like his personality, was a true original. After listening to Blizzard I then discovered Black Sabbath.

“Trust Me, I’m Dr. Ozzy” San Francisco book signing at Booksmith on Haight Street

In 2011 I was one of two photographers to photograph Ozzy on his “Trust Me, I’m Dr. Ozzy” book signing. Ozzy came out very friendly. I had to ask for him to hold the book for a photo. He maybe jokingly held the book upside down at first. The line out the door of the Booksmith, was the most people I’ve ever seen on the famous Haight Street.

ALL PHOTOS: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

ALL PHOTOS: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

MusiCares MAP Fund benefit, honoring Ozzy Osbourne

In 2014, Ozzy Osbourne, was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year on January 24, 2014,in Los Angeles. This event was part of the 2014 MusiCares Person of the Year gala. The event honored Ozzy for his contributions to music and his philanthropic work. I was honored to not only cover the Red Carpet, but attend the show. Ozzy walked the Red Carpet with his daughter Kelly before heading inside for his tribute.

Joe Walsh presented Ozzy, with the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award. Then it was time for the man of the evening to hit the stage. Ozzy, kicked off his set with “I Don’t Know” with Janes Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro playing with him for his entire set. “Suicide Solution”, a song that tells of Ozzy’s battle with alcoholism was up next. Ozzy, jumped around on stage clapped his hands liker it was the 70’s. You could clearly see that his sobriety helped his vocals and live show. “Iron Man” and “Crazy Train” sounded amazing. But the true highlight of the evening, was the final song of the night, Black Sabbath’s anthem “Paranoid” where Ozzy, was joined on stage by Slash and Billy Morrison. Photos from the Red Carpet along with a full blog can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/bddjwprk
The “Prince of Darkness” can finally rest on his throne. Ozzy you will be missed. Thank you for all the music you made and bands you influenced and will continue to influence. For more information on Parkinson’s Disease can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/349zdn5k.

Thank you for checking out my Blog. Don’t forget to support Independent music and movie theaters in your town. For more celebrity blogs with photos and stories from the red carpet and beyond can be found here:

https://theoutsidersguidetotheinsideofhollywood.com/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.comJonathanScottShensaPhotography

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathanshensa

X: https://twitter.com/Jonathanshensa

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-shensa-77162126/ 

ALL PHOTOS: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Posted in best of, blog, Blogger, Book signing, Celbrity Photos, celebrity blog, celebrity blogger, Celebrity Book signing, celebrity candids, Celebrity Photography, Celebrity Photos, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Halsey kicks off her “For My Last Trick” Tour with a sold out show in Concord California

Posted on May 13, 2025 by Jonathanshensa

ALL PHOTOS: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Electropop and alternative rock singer Halsey, kicked off her 2025 “For My Last Trick” tour Saturday night at the Toyota Pavilion at Concord. The “I’m Not a Woman I’m a God”, singer’s tour is in support of 2024’ album “The Great Impersonator,” which hit the Billboard album charts at No. 2, the singer’s third consecutive release to do so. When Halsey made her tour announcement, she promised a career-spanning setlist. What the singer didn’t say, that this tour would be different than all of her previous ones.

Halsey literally has been to hell and back these last few years. Halsey was diagnosed with lupus in 2022. She also revealed in 2022, that she was diagnosed with a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder. She shared with the audience that it was national lupus day. Thankfully the say’s she now. has both things under control. Halsey had a child in 2021with ex partner with Alev Aydin.

“The Great Impersonator,” is Halsey’s most personal album. The song lyrics tell of her personal struggles with life and death. Musically, her music can fall into many categories, pop, folk, and subgenres rock. If you been to a Halsey, show in the past you know how much she loves and is loved back from her fans. I did meet a number of her fans in the Pit. The age range from the show looked very diverse ranging from 6-55. Normally during the show the crowd would we jumping around and yelling the words of her songs. The theme of this tour had a theatrical and circus-inspired theme. The tour, which supported her album “The Great Impersonator,” was designed to be a full-scale production with elaborate transformations, jaw-dropping illusions, and circus-inspired entertainment. Halsey also blended personal themes of resilience into the tour.

I wanna be big!” (video interlude)

The show started in a theatrical way with a curtain covering the stage. The intro music she had playing was the Jefferson Starships “White Rabbit”. The show started with a video of Halsey as Alice. After that the show open with a cartoon of her as Alice falling. Halsey was then seen dressed in white solo at a piano as she played :Darwinism”. She then picked up the pace with a great version of “Bad at Love”from “Hopeless Fountain Kingdom”. The next song was one of my favorites “Alone” also from Hopeless. The song was played for the first time since 2019.

Next up was the “Lucky”, then another Alice video called” “Alice feels too big”. Next up was “Dog Years” featuring Halsey in black, with a chain and dog collar as she acted with, some of the 5 female dancers. The next song can be called a female anthem “I am Not a Woman, I’m a God”. Halsey then went into “Control”like “Alone” had not been played since 2019. We then get another video with Alice “Alice feels too small”. Then it was back to the music. Some of the other songs sang in the first act were “Lilith”, “Angel on Fire”. During that song Halsey, played the electric guitar with fire burning in front of her. She then debuted “Arsonist”.

“Alice has had enough”

Halsey then played a crowd favorite “Panic Attack”, from the new album, with the crowd singing the chorus, “Is it love or a panic attack? “Is a heavy heart too much to hold? I don’t know, but it’s late, so I’m taking you home” The song did feel like a pop song but I really was glad she played it.

The dark song Graveyard was played with intensity. After that it was time for Halsey, to play an acoustic guitar. Halsey, appeared by herself and starting off with just her as she sang my favorite song, from the latest album, “Only Living Girl in LA”.

Act ii: the show

Lonely is the Muse was the first song of act 2 followed. Next was one of the crowds favorite “You Should Be Sad” another female empowerment song, as they sang along with Halsey. “Colors:, was the next song, then she played a cover of “Closer”(The Chainsmokers cover she sings with the band). Halsey had a surprised her audience by telling them “We are going to go way back”, before playing “Drive” (last played on her 2019 tour) Drive was followed by “Gasoline” and Alice of the Upper Class (live debut) closed out the set.

Encore

After the end of Alice of the Upper Class, Halsey left the stage. Her fans were eagerly waiting for the encore, as the house lights went on. Luckily, it was just one of her tricks. She came back with a red hot version of “Nightmare”, once again the front of the stage had fire as she played. She returned back to the stage and talked about her son, whose third birthday on the day or the show. She also told the audience this was his first Halsey show. She spoke to the crowd about the health problems she had and how much she missed her fans, telling them “there’s a lot to talk about saying to the crowd “I missed you.” She also joked that she hasn’t played a hit yet. She then went into a powerful “Without You”. The show closed with the “The Great Impersonator,”

The show was amazing. Halsey put her heart into every song. I was impressed by “The Warning”sister trio “The Warning”, who rocked house. Del Water Gap got the audience going early with their pop rock style.

I would defiantly recommend seeing the Halsey tour. You can see the full set list at the bottom of the page after the concert photos. Here is a link to buy tickets:

https://www.ticketmaster.com/halsey-tickets/artist/2028626 or https://formylasttrick.com/.

Thank you for checking out my Blog. Don’t forget to support Independent music and movie theaters in your town. For more celebrity blogs with photos and stories from the red carpet and beyond can be found here:https://theoutsidersguidetotheinsideofhollywood.com/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.comJonathanScottShensaPhotography

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathanshensa

X: https://twitter.com/Jonathanshensa

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-shensa-77162126/

ALL PHOTOS: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Photos all taken with Google Pixel 8a Phone


ALL PHOTOS: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Set List: Halsey at Toyota Pavilion at Concord, Concord, CA, USA

ALL PHOTOS: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Posted in blog, Blogger, Celbrity Photos, celebrity blog, celebrity blogger, celebrity candids, Celebrity Event Photos, concert, Concert Review, Entertainment, Entertainment Blogger, Entertainment Blogs, Entertainment Photographer Blog, entertainment photos, Event Photographer for Hire, Independent music blog, Jonathan Scott Shensa Celebrity Photography Blog, Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography, Jonathan Shensa, live concert review, Music Blog, Photo by Jonathan Scott Shensa, The Outsiders Guide To The Inside of Hollywood, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

My Val Kilmer Tribute and Experience

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Jonathanshensa

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography 

Greetings everyone and welcome to another edition of “The Outsiders Guide to the Inside of Hollywood”. Unfortunately this is another tribute to an amazing actor we lost. Last night I was on social media looking at all the fake April Fools Day posts, when I saw an article that I wish was fake showed up in my news feed. The headline read: “Top Gun’s Val Kilmer Dead at 65 “. Val Kilmer, passed. away after a long battle against caner, the actor died do to a lung infection and of pneumonia on April 1.


The Early Days

If I had to put together a list of my favorite films from the 90’s Val would appear multiple times. Val made his lead acting debut in”Top Secret”! a 1984 action comedy film written and directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker and Martyn Burke. The first time I saw Val was a year later in the classic 90’s film“Real Genius,” the film centers on Nerdy college students who are asked to develop  a laser by their professor, in their science lab at school. The kids do not realize at the time that they are building a war weapon. Kilmer who plays the one cool guy in the nerdy  group who, along with fellow students try and stop the professor from giving the government the weapon. 

It wasn’t till 1986 when Val played a cocky fighter pilot and Tom Crusies rival in Top Gun, where his acting career blasted off.

The Doors

As much as I’ve loved many of his films there are two that standout to me. I had already had been listening to The Doors since in High School. When I heard Val was going to play Jim Morrison in  Oliver Stone‘s “The Doors”, I was skeptical. I thought he was a strange choice since he wasn’t a singer. He also was know for comedy Morrison’s life was filled with drama. I saw the film and right away I was taken back to the magical world of that time period and what it would have been like to see life from inside their world. He looked and sounded like Jim Morrison. I have no idea of he didn’t win an Oscar for that role.

Tombstone

My other favorite film of his was another bio pic. This time he was not the star of the film, but he steals the film with his portrayal of Doc Holliday in George P. Cosmatos’s “Tombstone”. Once again I feel that Val should have won an Oscar. Who can forget the line “I’m Your Huckleberry.” Kilmer became Doc Holiday. It wasn’t just his words but everything about that character Val nailed.

The Fourth Dimension World Premiere

I did get the chance to photography Val in  2012 at the San Francisco International Film Festival for “The Fourth Dimension” World Premiere. The film was about is a collection of three standalone short films about parallel universes. Kilmer starred in Harmony Korine’s short “The Lotus Community Workshop.” He plays a version of himself from an alternate reality, a former actor-turned-self-help guru. Val to no surprise showed up late with Director’s Harmony Korine, Jan Kwiecinski and Aleksei Fedorchenko. Val entered wearing a black winter coat and a Top Hat. They were all is a good moon.  Val looked to be pretty high (intern was complaining about them smoking somewhere inside) when walking into the dark press line. Val gave us a smile while he was clowning around with his fellow filmmakers. After appearing for a few photos with the director he seemed to think that was the end of the carpet another wire service asked for singles, Val laughed and replied “Can’t you guys crop one?” We lost another iconic actor to Caner. One thing for sure is he will never be forgotten.

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography 

Thank you for taking your time to read my blog. For more celebrity pictures and stories checkout my social media links at the bottom. Don’t forget to support independent films, Music and Book stores in your city.    

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.comJonathanScottShensaPhotography

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathanshensa

X: https://twitter.com/Jonathanshensa



ALL PHOTOS: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography 

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography 

Posted in best of, blog, Blogger, Celbrity Photos, celebrity blog, celebrity blogger, celebrity candids, Celebrity Event Photos, Celebrity Photography, Celebrity Photos, celebrity tribute, Entertainment, Entertainment Blogger, Entertainment Blogs, Entertainment Photographer Blog, entertainment photos, Event Photographer for Hire, Film Festival, Film Festival, Film Festival blog, Jonathan Scott Shensa Celebrity Photography Blog, Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography, Jonathan Shensa, mages of celebrities, Mill Valley Film Festival, The Outsiders Guide To The Inside of Hollywood, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Remembering Phil Lesh on His 85th Birthday

Posted on March 16, 2025 by Jonathanshensa

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

It’s a beautiful Spring day in Marin County. I’m sitting on a red, white and blue beach chair in the front row down by a small beach area, where a stage has sound people working to get ready. I’m surrounded by Deadheads old and young. People are talking to friends and comparing shows they were at. Finally the beach park gets packed and is ready for the show. There is a stage setup with water and sail boats in the back ground area. One ship had a steal your face flag another has it on the boat. You probably would think I’m at a Grateful Dead cover band show, but I’d never thought I’d see any Dead members in a small mellow venue. The day started with an announcement on Phil and the restaurant’s social media accounts. Suddenly Phil Lesh appears and is greeted by his fellow bay area musicians, whom he will be playing with. Phil grabs his Base and walks out on stage. As I saw Phil literally standing in front of me my mind flashed back to the first time I saw Phil in 1993 at Giant Stadium. 

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

My First Grateful Dead Concert

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

After sitting in traffic at the Holland Tunnel on the Jersey Turnpike in the rain, we finally got to Giant stadium. What I saw when we entered the parking lot was like nothing I have ever seen before. There was a community of people camped in the parking lot in various types of vehicles. Then what I could only describe as a Hippy Flea market, where everything from clothes, memorabilia, food, and drugs were sold. This area was referred to as Shakedown Street, the area in the parking lot where the vending takes place.  But the thing that was most interesting thing for me was just not just how friendly everyone one was but how they all seemed connected by the music. Older Deadheads would talk with younger ones and share memories. It didn’t matter what political party or how you dressed everyone one had something in common, the music.. That feeling is why I find myself 30 years, after Jerry Garcia’s passing, I still try to catch a the guys shows when in town.

My first show was at Giant Stadium in 1993. I attended the show with my sister and friends, who was a Deadhead. At the time as far as I knew I was there to see the opening act who was Sting. Before the show I listened to the American Beauty CD. I was hooked right away.The entire alum was packed with great songs, but my favorite at was called “Box of Rain”, a song by the Grateful Dead, from their 1970 album “American Beauty.” The song was composed by Phil and lyricist Robert Hunter, and sung by Lesh. That night it rained and pored during the show. We were halfway back in the upper level. Guess what was the encore that night? It was “Box of Rain.

When Jerry Garcia died in 1995 I thought it would be the end of the road for me. One of the things on my bucket list at the time was to see the band play in their home city San Francisco. I was lucky enough to be working with a non profit organization called Headcount (register people to vote at shows). It was so great to see Phil, Bobby, Mickey and Bill play together for the” Fare Thee Well” shows in a Football Stadium in Santa Clara, California in 2015. As much as I love shows it is so great and rare to see someone in a small venue I didn’t think that would happen.

The Birth of Terrapin Crossroads

All of the shows I attended were at filled arena’s and stadiums. The largest venue I saw them was at an old airfare base in a town called Highgate in Vermont in 1995. Then something happened that could only be called a Deadhead’s fantasy. On March 29, 2011, Phil Lesh posted a statement on the Furthur.net site community message board that he was planning to open a new live music venue in Marin County, north of San Francisco., “We’re taking the first steps to make a long time dream – a permanent musical home – come true. We are purchasing a building in Marin, and plan on remodeling it to feel .” The first place they wanted to have it didn’t work out. They were able to build it in San Rafael, California. They called it “Terrapin” Crossroads”. The restaurant just happen to be named after my favorite Dead song (Terrapin Station). It also was half the name of my favorite college bar called “Crossroads.”

 After the acquisition of the old Seafood Peddler Restaurant/ Palm Ballroom site along the San Rafael Creek, off Francisco Boulevard in San Rafael, California, Terrapin Crossroads was less than a mile from the Grateful Dead’s old studio and offices at 20 Front Street.There was an inside restaurant, outside was a backyard with sand in the back, along with things kids could play. With a multipurpose setup that included a local-sourced restaurant, adjoining small stage and bar with an always interesting mix of craft brews on tap, side room for kids and games, roomy outdoor patio, and large upstairs lounge, the site’s jewel was the so-called Grate Room, a 300 or so capacity square listening room and dance space that became a magnet for a host of local, regional, and national bands to perform, often with Phil Lesh part of the band, or as a drop-in guest who would play for a couple/few songs at times. You never knew who to expect. The craziest night was when Phish Bassist Mike Gordoen joined Phil. I have never seen the inside that packed checkout some of the video from there that I shot.

Going to Terrapin was like a dream. Phil started a series of free concerts in the backyard called “Songs To Fill The Air”.Sometimes the band played without a drummer. If you went on a slow night Phil could still play. Watching Phils face you can tell how much he loved playing no mater if it’s 50,000 or 50. My heart along with everyone else’s broke when they made the decision to close after 9 years. My greatest moment was on a night where his son Grahame Lesh (who is supper musician himself and a band called “Midnight North), were leaving I asked if it was OK to take a picture he replied “sure”.

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

The Day the Music Died in Marin

On October 25, 2024 we lost Phil. I have driven by the old TC sign and building always thinking how lucky I was to see him in all the aspects of his music. As the song says “The Music never Stopped.”

Thank you for taking your time to read my blog. For more celebrity pictures and stories checkout my social media links at the bottom. Don’t forget to support independent films, Music and Book stores in your city.    

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.comJonathanScottShensaPhotography

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathanshensa

X: https://twitter.com/Jonathanshensa

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Santa Barbara International Film Festival Celebrates its 40th Birthday with Celebrity Tributes & Independent Films

Posted on March 6, 2025 by Jonathanshensa

Greetings everyone. Welcome to the reboot of my celebrity blog “The Outsiders Guide to the Inside of Hollywood”. Todays blog is my yearly coverage of the 40th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival. SBIFF is always one of my favorite film festivals to cover. The festival is always the final festival before the Oscars. SBIFF, has had multiple tributes to actors and filmmakers who are nominated for Oscars. 2025, was no exception. For their 40th birthday celebration the festival added an extra day this year. SBIFF featured 33 world premieres and 74 United States premieres from 60 nations. 52% of the film directed by women were showcased.

Unfortunately like last year I was not given a pass so my coverage is very limited. I only attended 2 events that I had to pay for out of my own pocket. The upsetting things was almost all the tributes, I wanted to attend had many open seats. Passes were given out to people who didn’t use them or were using them to just take photos in the end. This blog is all about my personal experience with the event. Besides a photographer I also am an aspiring filmmaker. I also spent over a decade as an assistant in the entertainment industry. The worst thing you can have at a festival is open seats. My first year attending in 2010 the public relations company handed out free tickets to the fans who were waiting for the stars to sign autographs.

Maltin Modern Master Award Angelina Jolie

I started doing photography in 2009, when I was living in the Hollywood Hills. I first started out using a Cannon point and shoot camera. After a few premieres I finally got DSLR camera and signed up with a wire service. Since then I’ve done hundreds of celebrity Red Carpet events. There was a very short list of celebrities that I had not photographed. One of the festivals first announcements for the 2025 festival tibutes was one of my actresses I’ve been wanting to photography since I started in the business.

The 2025 recipient of the Maltin Modern Master Award, which is one of the festival’s most prestigious honor went to Angelina Jolie for her work in “Maria”. The film biopic Jolie played opera singer Maria Callas, and follows the seven days before her 1977 death in Paris, as she reflects on her life and career. For the role Angelina had to learn to sing Opera.

The Modern Master Award was created to honor filmmakers who have changed the movie industry through significant contributions and impact. The award was renamed the Maltin Modern Master Award in 2015 to honor long-time SBIFF moderator and film critic Leonard Maltin. I was a huge fan of Entertainment Tonight. Watching Leonard I always felt between him and Siskel and “Ebert At The Movies” reviews were the best in the business Leonard was the first one on the carpet. Leonard as he did brought his daughter and granddaughter. The toddler who seems to be getting more use to photographers stole the show.

Jolie arrived wearing Wearing a sleek ivory silk dress from Brunello Cucinelli’s Evening wear Capsule Collection. She then signed some autographs for fans, and posed for photographers and did a few interviews before the the tribute award ceremony.

Inside the theater Leonard, showed clips of some of Angelina past films. She spoke about her eldest child Maddox, who is not comfortable doing carpets and likes being behind the scenes. Last year People Magazine asked her about the kids. Angelina Jolie says she’d rather her kids be “out there trying and failing” or in the case of her 23-year-old son Maddox, piloting a plane than not taking “risks” at all. After the interview director and friend Ava Duvernay presented Jolie with the award. Angelina headed to the podium and thanked everyone. The most personal part of the evening was when Angelina broke d down in tears as she payed tribute to her late mother while accepting the Maltin Modern Master Award.

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Outstanding Performer of The Year Award Ralph Fiennes

My second carpet of the festival was honoring Ralph Fiennes for his amazing performance in the film “Conclave.”Ralph played Cardinal Lawrence. The films fictional but I have to admit for a short time I thought it was based on a true story. The film did a great job showing the selecting process of selecting a new Pope process. Cardinal Lawrence is faced with overseeing the conclave. As the world’s most powerful Catholic leaders gather, Lawrence uncovers secrets that could shake the foundations of the Church.

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 U.S. Premiere

My next Red Carpet was the second Installment of Kevin Costner’s Epic westernHorizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2. The film was having its U.S. Premiere at the festival after the first film underperformed at the box office. I feel like that was a shame. The film was beautifully written and directed by Kevin Costner. The second chapter was even better than the first. I’m so glad I got the chance to see the film where it should be, on the big screen. Costner himself put $38 million of his own money into making the first two parts, which are estimated to cost a combined $100 million. Unfortunately the studio made the decision. to cancel the theatrical release.

Chapter 1 did become a hit on VOD and Netflix, this could lead to chapters 3&4 get made and released. Kevin Brought with him a large number of actors, producers and crew members from the film including Luke Wilson, Wase Chief, Maggie Grace, Jon Beavers, Shawn Patterson and Maria Bakalova. The acting was great. I did make a new discovery. One of the youngest actors in the film was teenager Georgia MacPhail. I definitely feel she is a star on the rise. I’m sure we will be seeing more of the model, actress and singer in the near future.

The carpet for the film was a as packed as a car on the 405 in LA at rush hour. It literally was body to body. Luckily I was able to some shots of Kevin, others but I was not so lucky. As the final guest left the carpet, I started to leave then just as I left I saw in the middle of the carpet traffic was director and friend of Costner, Quentin Tarantino. Quentin tried to make it through the carpet to where Kevin was. When he finally got there the two had a conversation laughing and posing for a few photos together. After that huge surprise it was time to head inside for the screening. As I stated before Costner’s western epic needs to be seen if possible on a big screen. After the film Kevin led a Q&A with the filmmakers. Kevin made sure he made the point that he loved seeing the theatre packed. If you get the chance you can stream the first film on Netflix.

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

The next event was one of the tributes that I was looking forward to the most. The Virtuosos award is given to multiple “up-and-coming” actors for achieving a breakthrough performance. The 2025 Recipients were:

Kieran Culkin [A REAL PAIN] (he cancelled), Harris Dickinson [BABYGIRL],, Selena Gomez [EMILIA PÉREZ], Ariana Grande [WICKED], Clarence Maclin [SING SING], Mikey Madison [ANORA], John Magaro [SEPTEMBER 5] Monica Barbaro [A COMPLETE UNKOWN].

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

40th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Outstanding 

Up next was directors night at the festival. For only the second time at SBIFF that all 5 Oscar nominated directors were being honored live in person. The directors waked the Red Carpet and were honored with a tribute to each director.

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

40th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Arlington Artist Of The Year Award Honoring Timothée Chalamet

Last year the festival debut a new award. Unfortunately the actress who was suppose to get the award Annette Bening, was sick and couldn’t attend. This year the award was give to ‘A Complete Unknown’ star Timothée Chalamet for his role as Bob Dylan. Not only did the actor do an amazing job acting like Dylan, he also did all of the singing.

When Tim (what his friends call him) finally arrived late he started by signing autographs and posing for photos with fans. As it got later and later Tim finally stoped for photos. Unfortunately he only gave Getty and some of the other wire services his attention. I was at one of the last spots at the end of the carpet. He literally walked past me and all I got was a shoot too close with him giving me the peace sign. That wasn’t the worst of it. Tim was receiving the award from his ‘Dune 2’ co star Josh Brolin. Josh tried to walk past me but I asked him to stop so I could get a clear Red Carpet shot. He then stuck out his tongue to me (appeared to have a mint). He didn’t only do it for 1 shot he did it for three. I use to love him as an actor but now I’ll be Boycotting all of his films.

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

40th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival: American Riviera Award Honoring Zoe Saldaña

After the pervious nights disaster carpet I needed a good night. Luckily I had recent experiences and a past good one with Zoe at the Mill Valley Film Festival. She always looks amazing and is a great role model for girls today. She knows how to give a great interview. Zoe received the American Riviera Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for one of her most ambitious performances yet — “Emilia Pérez.” 

The American Riviera Award is given for “outstanding achievement in American film.” In “Emilia Pérez,” Saldaña plays a Mexican lawyer named Rita who is enlisted by a brutal cartel boss to help her transition to a woman. Zoe had to sing and act in two different languages. She just picked up her first Oscar win for her work in the film last weekend. The film is streaming on Netflix.

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

40th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival: 2025 Cinema Vanguard Award Honoring Adrien Brody And Guy Pearce

My final Red Carpet of the festival was 2025 Cinema Vanguard Award honoring Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce. The actors were honored for their work on ‘The Brutalist.’ This tribute was created to honor actors with the tenacity to forge new ground in their craft. The award was re-named in 2025 in honor of long-time SBIFF moderators Madelyn and Pete Hammond.

© Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

The festival closed after 12 days with the U.S. premiere of Missing Part’s. The Belgian-French drama was directed by Guillaume Senez. The film is in both French and Japanese, with English subtitles. After the festival the SBIFF announced their award winners https://variety.com/2025/film/news/film-news-in-brief-feb-10-2025-1236302545/.

For more information on the festival and all the year events they do can be found at SBIFF site at https://sbiff.org. You can also find my festival photos and a article written by Patch Media’s Beau Behan: 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/film-festivals/the-40th-santa-barbara-film-festival-shines-with-hollywood-stars/ar-AA1yRqfh

https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/the-40th-santa-barbara-film-fest-wraps-up-with-fun-glitz-and-glamour/ar-AA1zkJCH

Thank you for taking your time to read my blog. For more celebrity pictures and stories checkout my social media links at the bottom. Don’t forget to support independent films, Music and Book stores in your city.    

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.comJonathanScottShensaPhotography

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathanshensa

X: https://twitter.com/Jonathanshensa

Posted in best of, blog, Blogger, Celbrity Photos, celebrity blog, celebrity blogger, celebrity candids, Celebrity Event Photos, Celebrity Photography, Celebrity Photos, Entertainment, Entertainment Blogger, Entertainment Blogs, Entertainment Photographer Blog, entertainment photos, Film Festival, Jonathan Scott Shensa Celebrity Photography Blog, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Looking back at the 39th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival (2025 Dates included)

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Jonathanshensa

Greetings everyone. Today’s blog is celebrating the announcement of the 40th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Here is a look back at highlights from February’s If you have read my blog in the past, you know SBIFF, is one of my favorite film festivals of the year. I have been attending and covering the festival since 2010. The SBIFF always is the final stop and final on the road to The Academy Awards. Each year SBIFF has a tremendos list of Celebrity Tributes (most are nominated for Oscars) to go along with a week and a half of independent films. This years line up cotinued the festivals tradition. The 39th Santa Barbara International Film Festival took place in person February 7 – February 17, 2024. Events included screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, and celebrity tributes. Some of the A list talent who appeared in 2024 was Oscar Nominees, Bradley Cooper, Robert Downey Junior, Mark Ruffalo, Jeffrey Wright, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, America Ferrera and singer Billie Eilish.

Some of my excitement took a serious blow when I was not given a Journalist pass, which meant I couldn’t attend any films or tributes. I was told if I wanted to attend I had to buy my own ticket. After 11 days in a hotel I barley could afford food. So there really isn’t much to write about this one, just some things that took place on the carpet.

The festival, featured 19 world premieres, 56 U.S. premieres from 48 countries along with panels, tributes and educational programs. The 2024 festival kicked off with Disney’s documentary “Madu,” a directed by Matthew Ogens and Joel ‘Kachi Benson. The film told the story of Anthony Madu, a Nigerian teen who became an overnight sensation in 2020 after a video showed him dancing ballet barefoot on a rainy street outside Lagos.

Outstanding Performer of the Year Award
 Honoring
 Bradley Cooper-

The second night was one of the biggest of the festival. SBIFF was honoring Bradley for his work as director, actor and producer of “Maestro”. The film that is based on the relationship between American composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre. It was directed by Bradley Cooper, from a screenplay he wrote with Josh Singer. It was produced by Cooper, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, The film stars Carey Mulligan as Montealegre. The carpet opened with an appearance by former “X-File’s” star, Actor David Duchovny who was at the festival for the World Premiere of “Veselka”, Directed by Michael Fiore. Finally, it came the time for Bradley’s arrival. Bradley was not alone on the Red Carpet with him was his co-star and Best Actress nominee Carey Mulligan. The two posed for photos together and by them selves before heading into the Arlington theatre for the tribute.

All Photos: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Maltin Modern Master Award
honoring
 Robert Downey Jr.

The weekend kicked off with another major tribute Maltin Modern Master Award
 honoring
 Robert Downey Jr. for his performance in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer”
 and his entire career. This was going to be my first time photographing Robert for a non “Avengers”/”Iron Man” film. Robert arrived with a couple of guests. The tributes all had friends or co-workers give the recipient before accepting their awards. Robert chose friend Rob Lowe. Lowe was not alone with him was his son actor John Owen Lowe. Father and son can be seen together on the Netflix show “Unstable”. Robert had another surprise guest, “Oppenheimer”
 star Academy Award Winner Cillian Murphy. By the time Robert got to the carpet it was almost show time. So I knew it would be a quick shoot. Downy and friends were chatting with Roberts back to the press line. he ended up walking past my spot and Getty’s spot. The only shots were could get were candids. One of the frustrated photographers was pushing to get into a spot he could get shots. This caused an almost accident and Robert going from a joker to a concerned person. That was the only way to get photos. After the press line Robert and company headed into the theatre for the tribute without talking to any of the video people.

All Photos: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Virtuosos Award

Next up was the Virtuosos Award. The award is a Partner nominated award given to someone whose performance on a specific project has exceeded expectations and has demonstrated great results. The 2024 recipients were America Ferrera (BARBIE)
Lily Gladstone (THE KILLERS OF FLOWER MOON)
Greta Lee (PAST LIVES)
Charles Melton (MAY DECEMBER)
Da’Vine Joy Randolph (THE HOLDOVERS)
Andrew Scott (ALL OF US STRANGERS)

All Photos: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Variety Artisans Award

Supper Bowl Sunday started with, The Variety Artisans Award honors those nominated for an Academy Award in below-the-line categories, this year’s Artisans Awards highlights those essential to the filmmaking process and who have exhibited the most exciting and innovative work in their respective fields. Nomonally this is a nighttime event but the festival wanted to acommidate Oscar Winner 2x pop star Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas who were nominated for “What Was I Made For”? The duo showed up on time at 11am. When one of the photographers asked her to smile she said “I’m usally going to bed at the time I left LA for Santa Barbara. The others being honored were:Stephane Ceretti – VFX – “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”
Ludwig Göransson – Composer – “Oppenheimer”
Sarah Greenwood/Katie Spencer – Production Designer – “Barbie”
Kazu Hiro- Hairstyling/Makeup – “Maestro”
Jennifer Lame – Editor – “Oppenheimer”
Rodrigo Prieto – Cinematography- “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Michael Semanick – Re-recording Mixer – “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
Holly Waddington – Costume Designer – “Poor Things”

All Photos: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

American Riviera Award
 honoring 
Mark Ruffalo

As Sunday evening approached I watched the Super Bowl on my phone, while waiting for Mark to arrive. One of the only complaints for the festival were a lack of women being honored. After watching my home town team loose on the last play of the game all the sudden what did I see but Emma Stone who was nominated for and won Best Actress for her work in “Poor Things”. Emma ended up walking the carpet after signing autographs and celebrating the Cheifs win with fans. Mark arrived and workrd the press line.

All Photos: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Cinema Vanguard Award
honoring Paul Giamatti

The Cinema Vanguard Award recognizes actors who have forged their own path, taking artistic risks and making a significant and unique contribution to film. The reciprent of the award(my choice for Best Actor 2024) Paul Giamatti, who was being honored for his work in “The Holdovers”. Paul was joined by former castmate from “Sideways”, Virginia Madsen. The two posed for photos seperatly and together.

All Photos: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

All Photos: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Montecito Award honoring Jeffrey Wright

The Montecito Award 
Given to a person in the entertainment industry who has made a great contribution to film. The 2024 Recipient was
 Jeffrey Wright who was being honored for his amazing work in “American Fiction”. Jeffrey, was very acomidating letting everyone get their photos. He then headed into the Arlington for his tribute.

All Photos: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Closing Night Film
 World Premiere of “Chosen Family”

The festival ended with the closing night film by Actress and First time director Heather Graham and stars Graham and Julia Stiles. The film is about Yoga teacher Ann is trying to find inner peace despite having a manic family, a miserable dating life, and an inability to say no that keeps her busy trying to fix everyone else’s problems.

All Photos: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

All Photos: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Once again SBIFF had another amazing festival. I just wish I could have seen any of the films and tributes. I suggest if you are a filmmaker submit to their festival.The SBIFF, has announced that the 40th annual festival will take place in Santa Barbara, California, from February 4 through February 15.In honor of its 40th year, the festival will run for 12 days to celebrate the landmark moment. 

“As we embark on our 40th year, we are proud of what we’ve accomplished and exhilarated for what is ahead of us.  We will be announcing a few surprises in the next few months.  Onward and upwards” said Roger Durling, SBIFF’s executive director.

Thank you for taking your time to read my blog. For more celebrity pictures and stories checkout my social media links at the bottom. Don’t forget to support independent films, Music and Book stores in your city.

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.comJonathanScottShensaPhotography

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathanshensa

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Jonathanshensa

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-shensa-77162126

Blog: https://theoutsidersguidetotheinsideofhollywood.com

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment