02/08/2026
14,870 days ago pocket camera in hand, I attended my very first concert. That afternoon, everything 'clicked'. I knew without hesitation, what I wanted to do for the rest of my life: become a rock-and-roll photographer. And so the story began.
I remain deeply grateful that the dream found its way through.
The show was Gowan in the parking lot at Landsdowne Park in Ottawa, ON on May 24, 1985.
Lawrence Gowan himself still references that performance whenever he returns to Ottawa. Presented by CHEZ 106 nearly 10,000 loyal fans filled the lot, erupting with bold, unmistakable enthusiasm for the bandâan unforgettable Ottawa moment.
Nearly four decades had passed, but Gowan once again danced in front of my lens. (See post from December 15, 2022.)
In the past four years alone, Iâve made up for lost time -photographing approximately a dozen Gowan shows, plus one with Styx, across Ontario and Quebec. A gift I never take lightly.
As my journey takes me away once more from the Nationâs Capital, I carry with me the full-circle beauty of it all. That first Ottawa show, has also become one of my last. Funny how life works that way.
For forty years, I followed this âStrange Animalâ, and he filled my heart with music, magic, and meaning.
Now, where legacy meets tomorrow, I pass along the âburning torches of hopeâ to a new generation of photographersâthose who feel the same pull, the same passion, that once found me in a parking lot with a camera and a dream.
Lawrence Gowanâyou are a legend. Your dedication to your craft and to your fans is boundless. Your album is timeless. And seeing fresh, young audiences discover your music proves that what you share continues to travel forwardâhand to hand, heart to heartâinto the next generation.
Honouring the past.
Celebrating the present.
Lighting the way forward.
