As the weekend was nearing its close, I started the penultimate day of Musicfest Northwest – Saturday at Pioneer Courthouse Square with Laura Veirs and the Decemberists. Pioneer Courthouse Square was the only outdoor venue at all of the festival, right in the heart of Portland surrounded by high rise buildings. Even though I parked a good 5 blocks away, the music rang down the streets as I made my way to Pioneer.
People had already filled the midtown square as Laura Veirs took the stage with her low-key alt country folk tunes. Playing songs mostly off her new album July Flame, which went back to her folk roots after the less-than-overwhelming Saltbreakers, the soft harmonies were perfect for the sunny late afternoon we were having.
For the last song, Veirs called out “some friends” to come sing with her during “July Flame.” Those friends included several other Portland musicians, Colin Meloy of the Decemberists being one of them. As the song grew, the stage full of musicians sang out “can I call you mine, can I call you mine?” It was such a lovely display of local musician love, that it made me want to move to Portland right then and there.
But that evening wasn’t even close to over.
After a short break, The Decemberists stepped out as the sun was started to set on Portland. I must tell you that Colin Meloy is one of those characters that you feel so close with after seeing play live. No matter how large the audience, he brings everyone in this big musical lovefest. At one point he mentioned, “This is an attractive city. We’ve been to a lot of cities, and I must say that Portland is looking pretty good…relatively.”
But it got better.
After playing through some old favorites like “16 Military Wives” and “The Infanta,” we got the breezy “Summersong” as Meloy said we’re just coming out of the summer, so it made sense.
“So, after a song about summer, let’s talk about infanticide!” Meloy said. Only at a Decemberists concert would you hear people cheering about killing infants. After the positively morbid “Rake’s Song,” the band started the riffs for “O Valencia” off The Crane Wife, and the entire crowd lit up in excitement and sang out along with the chorus a resonant “O Valencia!” However, right in the middle of the song, Meloy changed keys for just a minute and softly let out with a giggle, “Dracula’s daughter, Dracula’s daughter, Dracula’s daughter got it bad.” For people who got the reference, it was what Meloy referred to as “the worst song [he] ever wrote” on a live solo album he released several years ago. It got some laughs, but for those of us who did get the reference, it was almost like an inside joke that made us look crazy to the people who didn’t get the jokes.
Not only did the Decemberists play the songs we all know and love in their 90-minute set, but they did play a few new ones as well. That means a new album coming up, so that definitely made me excited.
As the sun was set, and the lovely glow of the Nordstrom’s sign shone upon us all, the Decemberists began their final song – “Sons & Daughters.”
“I know you all know what day it is, and I don’t need to hammer that home any more, but since you’re all here and we can do this, I want everyone to sing this. But not only sing it, but to walk away with it ringing in your head.” And on that evening of the 9th anniversary of 9/11, Meloy instructed the audience to sing together in resounding unison “here all the bombs fade away.” That song – and their set – ended in such a moving way that I teared up a little bit, and I’m not ashamed to admit that.
Aww, I love The Decemberists.
At that point I’d contemplated trying to get to the Wonder Ballroom to see the Smashing Pumpkins, but thankfully a friend of mine had already tried and she let me know before I left that it was way too crowded for anyone to get in with even half an hour to spare until the show started at 10:15. So I took short break at Powell’s Books since it didn’t close until 11 p.m. before walking – literally right down the street from my car – to the Crystal Ballroom for Akron/Family and Menomena. How I managed to park closer to the Crystal than Pioneer Courthouse Square is beyond me, but it certainly made getting around for the rest of the night incredibly convenient.
I arrived to the Crystal mid-set for Akron/Family, and they were completely not what I expected. I didn’t know what to expect, to be honest, but they were so intense and energetic that I didn’t even need to know any of the songs to rock out and dance. With Afron/Family’s crazy mix of electronica and folk music, they really know how to get a room moving. The songs were long and epic and wildly mesmerizing. I regret not getting there earlier to see the whole set, because the 15 minutes I did see were really awesome. So you should see them if you get the chance to.
But I must say with how many fantastic performances I’d seen over the last four days, the greatest one was to come that evening, with Menomena. Up until then I hadn’t been right up against the stage at the Crystal Ballroom at all. That thing vibrates. Every time a heavy bassline kicked in, the water bottle below Brent Knopf’s keyboard visibly shook.
Having just released their third LP back in July, Mines, Menomena started off their mindblowing – and I’m not being facetious – show with “Tithe,” a thrilling track off the new album. I don’t know what planet the guys of Menomena are from, but they are definitely all on the same otherworldly brain wave, because the music and energy these guys put out is amazing. You have the stark and angry “The Pelican” and the soft and eerie “Evil Bee” off of Friend and Foe, and the heartbreaking “INTIL,” which features mostly Knopf on keyboard and crooning “I never thought I’d lie…sometimes I say too much” over and over again.
Not only are the songs so deeply impactful live, but the musicianship with Menomena is so random that you almost wonder how they came together in the first place. Justin Harris plays bass and baritone sax. In no other band will you get to hear baritone saxophone. And I thought when I heard Friend and Foe for the first time that they used a drum machine. Nope, Danny Seim is just that good. One thing that I did notice about the new songs was the heavier hand that the guitar took. Menomena even brought in a new member as a lead guitarist to give Mines a rounder sound. And even though the sound has advanced, the band has kept the essence of Menomena, songs that sound completely cohesive and also unique to each member of the band – Knopf’s gentle voice, Harris’ powerful voice, and Seim’s deep and musky voice.
I was so thoroughly impressed that I haven’t really stopped listening to Mines since the show. I was even thinking about skipping out early to see Japandroids at the Doug Fir Lounge that night as well, but after a few of Menomena’s songs I realized I would definitely be staying for the whole thing.
