I spent the second birthday in a row at Sasquatch – this year it was my 22nd birthday, on Monday. And this year I can clearly say was better than last year’s birthday when Kid Cudi fans started booing They Might Be Giants.
My day began at the Bigfoot stage for Givers, the Lafayette, LA natives with an insane amount of energy, and they all look to be about 18 years old. I’d seen Givers earlier this year when they toured with Ra Ra Riot, and when I saw them then, they out-shined both acts they played with. I was not disappointed seeing them the second time around, in the early afternoon of the last day. This band is full of a bunch of kooky hippies that was some of the most genuine people I’ve ever met. Givers played the Endsession tent later that day, and when I arrived, Taylor Guarisco came up to me and another photographer.
“So you guys are the ones who are taking photos?”
“Yep.”
“We don’t usually let strangers take pictures of us, so… I’m Taylor.”
“I’m Abby.”
“There, now we aren’t strangers anymore!”
And there were several other instances throughout the day that exemplified their friendliness and sincerity, but then this would get to be a really long post.
Noah and the Whale was next up on my agenda, the English folk rock band, whom I’d been anxiously awaiting to see. The whole band looked quite dapper on stage, with well-coiffed hair and sharp suits, and the sound that came from the band definitely didn’t match the appearance. They looked like New Order, but sounded like Mumford and Sons (in the simplest of analogies). I’ll gladly see them again, because they were pleasant, but not boring.
There were plenty of bands that fit into that category during the weekend – pleasant but boring.
Local dance rock band Head Like A Kite merely gained my attention when I was sitting in the media room right next to the Yeti stage. I’d completely forgot that they were playing, and when I heard the frantic dance music from outside, I had to run out. It’s a testament to Head Like A Kite’s persona. No matter how you feel about their music (which I quite enjoy), they put on a showstopper – with just two band members I might add.
Back at the Bigfoot stage was Black Mountain, a Black Keys-esque (not just because of the name) blues rock band, but with a female singer. I was rushing around like a chicken with my head cut off at this point, but from what I did see of Black Mountain, they had a lot of soul and a lot of edge. I’ll have to check them out again.
Stornoway also hit the Bigfoot stage that afternoon, but they couldn’t be more different from Black Mountain – English, alternative folk, and a majority of the band looked like squares. But they were equally as enjoyable. They were like Noah and the Whale, but more adorable, and I wish I’d seen more of their set, but like I said before – chicken with my head cut off.
I followed my fellow photographers over to the Yeti stage for Foster the People, as they were highly anticipated – and rightly so. I hadn’t seen a crowd for the Yeti stage bigger all weekend. I honestly thought they should have put Foster the People at the Bigfoot stage because the crowd was so big. But with how much radio play “Pumped Up Kicks” has been getting, I wasn’t surprised. The band was good, had plenty of energy, but to me, didn’t live up to the hype.
However, this next performer surpassed my expectations by miles (or kilometers for the Canadians at the festival).
Macklemore is amazing. I’ll just say that. If you haven’t heard his music, you may have heard his song “My Oh My” if you’re local. He sang it at opening day of the Mariners’ baseball season this year, and when I first heard that song it brought me to tears and gave me goosebumps. I didn’t know his whole performance would be that fantastic. The guy can put on a show, I’ll tell you. He had conversations with the audience, gave shout-outs to people born in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, crowd surfed, and jumped around the stage in a fringe jean jacket with David Bowie (circa Labyrinth) on the back. I cannot give Macklemore any more praise than anyone else can, but I will say that his album with his producer Ryan Lewis “VS” was the only album I bought for myself at the festival.
Seriously. Even after I was done shooting the first three songs, I went back in the media room to charge my camera battery for just a bit, but as soon as I heard the opening chords to “My Oh My,” I literally sprinted outside to listen. And again, I got goosebumps and I teared up. Thankfully I had sunglasses on.
I dare say that there wasn’t a greater moment at the whole festival, than when the huge crowd of his local fans screamed at the top of their lungs, “MY OH MY!”
I don’t even like hip-hop, and when Macklemore and Ryan Lewis did that Monday afternoon was perhaps my favorite performance of Sasquatch (except for the Foo Fighters). He’s just awesome.
So after that spectacular display of musical perfection (pardon the hyperbole, but it’s not all that hyperbolic!), the rest of the evening just paled in comparison.
However, I will say that !!! (Chk chk chk) is now my new favorite band to shoot. Not because I love their music (which I do), but after I thought I’d missed the first three songs, a friend of mine came into the media room and asked me, “Did you shoot Chk chk chk?”
“No, I missed the first three songs.”
“Get out there right now. He’s letting photographers in the pit the whole time. He said, ‘don’t let the photographers leave!’”
So I did, and I was glad I did, because he was strutting all over the stage, shaking his hips all which ways, going into the crowd multiple times, and loving the photographers. When a musician loves the photographers, we love him right back.
As I stumbled back to my computer and clean water, I saw the sky start to darken – and not just sunset dark, like storm cloud dark. Soon after, thunder and lightning. Lots of lightning. All I could think of was, poor Wilco. They were playing the mainstage last that night, and I didn’t even stay late enough to see them, to avoid the nasty storm coming our way on my three-hour drive home.
But I did stay late enough to catch all of Deerhunter‘s set at the Bigfoot stage, where I ran into Givers again, so we all stood in the middle of the crowd for our last performance of the night. I could not have thought of a better way to end the festival. All of Deerhunter was rocking hoodies with their hoods up, in case the rain decided to invade their stage, but it held out for the hour of moving ambient rock. The last time I’d seen Deerhunter was last April when they opened for Spoon, and this was so much better with the eerie color of the sky matched with Deerhunter’s sweeping melodies and Bradford Cox‘s lulling voice.
I wouldn’t have closed the night any other way.
Sub Pop Records is proud to announce the new album from Blitzen Trapper entitled American Goldwing. Set for a September 13th release, American Goldwing is full of the introspective and striking storytelling that countless critics have fallen in love with. Beginning July 19th in Salt Lake City, Blitzen Trapper will head out on a North American headlining tour and introduce their new material to fans. Tour dates can be seen below with more to be announced soon.
