I sadly was not able to attend Sunday’s Musicfest Northwest shows at the Pioneer Courthouse Square, so Saturday was my final day in Portland running around from venue to venue. I can say that this year was on par with last year’s festival, of course with a few differences – the heat being one of them.
So this Saturday evening, I made my way to the Pioneer Courthouse Square for Typhoon, The Antlers, and Explosions in the Sky.
Since the show was supposed to start at 5 p.m., the crowd got perhaps the hottest weather we had all week. While Typhoon started a bit late (quite late actually), I was still mesmerized by the band’s sweeping chords and lovely melodies.
This band has so many people in it – seriously. This was a huge stage, and it was still filled to the brim with band members.
Typhoon’s performance was even better than when I saw them in May at the Sasquatch Festival. It almost made me forget about the overwhelmingly hot sun beating down on my head. Thank goodness I brought my fedora, or else I would have had a nasty sunburn.
After Typhoon finished their set, for some reason the stage was vacant for way too long, putting the rest of the set even more behind schedule, but based on what came next, I would have waited for hours.
The Antlers blew me away. I saw them for a short time back at the Sasquatch Festival, but I stayed for the whole set this time, and I literally was almost brought to tears during one song because this band is so good live.
Peter Silberman has the most beautiful voice, and it carried wonderfully through Pioneer Courthouse Square. The sonically immense dream pop was perhaps my favourite show of the whole weekend. I just sat and listened.
Seriously, the closing song “Putting the Dog to Sleep” basically made me cry. The Antlers’ album was the one I went out and bought when I got home from the festival. It was so good.
If it weren’t for this show, I would have never listened to their album Burst Apart in its entirety and realized how amazing it was. This one will certainly be near the top of my list of best albums of 2011.
Once the Antlers stepped off the stage, it was again vacant for much longer than one would expect when the schedule is so behind, but whatever.
Explosions in the Sky was one band I really had no idea how I was going to like, because I haven’t heard much of their stuff, and being instrumental post-rock, it’s very subjective. I liked them surprisingly more than I thought I would. It was as the sun was setting, so quite beautiful and majestic.
I didn’t stay for the whole set, as I still had plenty more to see that night, but I have a feeling I may have gotten bored if I’d stayed the whole time because I don’t know their music that well and when something doesn’t have lyrics, it’s harder to automatically get into it.
So instead I made my way over to the Crystal Ballroom for the final time this weekend to see Avi Buffalo, who disappointed me on so many levels.
The band seemed awkward on stage. It was like they felt it was too big to they shoved over onto one side. Avi himself seemed a bit flustered, although the heat may have been playing a role (seriously it was even more excruciatingly hot in there). His guitar kept cutting out and he did not play it off well. I’ve seen plenty of musicians that have equipment trouble, and I’m always impressed when they can either brush it off and go acoustic or laugh it off with the crowd. This was not either one of those instances.
I actually told myself – two songs and I’m leaving, which was sad, because I didn’t really have any more plans for that night.
Thankfully I was hanging around with the same friend I had been with all week, and we checked the schedule – and when she saw that Yacht was playing at this place called Branx, she instantly lit up and we went on our way.
I can tell you that there could have been no better way to end the festival. It was hot again at Branx, yes, but the heat was matched by the overwhelming energy from the crowd in this tiny warehouse club. Yacht blew me away, and it made me really regret not seeing their Bumbershoot set. Thankfully, I was able to right that wrong in Portland on this particular Saturday.
The band played lots of old and newer songs, which got the crowd even more riled up. And I didn’t even know the songs that well and I was dancing until my keep felt like they were going to fall off.
So as the evening came to an end, I rested my paining feet in my air-conditioned car and made my way to Denny’s for a late night meal at 1:30 a.m. I guarantee that there were still people out their partying and enjoying what was left of the festival, but I was beat.
Beat and satisfied.
For the rest of the photos from Saturday, visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/abbigshmail/sets/72157627643564566/






















































































































