The previously beloved waterfront festival of Portland made a return this summer featuring a diverse lineup and cheap beer by the truck load.
The event seemingly drew in every tattooed, mulleted, indie rock enjoying 22 – 32 year old in the city with an extra $220 to spare for a ticket. The crowd shifted back and forth between the two stages in the festival space, stopping now and then for a $5 16 oz PBR or a slice of pizza from Atlas Pizza’s truck. The sun beat down heavily, reflecting off of the sandy ground where Doc Martens sent dust into the air.
The first performance I caught was La Luz on the Unicorn Stage at 2:00 pm. The group delivered a pleasant show that made the heat bearable. Lead singer Shana Cleveland remarked that the band woke up in Chicago that morning and were surprised to find out they would be playing so early in the day. And there I was, unable to make it on time after waking up a mere two hours away!
As La Luz wrapped up I migrated with the rest of the media attendees to the other end of the grounds for my first performance at the main stage. Next up was Dehd. As a long time fan of Dehd’s, this is a set I was excited to catch and they delivered. The three-piece band’s surf-rock, post-punk sound carried far and dominated the crowd. Heads bopped in the crowd and beer continued to flow. I was especially impressed by Jason Balla’s enthusiasm on guitar.
As Dehd ended, I took a break in one of the many shaded sections of the festival near the outer fences. I watched as the crowd moseyed back to the Unicorn stage and stragglers wandered to the mist tent and lit cigarettes. The grungy associations of the Pabst brand were not lost on the event organizers. Shannon and the Clams sound off in the distance while I prepare myself for my last set of day one.
STRFKR, a group described to me by friends as “that band I listened to for a bit in high school” was up next. I wasn’t as familiar with their work so I was interested to see what the Portland locals had to offer. I was greeted by a strange display. Backup dancers dressed in all-gold and masks, dancing as if they had recently consumed psychedelics accompanied the equally psyched-up Joshua Hodges who seemingly led the group. Their sound was bold, and brought a Portland edge to dance music. The crowd began to skew older at STRFKR’s set and continued to age in time for Violent Femmes and Billy Idol as I headed for the exit.
The second day began for me with Soccer Mommy. Her classically beautiful voice charmed me and the rest of the crowd. She played with a five-piece band and delivered the indie rock vibes I had a feeling that most of the younger audience bought these tickets for.
The vibes changed quickly when Jeff Rosenstock came on. His performance aligned with media happy hour so I found myself preoccupied with free beer and conversation, but caught the performance from a nearby tent. It appeared that Rosenstock brought in some die hard fans who got rowdy at the barricade.
Manchester Orchestra delivered a no frills rock performance to a crowd who may or may not have known their music. Regardless, they surely gained a few new fans that night (myself included). To me they have always fallen into the category of “oh yeah I think I’ve heard of them”.
The two main events of the weekend for me were still yet to come. First up was Denzel Curry. By this time, everyone was properly sloshed. He came in hot and the audience was ready to match his energy.
Last came Big Thief. Given Adrianne Lenker’s success in her solo career and Big Theif’s lack of North American shows this year, I expected a large and energetic crowd. The recent exit of bassist Max Oleartchik combined with their debut of ten new songs at the festival seem to signal a new era for Big Thief. The new material was heavier than some of the bands bigger hits such as Vampire Empire.
Project Pabst packed a punch and I expect it to gain traction and hopefully a more succinct lineup in the coming years. Low food and alcohol prices, shade, and big names made it worth it in my eyes, although I could not imagine forking over the requested ticket price. The event certainly has room to grow and the positive energy that guests brought tells me it will accumulate a decent fanbase.
