Review: Sasquatch Music Festival 2015
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Oh the eve of my fortieth birthday, I've attended more shows this year than any prior, and I'm not halfway through the year. I'd even discussed attending Coachella, Sasquatch! or other music festival this year, but dismissed the idea because of the cost. When KINK radio was on the air early last Friday morning, the day Sasquatch! started, they announced they had tickets to give away. I knew my problem was solved. I had supreme confidence. And I was selected to win.
I arrived at the festival just in time for the only rainfall of the weekend. Setting up my tent I was reminded of my aversion to camping. Then the reality of the environment set it.
If MTV ever made a "Real Life" focused on a refugee camp, a festival campground would surely be their set. I'm told ours was not an atypical experience. Parking attendants were helping direct campers into a sliver of space, tents were flying, the air was rife with the smell of colitis, shots of any variety of liquor were being offered up - and all too often the offering was cinnamon whiskey. Hey, when in Rome....
Oh and there was music. Did I mention that? While we lightly sampled music on the walk to listen to Of Monsters and Men was a great start to the weekend. The vocals sounded so comparable to what you hear on the radio, those sitting near me pondered aloud whether it was pre-recorded.
Having just seen Sleater Kinney perform at the Crystal Ballroom, I was excited to see another performance. They were the main act to close out the first night. Portland bands, by the way, dominated the lineup, billed by some as the best Sasquatch! ever. Sleater Kinney managed to start with a decent sized crowd but fully half of the crowd was gone within the first few songs. Why? It felt like a very rote performance. They were punching a clock. A performer known as Flume on a secondary stage may not have stole the show but very easily stole the crowd. As the audience ebbed to the other stage, the energy went with it. Sleater Kinney's sound, much better confined to a small venue, was lost in the enormity of the gorge.
After the long trek back to camp, we looked forward to a good night of sleep. The rain had stopped and the wind whipped everything dry. Approaching 1:30 am it became fairly clear the party atmosphere would allow no such thing. While "quiet hours" in the campground are ostensibly from 2-8 am, things didn't quiet down until the sun was up and maybe stayed quiet for an hour.
Shortly after the camp started to come back to life, an unsettling rumor spread through. Rescue trucks speeding by confirmed something had occurred. A 19 year old, had driven through several tents, injuring four enough to need medical treatment. One remains hospitalized.
The first act of Saturday of note was a fairly new artist named Benjamin Booker. Booker's debut album was barely 18 months ago so it was a surely an honor for to take the main stage at Sasquatch!. Throughout the day attendees were treated to performances by many well known bands at the Sasquatch Stage and in introduced to musicians still on their way up at some of the smaller stages. It was admittedly a punch line many of the lesser known bands played the Uranus stage.
Dilated Peoples were huge draw on the Bigfoot stage, the second largest stage at the Gorge. That stage included Father John Misty and many more throughout the day.
Meanwhile the Decemberists lit up the Sasquatch Stage as the sun in the gorge went down. Their performance, led by the dapper and newly bearded Colin Meloy, lit the crowd afire, drawing and retaining a much larger crowd than Sleater Kinney. The energy and crowd only grew with the nights headliners, Modest Mouse. And that's just the first two days, folks.
Sunday and Monday didn't disappoint. St. Vincent put on the most energetic, if dramatic, performance of the day. After crowd surfing she spent what felt like minutes both lying limp on stage and trying to adjust her ear pieces. Shakey Graves thrilled the crowd. Lana Del Rey had the penultimate performance on the main stage Sunday, leaving many in awe. Del Rey has been panned in the past for being a lackluster live performer. Her show on Saturday was nothing short of extraordinary.
The final performer of the night on the Sasquatch! Stage was none other than Robert Plant. I've been a Led Zeppelin fan since I was in my mid-teens. I have wide musical interests. There is no group I've wanted to see more than Zeppelin. But Robert Plant himself? Not so much. I enjoy his music, but not in the same way. Plant begun the night pointing out most in the crowd weren't yet alive the last time he performed in the area. They dove straight into Led Zeppelin songs. The vast majority of songs he and his band performed were Zeppelin hits. I was a a very happy boy.
Sasquatch!, like any other music festival, is like anything else in life. It is what you make of it. This trip was a frugal one. I didn't spend $15 to buy a beer inside the concert venues. No thanks. The commercialism of the festival was in itself a turnoff. $3 for water. $5 for a bag of ice. $15.99 for a six pack of Blue Moon at the campground. We made it our own weekend. We have great beverages. We cooked good food. We became friendly with many neighbors. Should you attend a similar show. My goodness yes. If you hate it, don't go again. Heck, leave early. But try it once.
Oh and to my friends who may see this and have an expectation I may start camping: not a chance. Unless of course it comes with a free music festival ticket. Then I'll drive. As for now? I'm still pining for a good shower.....
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