June 21, 2010
Monday at Sasquatch 2010

New Pornographers ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons
The final day of multi-day events are always the hardest. You wake up tired from not sleeping in your own bed, hungry for a real meal, and somewhat skeptical of your ability to make the most of your ticket price. In fact, loud music is about the last thing you want to experience with a killer hangover. And the looming drive back home is always to be considered. At this point though, lasting through the entire is a badge of honor. Exhaustion be damned.
Mayer Hawthorne eased us into our Monday afternoon at the mainstage, a sweet musical start from the DJ turned soul revivalist. His entire hour feels like a greatest hits set from the Motown era in performance and style. Barsuk Records’ Phantogram was one of the few bands I’ve been itching to see live, and they proved their chops, coming out sounding just as good overlooking the windswept Gorge as on record.
Now that I’ve heard the Seattle Rock Orchestra doing Arcade Fire, I’m afraid even the Arcade Fire will now sound hollow. With help from an energized Kaylee Cole, The Head and the Heart’s Josiah Johnson, Hooves and Beak’s Whitney Flinn, and Shenandoah Davis, more than a few unsuspecting festival goers were heard pleasantly bewildered that they’d thought it was actually the Arcade Fire. Even if it wasn’t the real thing, the steadily growing crowd sang along all the same.
Once 5 o’clock rolled around, it was time to rock. The pair of bands scheduled to close the smallest stage were more than the pair of allocated security persons were bargaining for. Or rather the feverish front row of full service festival goers were more than they’d bargained for. From the very beginning of Japandroids’ spirited set, it was clear that the flimsy barrier in place wasn’t going to cut it. Reinforcements came, only to be unworthy of the task, so even more were called in. The funny thing of it was, probably only 50 people max were making all the ruckus, causing seven security guards to sweat.
The crowd wasn’t the only drama of the Japandroids’ Sasquatch set. The band was barely able to play, and yet were determined to take the stage because they had had to cancel their Sasquatch set last year. This year they were contending with a return trip from Europe, during the course of which a certain airline mis-routed their instruments. For a band who has an extensive amp and drum setup this curveball wasn’t trivial, but with the help of friends they ended up playing the set with borrowed instruments. And despite taking the stage in less than great moods, the it ended up being a rewarding and memorable appearance. If anything the heightened emotions on display gave their set a needed edge I missed last time they swung through town.
No Age who followed actually ended up being louder than Japandroids (which I didn’t expect) and put to shame my expectations for what kind of band they were. The three piece churned out a set that was loud but also musical. Indie-rockish even. For some reason I thought they were basically another Wavves. I hadn’t envisioned them as any thing more than loosely melodic noise and I was instead struck by how modern and not at all arbitrary the music was. It was music! My bad.
Though I may not find the newest album by Band of Horses as compelling as their previous two records, the Ben Bridwell led live show is without a doubt made for the mainstage. Bridwell is a man of big motions and big emotions, almost as if he was naturally suited for that kind of attention. And in the context of rest of BOH’s catalog, no matter how much I or anyone else might hate, the new songs fit right in with the old favorites.
With the three hour drive ahead of us, New Pornographers were decided as our final band of the weekend. The pink dusk washed the Canadian mega-group in the best natural light of the three days, a companion glow to the shimmering upbeat harmonies of a band that should’ve probably been given the honor of a mainstage spot. When thinking about significant bands from the last decade who are in their own class and will be remembered, the New Pornographers quickly come to mind. I’m never disappointed to see a set of theirs.
As we chased the pink sun west, looking forward to the embrace of our own decrepit but familiar beds, I was surprised to admit that this edition of Sasquatch! was one of the most memorable festival experiences I’ve had, in an almost completely positive way. With great talent pulling together quality performances, good interactions with just about everyone we encountered, and threatening but ultimately acceptable weather, 2010’s Sasquatch will be remembered for more than a hailstorm or a windstorm making everyone miserable.
It will be remembered for Public Enemy being too much of a group for the “Solar Stage” and overloading the speakers. It will be remembered for Vampire Weekend owning the mainstage and starting a dance party, signaling a fulfillment of hype. It will be remembered for the National right before them, finally getting their chance at the Gorge mainstage and doing the same in their own way. It will be remembered for the young man who decided to propose to his girlfriend on stage during Fresh Espresso’s set, right before “Bitches I Have Come Here For My Money.” And we will never forget seeing the Local Natives perform to thousands just a year after the performed for us and a handful of people in Seattle. A three day music festival may be exhausting, but when it is as good as Sasquatch 2010 was, every ache and missed hour of sleep is well worth it.

Band of Horses ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Dr. Dog ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Sasquatch! ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth
More after the jump…
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