Showdate: July 23, 2009
After watching the second couple walking on the sidewalk in a conjoined stagger I thought:
Why are so many people drunked up?
With the previous thought:
Why is parking such a shitshow?
Saw the sign: OREGON BREWERS FESTIVAL
all is revealed.
Dante’s is a nice hang. Right on Burnside, KEEP PORTLAND WEIRD on the side, and stiff drinks at a reasonable price. Combined with the cool stage setup and decent sound, can’t go wrong.
Let’s get to the good stuff. Band of Skulls is the first repeat band on Year Of The Show. For good reason too. This is the first band in ages that I have been all evangelical about. You gotta hear this, you have to see them…it is the stripped down sound I think. Straight ahead rock n roll, really. In this ALT+TAB, crackberry era they make me take pause and enjoy.
Russell Marsden (vox, guitar) is left, Matt Heyward (drums), and Emma Richardson is your right (bass).
First show of this North American tour. Lot more energy than last time.
Show opens with “Light Of The Morning”. People (well there are only about 30-40 of us) get to dancing right away. Next up: “I Know What I Am”. Any remaining holdouts who weren’t coming up to the stage are now here.
Next two songs are “Death by Diamonds and Pearls” and “Patterns”. Crazy, crazy. Those 4 songs. I’m listening to them now. Why this band doesn’t have huge buzz I don’t know. Listen, cmon. It’ll save your soul. Hallelujah.
As I am leaving I hear Russell talking to the guitarist from one of the opening acts “We’re gonna have to do this again.”.
Bloody right.
Set list:
LIGHT OF THE MORNING
I KNOW WHAT I AM
DEATH BY DIAMONDS AND PEARLS
PATTERNS
FIRES
COLD FAME
HOLLYWOOD BOWL
BLOOD
IMPOSSIBLE
