It is hard to walk away from a Mason Jennings show not liking him. Scruffy, sure! Twang, no doubt. But there is a familiarity in his voice that pretty much pleases everyone.
The Crash Kings opened and it was surprising how accessible and yet still interesting they were. With a Ben Folds Five set-up but a Maroon 5 sound, these guys rocked through their set to a small but into-it crowd. Opening bands often suffer the fate of low attendance, but Crash Kings could likely be a band to watch out for.
When Mason took the stage, the bevy of girls around the ballroom collectively screamed with excitement and then did a fluttery little sigh. With untamed waves of hair and a plaid shirt with rolled-up sleeves he could have been modeling chainsaws . . . or swooning girls. His back-up band was composed of two gents, each wearing their own man-cardigan. The fashion of the evening laid mostly on the stage which felt unusual for a Portland audience; Mason clearly brings out the adventurers and the lovers. Northface and hiking boots won out over leggings and ankle boots.
What hit hard was the fact that all these 20- and 30-somethings were rocking out to music that undoubtably would have been revered by our grandparents. Never quite too rock, but never quite country, and with plenty of wit and the tart truths of love and loss, Mason is indeed a charmer. Playing a solid mix of old and new song, the crowd delighted in the happy-end revenge fantasy of “Your New Man” and the catchy “Soldier Boy” and “Memphis, Tennessee.” All in all, a night rife with happy sounds and a wish for one last open-road adventure before we succumb to autumn.
