The New Pornographers probably have a rule about inviting people with them on tour...over the phone or by email. They can’t do it in person because those receiving the offer would either have a manic dance party, poop their pants, or hyperventilate just a little too much before they calmly reply, “uh, sure” to make it a comfortable experience. But once included in this roving troupe of indie superheros, I'm sure this person feels a sense of overwhelming gratitude to be part of something bigger than your average band. And this lends itself to a pretty rad show.
It felt strange to have a concert start in the Crystal Ballroom while the sun was still shining into the venue. But such is life in the early summer and when Imaad Wasif took the stage, he had to make due with a bit of indoor and outdoor lighting. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the first few songs were pretty rocking. Then things started to delve into the crazy-long, esoteric solos and general noise chaos. Standing on an amp facing away from the crowd, he just played and played for himself. I hope he had a good time, because the audience seemed lukewarm. I caught myself watching the sunlight slowly disappear. The music seemed appropriate for making the afternoon drone on forever, but what I really wanted was the nighttime, and for the show to go full tilt.
The Dodos, supporting last year’s Time to Die, had the sweet and charming stage presence I’d been craving. Aside from being cute as all hell, they felt like a tight band aiming to please themselves and the crowd. Logan Kroeber is just a great drummer, even though I couldn’t see if he had a tambourine taped to his kit as has been seen at other shows. From Logan to the tinkly vibraphone and Meric’s happy little bobbing while playing, it felt like the true beginning of a great night. This was the first point I wished the concert was outside so the music could just dance with the sky. I wanted to be sitting on the grass listening, but it still felt like a special moment.
They smiled and interacted with the audience and it was impressive to see a band - that is only going up - have so much fun playing their music. This attitude gained them a lot of love from a crowd that seemed as into their stage style as they were with the music. The number of people swelled as their set continued until it achieved "packed" status about midway through the Dodos' set. That's where it stayed for the remainder of the evening. Everyone seemed happy and when they come back to Portland in September, I'm totally there.
A mushy-gushy lovefest could explain who the New Pornographers are and why they are important to now and future music makers, fun and a damn great band. But let’s just cut that part out and say it was clear that these people are the varsity team of rock. The stage was barely big enough to contain them physically; present and accounted for were 2 guitars, a bass, 2 keyboards, harmonica, tambourine, saxophone, cello and drums. The vibe was just a happy one; it sounds banal but I promise it was like we’d all stumbled onto some sort of barn party where people came and left the stage for various songs and clapped and sang along even when they weren’t needed on the mic. And speaking of clapping, when Carl asked the packed crowd to clap along to a ‘song with kind of a funny beat’ the audience obliged. For the entire song. Afterward, the band seemed impressed and commented that we were the first crowd to stick through the whole song. Portland impressed the New Pornos? *blush* Carl said we had the beat, which lead to a quick Neko-Kurt-audience sing-a-long of The Go-Go's song of the same name.
Even just talking in between songs, Neko Case has a voice that I wish would just dub out everyone else I have to interact with. And to be fair, Kathryn Calder showed she was more than just a niece and deserved her place on stage. Their vocal interactions were a major highlight to hear. And here again, I wished the Crystal had a roll-back roof so that true air and night could come play. The tight songs and whimsy of the stage banter showed the band is just damn solid and comfortable in their skin. Another highlight came after some chattering about “The Thong Song” (they must have read my summer anthem piece!), when Kurt started pumping out an impromptu version of the song in falsetto, and then just jumped into the next song. It was both enjoyable and impressive.
There was also a noticeable lack of attrition as the evening went on, including waiting for the encore -- if you weren't enjoying the show it was your own damn fault (and few people were at fault). Portland indeed has the beat and the power to woo a new porno or two, but we were all under their spell until the house lights blinked on.
