Sometimes it's clear that a crowd is only at a show for one band, even if that band is not the headliner. This requires a band to be so awesome that all the bands playing with them seem unnecessary and tiresome by comparison. On Saturday night, that band was Powerglove, the ultimate video-game-speed-metal cover band.
The bands that played before them were generic metal fare. Two Portland locals started the set, with Von Doom up first with cut-and-paste metal followed by Beyond The Red Horizon, which gave us more of the same. Conducting The Grave, a non-local act, didn't stand out either, only there to remind the crowd that breakdowns and drop-D tuning are the standards of metal.
Finally, Powerglove took the stage. Powerglove is a band that commands your attention in Koopa shell armor, from the first epic note of the X-Men theme song to the last moment of their Mario Medley. The set included songs from classic video games including Mario, Zelda, Tetris, and Mortal Kombat; all were covered in triumphant power-metal style. Headliners Arsis had a tough act to follow as they took the stage, and the diminishing crowd during their set proved that Powerglove was the real star of the show.