Sasquatch! Music Festival turned 10 years old this year, and the celebratory party that ensued would have been considered wildly inappropriate for a 10-year-old of any other kind. Perhaps due to this anniversary, 2011 marked the first year that the festival ran for four days, and this seemed fitting considering that there would be 105 acts putting on shows over the Memorial Day weekend. To put this in context, the first year's line-up consisted of seven bands and only lasted for one day. Under that lens, the fact that Adam Zacks has expanded the festival into what it is today seems like an achievement that deserved the revelry all 25,000 attendees were more than happy to participate in.
There were only a few bands performing this first night of Sasquatch! 2011, and this included the reunited Death From Above 1979. While waiting for their turn to start, we bore witness to The Bronx, and their show was bad enough that I don’t feel like I need to say any more than that. At the end of the night, Portland’s DJ Anjali and The Incredible Kid played the first of what was to be four showings over the weekend, and they did it with hyped-up grace and copious levels of attitude. Theirs was a great set that featured more than just the Bollywood beats they’re known for - read: some dirty rap and poppy beats.
Prior to the Foo Fighters set, an announcer came onto the Main Stage and reminded everyone of the festival's birthday, which then led to a cake being brought out a cake (it was made by Food Network’s Ace of Cakes) and a rendition of "Happy Birthday" sung by the crowd and festival performer Sharon Van Etten. Day One was definitely a successful one, giving a shortened introduction to the audacious celebration yet to come.
