Sasquatch
Over Memorial Day weekend I went to the Sasquacth! Music Festival [exclamation point theirs]. This was an adventure to say the least. I went for two days, and camped there Saturday night. My first camping experience. Anyways, the first day started off pleasantly. We got there in time to see Architecture in Helsinki. I hadn't really listened to them before, but the performance was wonderful. Next I saw Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, and I was right up against the stage and it was satisfying as usual. Mandi pointed out that Malkmus looked like a school-teacher, which he did and it was awesome. Here's a picture Mandi took:
After Malkmus we saw Band of Horses who I have really been digging on lately. They sounded great despite long pauses in between songs. At this point, however, things started to sour. We had been sitting on my rain poncho, when some drunk-ass boys behind us spilled a beer all over Mandi and the poncho. She got up, and I threw away the poncho. IMMEDIATELY after chukcing the poncho, it started to rain. Slow at first, then a torrential downpour, then the worst and scariest hail storm I have ever been in in my life. It hailed SICK amounts and we were so unprotected. After it was finally over we were soaked to the bone (or at least through to my underpants and socks) and it was freezing. I should mention that the venue we were at was the Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA. It's really impressive and beautiful, because you're up high, literally in a Gorge, and the Columbia River flows below you. However, as you may imagine, the wind whips through a gorge just furiously, and it did the whole rest of that night.
Mandi and I left the venue and walked back to our tent which was a 20-minute hike away, so we could dry off and change. After changing we walked back to the venue. Despite the dry clothes, we were even colder than before, and just barely making it. We got in and saw the Shins (excellent) and then waited. I really wanted to leave cause I felt so cold and awful and the wind was crazy, but the next act was the Flaming Lips, who I had bought the festival tickts to see. So we waited 40 minutes just holding out for them, when a promoter came on stage and said, "uh, due to the inclement weather, Ben Harper will go on next." I don't think I've effectively mentioned yet just how insanely cold and terrible it was, but at this point my heart just sank because there was no way I could physically hold out another 2 hours for Ben Harper to finish his set before the Flaming Lips came out. So we left. And I did NOT see the Flaming Lips, although I heard they did basically everything they ever do at their shows and it was by all accounts amazing, but I wouldn't know cause I didn't see them. Let us never speak of this again.
Sunday a friendly Canadian couple gave us breakfast. There were SO MANY friendly Canadians there. They're so great. We decided to just leave late at night after the show was over instead of camping a second night, so we took down the tent and all. Sunday we saw Pretty Girls Make Graves, Nada Surf, and the Arctic Monkeys, all good sets. Before Nada Surf went on Mandi and I were wondering if they were going to play "Popular". I figured they probably didn't want to play that at all any more. But when they came out that was the very first song they played, which was kind of awesome. Next we saw the Decemberists who put on one of the most perfect sets I have ever witnessed. It was great, they sounded good, they played around with the audience, they were funny, and they seemed to really enjoy what they were doing. I was really impressed. Next we saw We Are Scientists, followed by Queens of the Stone Age. Death Cab For Cutie were wonderful--they played all my favorites and were so fucking cute. Lastly we saw Beck, which was great because everytime I think I'm tired of him, I see him again and remember how much I love that guy. He had a break-dancing awesome dude on stage, and a puppet show of the concert he was performing happening in real-time behind him. Also, he played "Do You Realize??" and it pretty much made me cry. For real.
All in all, Sasquatch was full of great performances, but it was also pretty extreme. I will never go camping again. But thank you performers for making it worth-while.
After Malkmus we saw Band of Horses who I have really been digging on lately. They sounded great despite long pauses in between songs. At this point, however, things started to sour. We had been sitting on my rain poncho, when some drunk-ass boys behind us spilled a beer all over Mandi and the poncho. She got up, and I threw away the poncho. IMMEDIATELY after chukcing the poncho, it started to rain. Slow at first, then a torrential downpour, then the worst and scariest hail storm I have ever been in in my life. It hailed SICK amounts and we were so unprotected. After it was finally over we were soaked to the bone (or at least through to my underpants and socks) and it was freezing. I should mention that the venue we were at was the Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA. It's really impressive and beautiful, because you're up high, literally in a Gorge, and the Columbia River flows below you. However, as you may imagine, the wind whips through a gorge just furiously, and it did the whole rest of that night.
Mandi and I left the venue and walked back to our tent which was a 20-minute hike away, so we could dry off and change. After changing we walked back to the venue. Despite the dry clothes, we were even colder than before, and just barely making it. We got in and saw the Shins (excellent) and then waited. I really wanted to leave cause I felt so cold and awful and the wind was crazy, but the next act was the Flaming Lips, who I had bought the festival tickts to see. So we waited 40 minutes just holding out for them, when a promoter came on stage and said, "uh, due to the inclement weather, Ben Harper will go on next." I don't think I've effectively mentioned yet just how insanely cold and terrible it was, but at this point my heart just sank because there was no way I could physically hold out another 2 hours for Ben Harper to finish his set before the Flaming Lips came out. So we left. And I did NOT see the Flaming Lips, although I heard they did basically everything they ever do at their shows and it was by all accounts amazing, but I wouldn't know cause I didn't see them. Let us never speak of this again.
Sunday a friendly Canadian couple gave us breakfast. There were SO MANY friendly Canadians there. They're so great. We decided to just leave late at night after the show was over instead of camping a second night, so we took down the tent and all. Sunday we saw Pretty Girls Make Graves, Nada Surf, and the Arctic Monkeys, all good sets. Before Nada Surf went on Mandi and I were wondering if they were going to play "Popular". I figured they probably didn't want to play that at all any more. But when they came out that was the very first song they played, which was kind of awesome. Next we saw the Decemberists who put on one of the most perfect sets I have ever witnessed. It was great, they sounded good, they played around with the audience, they were funny, and they seemed to really enjoy what they were doing. I was really impressed. Next we saw We Are Scientists, followed by Queens of the Stone Age. Death Cab For Cutie were wonderful--they played all my favorites and were so fucking cute. Lastly we saw Beck, which was great because everytime I think I'm tired of him, I see him again and remember how much I love that guy. He had a break-dancing awesome dude on stage, and a puppet show of the concert he was performing happening in real-time behind him. Also, he played "Do You Realize??" and it pretty much made me cry. For real.
All in all, Sasquatch was full of great performances, but it was also pretty extreme. I will never go camping again. But thank you performers for making it worth-while.