Albert Hammond Jr./Rathborne - Hawthorne Theatre

Albert Hammond Jr. - Hawthorne Theatre

Polica/Marijuana Deathsquads - Wonder Ballroom

Polica - Wonder Ballroom

Marijuana Deathsquads - Wonder Ballroom

Thomas Dolby - Alberta Rose Theatre

Thomas Dolby brought his "Invisible Lighthouse" documentary to town, and gave us a live performance with narration, soundtrack and foley as accompaniment.  His special guest for the night was Storm Large, who gave us a rendition of "The Key to Her Ferrari."  I loved the female-viewpoint comeback that was added to "Airhead," and the live percussion programming for "Hyperactive."

Thomas Dolby with Storm Large - Alberta Rose Theatre

Nine Inch Nails/Explosions in the Sky - Moda Center

Trent Reznor always gives a full-on performance and this time was no different.

Nine Inch Nails - Moda Center

Explosions in the Sky - Moda Center

Cults/Sacco/Mood Rings/Gallop - Wonder Ballroom

Cults - Wonder Ballroom

Minor Alps/Upsidedown - Hawthorne Theatre

This was the second ever live show by Minor Alps. Juliana Hatfield and Matthew Caws took the stage with just two guitars, a small keyboard and some backing drum tracks.  That's all they needed.

Minor Alps - Hawthorne Theatre

Mazzy Star/Entrance Band/Mariee Sioux - Crystal Ballroom

Charli XCX/Kitten/Liz - Star Theater

The surprise of the show was when Charli performed "I Love It," a song which she had written, but which had made Icona Pop famous.  The funnest moment was when Chloe of Kitten joined Charli on stage during the encore for a cover of Bow Wow Wow's "I Want Candy."

Charli XCX - Star Theater

Kitten - Star Theater

Widowspeak/Pure Bathing Culture - Bunk Bar

Widowspeak - Bunk Bar

Pure Bathing Culture - Bunk Bar

Boy - Doug Fir Lounge

Boy - Doug Fir Lounge

The Naked and Famous/Colourist - Roseland Theater

The Naked and Famous - Roseland Theater

Metric/Battleme - Roseland Theater

Portland got lucky.  Metric was the supporting act on the Paramore tour, but they were skipping over Portland.  With a fortuitous gap in the tour schedule, Metric booked a one-off headlining show at the Roseland.  With the freedom afforded by playing a smaller concert outside of a regular tour, Metric brought out a fair number of their older songs.  The crowd ate it up and the show was fantastic.

Metric - Roseland Theater

Lucius/Great Wilderness - Bunk Bar

This was Lucius' first time in Portland, and they put on a great show with wonderful energy.  It was really fun when they did their final encore song in the middle of the crowd.  This was also the first time ever that they had copies of their upcoming record for sale.

Lucius - Bunk Bar

Wild Ones/Minden/Paper Brain - Doug Fir Lounge

Wild Ones - Doug Fir Lounge

Stereophonics/The Wind + the Wave/Eric John Kaiser - Wonder Ballroom

Stereophonics - Wonder Ballroom

Peter Hook and the Light - Wonder Ballroom

Peter Hook gave a fantastic performance of the classic New Order albums "Movement" and "Power Corruption and Lies." It was wonderful to hear these songs, especially "Your Silent Face" and "Leave Me Alone."  The highlight for me was "Temptation," which was included in the encore.

Peter Hook - Wonder Ballroom

The big surprise of the show was that the band advertised as the opener, Slaves of Venus, was actually Peter Hook and the Light playing a set of Joy Division songs. I can't ever recall having seen a band serving as their own support act. The best part of the support set was hearing "Isolation" and "Dead Souls" back-to-back.

Surfer Blood/AgesandAges/Wild Ones - Star Theater

This was a Musicfest NW show.

Surfer Blood - Star Theater

Surfer Blood's music has a definite surf rock feel.  However, once the vocals kick in, I instinctively try to discern which britpop band I am listening to.  So I was surprised to learn that the band is made up of a bunch of kids from Florida.  Despite their apparent youth, they gave the crowd an energetic and practiced show.  Well done!

Joy Formidable/On An On/Lost Lander - Roseland Theater

This was a Musicfest NW show.

Joy Formidable - Roseland Theater

Once again, Joy Formidable gave us a powerful and amazing set.  I only wish that they had played for more than the hour that they were allotted.

Chvrches/xxyyxx - Roseland Theater

This was a Musicfest NW show.

Chvrches - Roseland Theater

Who knew Chvrches were so popular?  The band had not released their debut album and yet they managed to pack the Roseland.  I must admit that their popularity was well deserved.  They gave a great performance, and the new material they played was strong.

Breeders/Tweens - Wonder Ballroom

The LSXX tour was a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the release of the classic album "Last Splash."  A lineup of the band which had last played on stage in 1994 reunited for this tour.  In the intervening years, at least Kim, Kelley and Josephine had been involved in notable side projects, and Kim had also toured with the Breeders and the Pixies.  However, even after all this time, there was still a lot of chemistry and humor shared among the band members.  It was quite a treat to see the entirety of "Last Splash" performed, including a second playing of "Drivin' on 9" following the breaking of a violin string during the first attempt.  Fantastic!

Breeders - Wonder Ballroom

Whirr/Nothing - Bunk Bar

There had been complaints that Whirr had chosen to tour without either of their vocalists.  I had to agree with those who responded that it didn't make a difference whether the vocalists were there or not - the band put forth a powerful sonic wall that made vocals irrelevant.  The band members used their entire bodies to force tsunami waves of sound from their instruments.  Despite the extreme loudness of the music, there was a pleasing melodic quality to the songs that had the crowd mesmerized.

Whirr - Bunk Bar

Nothing - Bunk Bar

Best Coast/Lovely Bad Things - Hawthorne Theatre

A few years ago, Best Coast rode a wave of hype based on their song "Boyfriend," but I just could not get into that song.  Recently, I have been quite enjoying their song "The Only Place," which I have been hearing repeatedly in television commercials for Microsoft's Windows 8.  Based on the strength of that song, I decided to catch their latest tour when they stopped in town.  I quite enjoyed their performance, and only wished that I could have gotten into them sooner.

Best Coast - Hawthorne Theatre

Kopecky Family Band/Said the Whale/Evan Donohue - Mississippi Studios

I went out to support hometown band Said the Whale, and I thought that they did a great job.  There seemed to be a few other Canadians in the crowd, from the conversations I overheard.  It's always nice to see young Canadians getting exposure in America.

Said the Whale - Mississippi Studios

Band of Horses/Sera Cahoone/S (Jenn Ghetto) - Crystal Ballroom

Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses recounted how he saw so many great shows at the Crystal Ballroom when he lived in Portland.  He must really love the venue because this was the fourth time I had seen them perform here.  I was surprised at the large number of women and girls in the crowd - I had always considered the band to be a harder rock band.  However, while I was enjoying the songs, I realized that the pacing of many of the songs gave them a ballady, whistful feel that might appeal to the fairer sex.  Hearing songs from throughout the band's full catalog was a pleasure.

Band of Horses - Crystal Ballroom

What is with the band name S?  I enjoyed the songs, but S does not Google well...

Postal Service/Big Freedia - Rose Garden

Years ago, when I first learned of the Postal Service, it was too late to get into their way beyond sold-out shows at the Bottom of the Hill.  Their hit song "Such Great Heights" had a particular special meaning for me, and I was disappointed to not be able to see them.  When Ben Gibbard toured in 2007, Jenny Lewis joined him for some West Coast dates, so I had already sorta seen a few live Postal Service songs (Ben & Jenny, 2007).  So, when the band decided to do a tenth anniversary tour, and play their Portland date at the Rose Garden (an arena-sized venue), I wasn't convinced that I wanted to go.

Postal Service - Rose Garden

However, I caught the band's Coachella set on the live stream, and it got me excited to see them.  I managed to snag a cheap GA Floor ticket on Craigslist, so that made it even better.  I was fairly close to the stage, so the venue size did not bother me too much. And of course, they played all their hits (and every other song they had).  In the end, I was grateful that I got the chance to see them play their full set, and I very much enjoyed the concert.  Music made in bedrooms can sometimes translate surprisingly well to large venues.

Oh yes, the Postal Service loves Big Freedia!

Jimmy Eat World/X Ambassadors - Crystal Ballroom

I was surprised by how young some of the audience members were.  It seemed that I was standing in a part of the crowd full of fans who knew every word to every song (and for whom Jimmy Eat World was their favorite band in the world). The enthusiasm of these fans added some extra excitement to the concert.  The funniest part of the show was a cover of Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together."  My favorite part of the show was the back-to-back performance of "A Praise Chorus" and "Sweetness."

Jimmy Eat World - Crystal Ballroom

Camera Obscura/Marissa Nadler - Crystal Ballroom

Camera Obscura returned to Portland in support of their latest album "Desire Lines," which they had recorded in town.  As they started their set, the sun was still peeking through the windows of the Crystal Ballroom  The band talked about hitting all of their favorite places while they could.  Their performance was relaxed and polished, and the audience was appreciative of songs new and old.

Camera Obscura - Crystal Ballroom

Dandy Warhols/Shivas - Wonder Ballroom

Being a Portland band, the Dandy Warhols seem to play a lot of shows in the city, especially around the holidays each year.  I always mean to go see them, but it had been quite a few years since I had actually gotten off my ass to go to one of their shows.  For the 13th anniversary of their album "13 Tales from Urban Bohemia," the band decided to play a tour featuring the entire album (and more!).  Since I love full-album performances, I made sure I caught one of their shows, and I didn't regret it.  For some reason, their live performances always seem to be able to transport me to another place.  And it was a bonus seeing Zia going aggro on the security guys.

Dandy Warhols - Wonder Ballroom

Lights/Judd Wasserman - Aladdin Theater

A great acoustic show from Lights. With the acoustic arrangements being quieter than the usual electronic arrangements, her vocal talents really impressed.  Talk of toonies, Toronto earthquakes and G-20 riots gave a nice Canadian flavor to the show.  Bonuses were covers of Bjork's "Joga" and U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For."

Lights - Aladdin Theater

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Wonder Ballroom

I loitered around outside the Wonder Ballroom without a ticket to this show, which had sold out at the last minute.  After a couple failed attempts at obtaining a ticket from people with extras, a nice dude came up to me and asked if I needed a ticket.  Yes, of course!  It turns out his wife was not feeling well, and had decided to stay at home.  The dude was in a rush to get into the show (the opening band had already finished their set), so he didn't even want any cash for the ticket.  Thanks dude!

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Wonder Ballroom

Daughter/Jeremy Messersmith - Doug Fir Lounge

I had a great time taking John and Jennifer to this wonderful venue.

Daughter - Doug Fir Lounge

Purity Ring/Blue Hawaii - Roseland Theater

Purity Ring sold out the Roseland for this post-Coachella appearance.  The young Canadians did a great job of bringing their unique sounds to an enthusiastic crowd.  The audience was even younger than the band, leaving me as the oldest person in my vicinity, by far!

Purity Ring - Roseland Theater

New Order/Johnny Marr - Boulevard Pool at the Cosmopolitan

New Order and Johnny Marr put on an amazing pre-Coachella show to a packed house of ardent fans.  To top it all off, we also got to hear from Joy Division, Electronic and the Smiths.  On this night, when we were told that we were about to hear an old song, it meant a song from a previous band.  Johnny Marr played "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before," "There is a Light That Never Goes Out," and "How Soon is Now" from the Smiths, and "Getting Away With It" from Electronic (although Bernard Sumner did not come out to join him as one would expect).  New Order gave us "Isolation," "Atmosphere," "Transmission," and "Love Will Tear Us Apart," along with images of Ian Curtis.

New Order - Boulevard Pool at the Cosmopolitan

New Order's set covered their entire catalog, from "Ceremony" to "Krafty."  I loved hearing "Your Silent Face" and "5.8.6."  Before they played "World," Bernard told us that it would be the first time that they would be performing it since they wrote the song all those years ago.  With so many great songs over so many years, it was truly a concert to remember.

Johnny Marr - Boulevard Pool at the Cosmopolitan

Spiritualized - Wonder Ballroom

A spaceman came through town on the way to Coachella.  He brought his shiny silver shoes and his merry band of astral troubadours.  He blew us away with his space operatics, and even gave us "I Think I'm in Love."  Wondrous.

Spiritualized - Wonder Ballroom

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark/Diamond Rings - Wonder Ballroom

OMD returned to the Wonder Ballroom, fulfilling a promise they had made the last time they came through Portland.  This show occurred on the eve of the release of their latest album, and they played a few future hits during their set.  Andy commented that their songs covered material ranging from the paintings of Van Gogh to the passage of Voyager I through the magnetosphere of Jupiter.  Although I never got to dance to "If You Leave" at my prom (since the song was not released until after I had graduated), I could still relate to the sentiment.  "Every couple years in Portland, you can recreate your youth."

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Wonder Ballroom

English Beat - Wonder Ballroom

I had never seen the English Beat before (even though I had seen General Public way back in the day), so I thought I would finally check them out.  They seem to tour every year or two, so I had never felt any urgency to attend any of their shows.  Dave Wakeling and his band put on a fun show, filled with hits from the Beat and from General Public.  They still have a strong fan base from the old days, and it was great to see so many people show up on a Sunday night.

English Beat - Wonder Ballroom

Joy Formidable/Guards - Wonder Ballroom

Joy Formidable put on an amazingly energetic show at the Wonder Ballroom.  Singer/guitarist Ritzy bounced around the stage like a whirling dervish.  The open stage setup really allowed a lot of running and jumping during the non-vocal segments of each song.  Trying to get a decent photo of the action was quite the challenge.

Joy Formidable - Wonder Ballroom

Guards - Wonder Ballroom

Silent Film - Mississippi Studios

A Silent Film returned to Mississippi Studios to promote their latest album "Sand & Snow."  The show coincided with the birthday of Spencer, the band's drummer.  In addition to the traditional crowd sing-a-long of "Happy Birthday," there was a surprise birthday cake brought on stage.  This was the first time that I got to eat birthday cake at a concert, and it made the show even more fun than the band's fantastic performance.

Silent Film - Mississippi Studios

Ben Folds Five - Roseland Theater

Ben Folds Five made the last stop of their tour in Portland, and the reunited trio treated the crowd to a rousing performance.  There were many older Ben Folds Five songs, including "Brick", which I thought they were never going to perform live again.  We heard some funny anecdotes about Steven/Stephen, and the crowd screamed for the return of their black t-shirts.  The band avoided songs from Ben Folds' solo period, so no suburbs were rocked.  All in all, an entertaining evening.

Ben Folds Five - Roseland Theater

Keane/Youngblood Hawke - Crystal Ballroom

Keane opened their North American tour in support of their latest album with a date at the historic Crystal Ballroom.  They split their set between big hits from their earlier albums and cuts from the fantastic "Strangeland."  Keane gave a solid performance, and fed off the great crowd energy.  The audience skewed heavily female and older, and the band really appreciated the enthusiastic response from the crowd.

Keane - Crystal Ballroom