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