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