Friday, September 7, 2012
Beirut @ Pioneer Courthouse Square
The show was just as magical as I thought it would be. In retrospect, I think I might have suffered from some mild shock. It didn't really sink in that I was front and center for Beirut until the next day, really. The band announced that this show would be their last one in the U.S. for this year, so talk about being in the right place at the right time! :D
This video shows the encore ukelele solo followed by one of my favorite songs: Carousels. This song started it all for me. I waited all night to hear it and they saved it for last. How cool is that? ;P As you can imagine, I freaked the f*ck out like a seven year old girl. Haha. Hey, man. I really like that song. What can I say? Sorry about the crappy sound quality. I didn't have a high quality video camera. :F
Fort Lean @ Branx
These guys rock. They're such incredible musicians. I really enjoyed the show and so did my friend, apparently. After it was over, he turned to me and said, "these guys are amazing!" He had never heard of this band before that night, so I was super happy to expose him to this new sound. After all, everybody knows: New music is awesome. :D
Future Islands @ Branx
It was so damn hot in Branx. I mean, like three saunas or something. There wasn't a bit of air conditioning... Not even a fan! Sam was soaked. I was soaked. Everyone was just pouring sweat, but we all kept dancing like it didn't matter.
Watching Sam move, you couldn't help but start to move, too. His aura was infectious. You could feel each and every emotion he wanted to convey, from the dark, intense songs to the more uplifting songs like this one. He wore his heart on his sleeve. When he felt pain, you could feel it, too. When he felt joy, you were right there with him in his happiness. It helped that he physically drew people into him. He would lean in and stare right at you, intensely...just right into your eyes. During those times, I felt like I didn't even know where I was. Haha. He had me under his spell for sure, man. It was crazy.
Of all the shows from MFNW, this is the one that left the greatest impression on me...and I'm surprised about that. I wasn't expecting such a turn of events. This video doesn't showcase it very well, but Sam Herring's got a lot of moves! I mean he can REALLY dance. It was so great just watching him. It was truly what one could call a "performance." I would see him play live again in a heart beat.
Also can I just ask, do black people in Portland like indie music? I was literally the only brown soul at pretty much every show. A little intimidating. However, don't worry you guys! Haha. I'm happy to represent! Actually, everyone at the shows (for the most part, there were one or two anomalies) were super respectful and really nice. I found people in Portland to be some of the nicest people ever. It was scary how nice people were. Hehe. I just wasn't used to it, I guess...
