Janes Addiction Sasquatch 2009

Aw, Janes. I loved every minute of the set. Right up to the end when I realized that Perry Ferrell, Dave Navarro and I are none of us the young chickens we were when I saw them 18 years ago.

But! Three Days, Mountain Song, Ted Just Admit It..., Pigs in Zen, these songs all held up much better than me and Dave and Perry. They sounded fantastic in the midst of a sweaty crowd in front of the beautiful darkened Gorge. Even if more than one person pointed out that Perry Ferrell looks rather like David Copperfield these days, I'm still glad he made the trip out to Sasquatch.

Nine Inch Nails Sasquatch 2009

Photos from the NIN show Sunday night at the Gorge...

Of Montreal Sasquatch 2009

My curiosity about the Of Montreal live show led me to the Wookie Stage late in the day on Sasquatch day 2. True to form, Of Montreal brought costumes, dancers and a strange beauty to the proceedings. They also sounded beautiful and each song was met with a complete singalong from the crowd.

TV on the Radio Sasquatch 2009

Punishing heat framed a great set from TV on the Radio Sunday. They sounded good and even the tiredest and hottest of the crowd got on their feet for Wolf Like Me.

The Walkmen Sasquatch 2009

We caught the last part of their set but the Walkmen sound translated well to the main stage of the Gorge.

Airborne Toxic Event Sasquatch 2009

Going into the Airborne Toxic Event show with low expectations (I only knew one song and had my doubts about how much I would get into their live show) turned into a pleasant surprise. The band seemed thrilled to be at Sasquatch and put forth a lovely sound with lots of good songs. I will pay more attention to them in the future.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Sasquatch 2009

Yeah Yeah Yeahs provided the highlight of Sasquatch Saturday. From opener Heads Will Roll all the way through to the closing Y Control, Karen O and company delivered the goods. Highlights included Black Tongue and Kiss Kiss, but in truth every song rocked and left me wanting more more more. The entire festival is talking this morning about the awesomeness of Karen O's stage presence and the greatness of Nick Zinner's guitar. Even predictable songs like Maps got a slightly different treatment (a lovely acoustic guitar from Zinner) and attitude (Karen screaming a dedication to all "the f&*king lovers in the Gorge tonight!")

Please, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, come to the Front Range soon!

Animal Collective Sasquatch 2009

Animal Collective played during the hottest part of the day Saturday at Sasquatch. They led off with Summertime Clothes followed immediately by My Girls, pleasing pretty much all in attendance. They emphasized new material throughout, and their set sounded great reverberating through the vastness of the Gorge.

King Khan and the Shrines Sasquatch 2009

King Khan and the Shrines brought full energy to the 90 degree Gorge Saturday. A flapper dancer, Khan's headdress, cape and staff, and a partially nude and tucked band member during "Wish I was a Girl" kept an over-heated crowd at full attention.

Passion Pit Sasquatch 2009

Day 1 of Sasquatch Festival started off with Passion Pit. A huge crowd gathered for the boys, but it dwindled as the live performance paled next to their recorded work. Disappointment for some fans, others stuck it out.

Sasquatch schedule set!

Sasquatch! set the 2009 festival schedule this week. Now I need to readjust the budget so I can spend Memorial Day at the beautiful Gorge once again. This lineup is fulfilling a lot of my hopes, especially Animal Collective and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Hoorah!

Sasquatch! 2009 lineup

Saturday, May 23th
Kings of Leon / Yeah Yeah Yeahs / The Decemberists / Animal Collective / Bon Iver / Devotchka / M. Ward / Doves / Sun Kil Moon / The Gaslight Anthem / King Khan & The Shrines / Ra Ra Riot / Shearwater / Passion Pit / Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band / Vince Mira / Blind Pilot / Owl City / Arthur & Yu / Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele / Death Vessel / Hockey

Sunday, May 24th
Jane’s Addiction / Nine Inch Nails / TV On The Radio / Peter Bjorn and John / of Montreal / The Avett Brothers / Calexico / M83 / The Airborne Toxic Event / The Walkmen / The Wrens / St. Vincent / The Dodos / John Vanderslice / The Submarines / Viva Voce / The Builders And The Butchers / AA Bondy / Fences / Point Juncture, WA / Jon Benjamin

Monday, May 25th
Ben Harper and Relentless7 / Erykah Badu / Silversun Pickups / Fleet Foxes / Gogol Bordello / Santigold / Grizzly Bear / Explosions In The Sky / Girl Talk / Blitzen Trapper / The Knux / Monotonix / Bishop Allen / Black Moth Super Rainbow / Beach House / Mugison / The Dutchess And The Duke / School Of Seven Bells / Horse Feathers / The Pica Beats / Loch Lomond / BLK JKS

Flaming Lips Sasquatch 5/26/08

What a carnival! The UFO show, confetti, dancing teletubbies, nekkid ladies... Wayne Coyne's imagination is amazing. A perfect way to end three days at the Gorge. And thank you to all the lovely folks around us in the pit, Flaming Lips fans were easily the nicest coolest people at the whole festival.

Warning: One photo NSFW...

Pela, Sasquatch 5/26/08

Pela! What a blast we had!

The show started with a small crowd, surprising us a bit, but as the set went on Pela added more fans for sure. Their set did not differ hugely from when I caught them in NYC last year, which was fine with me and a bit of a pleasant surprise that they delivered that same level of hometown energy when they played in the hot sun of Washington state in the middle of the day.
Tenement Teeth stole the show, and they closed with a blistering version of Cavalry and a cover of the Pixies' Holiday. The boys looked thrilled to be there, grinning wide and snapping shots of the crowd. Thanks for the fun Pela, we had to take a nap on a grassy knoll after that set!

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, Sasquatch 5/26/08

I came into Thao's set with no knowledge of the band and I left wanting more. She brought a ton of energy to the stage and played a nice robust set. Her voice does sound like Cat Power's, something everyone mentions, but she brings her own sound on the guitar and a passel of good lyrics, too. Her song Bag of Hammers proved itself, we kept talking about it all day.

Yeasayer, Sasquatch Monday 5/26/08

The lads from Yeasayer were a cleaner cut group than I remembered. They sounded beautiful as they got our day started with a short set of five songs that included my three favorites off the album. Speaking of, if you don't have the album you should buy it immediately and listen to the first three tracks on repeat.

I am holding on to the memory of them singing an extended version of Sunrise. Beautiful!

The Cure, Sasquatch Sunday 5/25/08

2 hours, 40 minutes. A sold out crowd at the Gorge.

What more do I need to say? How about two encores, The Forest, 10:15 on a Saturday Night, and Killing an Arab?

Oh Robert Smith, thank you!

Okkervil River, Sasquatch Saturday 5/24/08

Festivals mean tough choices. Seeing Okkervil River yesterday meant forgoing M.I.A. and arriving late to the National. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

Will and his band were tight coming fresh off their tour, but with plenty of wild energy. He flailed around giving everything he had to the mouthfuls of lyrics. The band offered amazing sound and an Arcade Fire-like approach to participation, singing along un-miked, playing three tambourines instead of just one, replacing Will's mike when it flew off the stand after he whirled through the entirety of the stage. This band is the real thing - I cannot wait for another chance to see them again. They finished up with a rocking "Unless It's Kicks" and made me wish they'd play through the whole set again!

New Pornographers, Sasquatch 5/24/08

Neko Case! Dan Bejar! All the New Pornographers in attendance on the glorious mainstage at the Gorge. And they sounded fantastic. They played my favorite songs (Use It, Challengers, Testament to Youth in Verse). A truly transcendent version of the Bleeding Heart Show added it to my favorites - the female vocals were heavenly. The band ripped through an awesome cover of "Don't Bring Me Dooooooooooown, Bruce"!

I wish that more of the crowd was there for the NPs, it seemed to be a lot of M.I.A. fans waiting down front, with a few of us NP fans intermingled and freaking about what a great show we were witnessing.