MusicFestNW 2012 kicked off last night with a small number of sets scattered about Portland. Notably, Passion Pit began their first of two nightly performances at Crystal Ballroom. Across town, Against Me! ripped in the Hawthorne Theatre. The AoT crew attended the latter. Opener Andrew Jackson’s Jihad seemed a bit of an odd fit as they’re–for lack of a better term–some what of a joke band. However, the lead man’s vocal style did mimic Against Me! front woman Tom-now-Laura’s own. They had a pretty loyal Portland following, with the crowd singing along surprisingly frequently.

Now, the easy Against Me! narrative focuses on the recent gender change of Tom Gabel, who is now Laura Jane Grace. I won’t hang onto this story, but it’s very encouraging and refreshing to see that the rock community has embrace Laura’s decision so thoroughly and that 2012 openly accepts this. More importantly, Against Me! simply shredded. If I were to describe their set in one word, it would be “relentless”. With minimal talking, minute breaks between sets and the utmost energy, Against Me! offered a class-act “rock” show. Their heavy intensity complemented their pop sensibilities and their crowd rapport was top-notch. Against Me!, thank you for kicking off MusicFestNW with a bang. Photos below.

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