Saturday offered the first full schedule day of music at Sasquatch, following Friday’s abridged schedule. Saturday also offered arguably the single best day of tunes. Check out photos of the day, plus a review of our favorite acts and some unfortunate flops.
Pickwick: It’s been a mind warp to watch the revamped folk-turned-soul act of Pickwick over the past few years. Since I originally found out about them while planning a summer festival two years ago, they’ve had a wild rise. From NPR articles to KEXP chart-topping EP’s to their sold-out show at Seattle’s Neptune, Pickwick has had an unbelievable past year. True to their form, Pickwick delivered a riveting, rousing set at their early hour noon-time slot on the main stage. While guitarist Michael Parker told me after the show that they were a bit nervous about playing such a large venue (their first large festival appearance), Pickwick had no problems finding their confident groove on-stage. As my buddy Mason noted, “we’ll definitely be seeing these guys at a much bigger time-slot next time they play Sasquatch.”
Charles Bradley: While Pickwick is often tagged with the “soul” label, Charles Bradley is the legitimate heir of that genre. The 60-some-year-old “Screaming Eagle of Soul” wears his woes on his face and bellows of a life most definitely lived every time he opens his mouth. For me, this was one of the most inspirational and moving sets of the weekend. Releasing his first record in his early sixties, Charles Bradley has found success that few would ever dream of at his age. And his moves…oooooh. At 24, I cannot move anywhere near that. As AoT contributor Ryan Campbell commented, “I’d like to see a highlight reel of the 50 best nights of Charles Bradley’s life”.
Electric Guest: There’s been plenty of buzz regarding Electric Guest’s debut album–what with their LA connections and Danger Mouse productions. So I was curious to see how the bedroom-project-turned-touring-act would fare in the live environment. Asa Taccone and Co put on a solid set considering their relative youth as a band, but parts of the performance were a bit thin. Still a solid show and “This Head I Hold” caught the crowd by storm. #danceparty
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Alabama Shakes: As Alan Densmore noted, Alabama Shakes have undergone hyper-buzz since last fall. We caught them at SXSW and the buzz proved worthwhile. However, the thousands-deep crowd at Sasquatch was quite contrary to the small SXSW party I’d previously seen the Shakes at. Anyhow, Brittany Howard and the Shakes had no problem wooing the massive crowd. Her soaring vocals were well beyond her age and the set exceeded even the buzziest of expectations.
Helio Sequence: I’ll forever associate good vibes with Helio Sequence after their Doug Fir set at MusicfestNW 2011. Soundtracking the wild sunset on the Gorge, Brandon Summers and Benjamin Weikel confirmed those good vibes with an incredibly smooth, feel good set on the Bigfoot Stage. Weikel is possibly the most entertaining drummer I’ve watched live, featuring equal parts dancing, face emoting and kit playing. Additionally, Helio Sequence announced a new album out this fall on SubPop and debuted a few new tunes from that record. Based on the performance, I’m eager for the new album.
tUnE-yArDs: A lot of things can be said about the uber-unique, electric sounds of Merrill Garbus. So I, for one, was ready to catch the live translation of were wild, whoop-filled, looping madness. tUnE-yArDs certainly did not disappoint regarding the wildness. From Merrill’s brilliantly psychedelic outfit to her tom-snare-vocal loops to the acid jazz saxophone duet interludes between songs, there was no shortage of originality or creativity in her set. Moreover, I was amazed to see her pull of the delicate, intricate loops with no problem. Touché to Merrill for having more fun on-stage than anyone in the crowd.
The Shins: I want to preface this review by saying I love the Shins. My first vinyl purchase was Chutes Too Narrow. My first published record review was on Wincing the Night Away. “New Slang” is still atop my iTunes “Most Played”. That being said, the Shins’ main stage set was easily the most disappointing of Sasquqatch 2012. From the upper lawn, their sound was almost entirely inaudible (not totally their fault, I understand). The bass from the Banana Shack outboomed their set. Even from the floor, their sound was hollow, thin, and weak. You’d think someone would have adjusted that during their length set given the magnitude of the stage/time. Additionally, the whole performance felt a bit empty. Maybe this is due to the whole lineup replacement James Mercer undertook. Maybe it was some early tour jitters. But when Jessica Dobson “ate shit in front of 40,000 people”, as she described, it capped off a very underwhelming Shins performance.
Jack White: As Kelton Sears of Kithkin told me, “I consider Jack White the last real rock star”. That, ladies and gents, is entirely true. It’s difficult to understate both a) my excitement to finally get to see Jack White live and b) how fucking hard he rocked the entire Gorge Amphitheater. First off, I’d like to note Jack White’s versatility through the set. His setlist included White Stripes, Raconteurs and Dead Weather songs, material off his new album and even a Hank Williams Jr cover. This covered the punk, blues, rock and country basses quite well. Additionally, watching Jack play all the parts of his former band’s songs makes you realize how prolific of a songwriter he is. As a performer myself, I was left awe-strucken as to what Jack White was channeling during the show and how the hell he could conceivably deliver that much power and energy. Alternate versions of Elephant tracks, slide guitar solos off De Stijl and a crowd-reinforced “Seven Nation Army” whet my White Stripes whistle and developed a new level of respect for Mr. White.
Photos by Kyle Johnson and Christopher Nelson. All Rights Reserved by Sasquatch Music Festival