The weekend before last, Beard Boy and I went down to Portland to see the Wolfmother show. We had planned on seeing them up here in Seattle, but we did what we are so so good at - procrastinating - and the show sold out. In our defense, I think it sold out pretty quickly, but still. Upon figuring out that tickets to the Portland show were still available, we thought this was a good excuse for BB to finally take the train down and see the awesomeness that is our sister city to the south.
First, let me gush about how much I freakin love the Seattle-Portland train. Half-hour wait times in the station - as opposed to check-in 2 hours before take off. Friendly and funny conductors. Being able to get up and move around. Big seats. The view. They even have more recent movies playing on the train than they do in the plane. I love it. Plus, the Portland station is in town as is Seattle's. Oh and did I mention that it's $62 round-trip? Totally cheap.
Anyway, we got into town, cabbed to our hotel (and spa, la-la-la), had a very rich meal at the hotel restaurant, and then headed back to downtown for the show. I must say that I was a little put off by the cleanliness and bright lights of the front of the Roseland. Not to mention the patting down and the metal detector. But once we got up to the balcony (where the bar is), I was placated. I have very strong opinions about venue size and I think the Roseland is just right. For reference, I also like the Newport down in Columbus, the Showbox here in Seattle and the Black Cat out in DC, to name a few. Not liking? Anything with amphitheater or outdoor in its name or skinny little weird places that make it impossible to see or move or drink your beer without spilling.
I can't remember who the first opener ... oh wait, Simon Dawes! After the way they drilled that name into the audience, I don't know how that could have slipped my mind. Local band, I assume. They were fun. The Silversun Pickups who have been touring with Wolfmother were next and can I just tell you that from where we were sitting it looked like Muffin had taken up bass and joined a band. I turned and looked at BB and said, "Look it's Muffin's non-evil twin!"
Before I go on to the headliners, let me say two things:
- After seeing Jet live a couple of years ago, I have been hesitant to see a band with only one album under their belt. The Jet show was saved by touring partners and completely awesome band, Sloan, but I was still a little worried.
- Holy crap there were so many people blazing up (hee-hee, I love that phrase) my eyes hurt.
Which is just to say that I had cautiously high hopes for the show and was most likely high from second hand smoke. That said, the show was maybe the most fun show I've seen in a while. The band was tight and the crowd, all of it, was 100% into the show. Okay, maybe not the two people I saw who hilariously smoked too much and fell asleep, but the other 99.9% were loving every minute. And the fro! My God that thing was amazing. Did you ever see that movie Ice Pirates? Oh wait, hold on. Imdb to the rescue. Dang! No pictures. I guess you'll just have to take my word for it.
Usually my most fun show of the year award goes to the Woggles, but the garage tour they did earlier in the year was disappointing, they only played for 30 minutes! Plus, this crowd was no Seattle, coax me into bobbing my head crowd. I wonder if this has anything to do with the town. If so, I can see why a lot of musicians are packing up and moving down there. I would love to hear how the sold out show was here in Seattle.
After the show ended we went to a neighboring bar and played some pool until close. Which may or may not have been a mistake. When I woke up the next morning, my head HURT. We planned on skipping our Portland tour and taking an earlier train up which didn't happen as they were sold out. So, we ended up walking around Portland and having a nice coffee at a bakery and later having some hair of the dog at the Life of Reilly Tavern. If you get to Portland and are feeling poorly, stop in there for their tomato soup and grilled cheese. It might just cure what ails you. Plus, the barkeep is a very friendly guy.
A. If that is my non-evil twin, does that make the real me evil?
B. Come on, you loved the pat-down. You can tell me.
Posted by: Muffin | December 24, 2006 at 12:10 AM
Muffin,
Yes and yes.
Love,
C Ro
Posted by: C Ro | December 28, 2006 at 10:29 AM