Friday, May. 30, 2008

Bands broke the Sasquatch mold

By Jeremy Dutton

This year's Sasquatch Music Festival probably blew up the template for every other prior incarnation of the event. About 60,000 people enjoyed great bands, great performances and great weather (for the most part).

Here's the highlight reel:

Saturday

- R.E.M. stole the show and did its billing as the top act justice. They blazed through most of their latest release, Accelerate, and played other time-honored faves such as The One I Love, Man on the Moon, What's the Frequency Kenneth?, Drive and Losing My Religion. They also carted out an amazing version of Let Me In that featured Peter Buck on piano, Mike Mills, Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin on a trio of guitars and Michael Stipe singing in a tight huddle around the piano.

- M.I.A. created the spectacle of the show when she brought up about 100 fans from the crowd to dance for Boyz. It was loosely controlled chaos and provided a jump-start to an otherwise relaxed day on the main stage.

- The National, after having their bus break down in Canada, played the smallest stage at The Gorge at a later than scheduled time. But the more intimate slot set the stage for one of the best sets of the weekend. The band was spot on as they built up and tore through Fake Empire and Mistaken for Strangers with an amazing tenacity to prove their worth. Probably the best performance, musically speaking, of the entire festival.

- Big one I missed: The group that everyone was talking about was Crudo, a hip-hop outfit made up notably of Mike Patton (Faith No More) and Dan the Automator. I heard a little of their take on Van Halen's Runnin' With the Devil, but missed their closing big beat rendition of David Bowie's Life on Mars.

Sunday

Four bands competed for the best of the day Sunday with Death Cab for Cutie, Tegan and Sara, Cold War Kids and Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks turning in amazing performances.

- Cold War Kids started off a little slow but kicked into high gear with their best-known songs in Hospital Beds and Hang Me Up to Dry.

- Tegan and Sara were some the most engaging performers, pleading with Gorge campers to not pee on each others' tents after the show. But after opening with Walking with a Ghost and pacing through most of their latest album, The Con, they seemed much more at ease playing to a big festival crowd than they led on.

- Death Cab for Cutie took the home court advantage in turning in a surprisingly rocking set. They played The New Year, Soul Meets Body and dedicated Follow You into the Dark to the Cure. Most surprising was the thundering bass lines of Nick Harmer.

- The Jicks gave a shot of rock to a mainly indie cast. Steve Malkmus is a genius on the guitar -- plain and simple.

- Let down: Listening to the Cure live was no different than listening to them in a darkened living room.

Monday

There were many outstanding performances Monday (guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela blew me away and the Hives rocked their tails off) but when you put anything up to what the Flaming Lips did, it's really not even worth mentioning.

Their UFO show wasn't so much about the music as it was the experience. Lead singer Wayne Coyne jumped in his giant plastic bubble and rolled out into the crowd. There also were dozens of Teletubbies dancing onstage, confetti cannons and nudity.

Most of the songs were broken into sing-alongs. But there also was a political element with Coyne interjecting his thoughts on unity above all else, along with a moving rendition of taps.

A fitting end to an overwhelming weekend.

- Jeremy Dutton: 582-1525; jdutton@tricityherald.com; blog at tricityherald.com/papercuts