Here We Go Magic and The War on Drugs
Arriving a little later in the afternoon we were able to catch the last half of Here We Go Magic’s set. It was the perfect start to the third day providing the best background to a homemade picnic in front of the Bigfoot stage, munching on sandwiches and sipping overpriced soda which may or may not have been combined with illicitly procured Canadian Whiskey—I see a lot of mention of Jack Daniels at Sasquatch! and though I love me some Tennessee bourbon, as Sasquatch! is largely a Canadian supported festival where’s the Seagram’s? Following Here We Go Magic was The War on Drugs. The vicious wind tunnels that were forming through the festival were not enough to detour these Philly fellas. With all the lineup changes throughout the years, and the departure of Kurt Vile, Charlie Hall, Kyle Lloyd and pretty much every drummer its impressive to see The War on Drugs sound to have stayed somewhat consistent.
Active Child
Arguably the next best thing to lack of M83 being on the bill was seeing Active Child and Zola Jesus. During the Sunday late afternoon Pat Grossi aka Active Child took the growing audience at the Yeti Stage, and blanketed them with a warm melodic experience. As a three- man crew Active Child builds a large ethereal soundscape, certainly the reason they were on tour with M83 earlier in the year. There were many times throughout the set that Pat had entranced the crowd, slowly plucking away at his harp, and singing straight into a setting sun. For my money, Active Child’s angelic hymns with the warm Washington sun will go down as one of those indelible memories of the festival. At that moment, there wasn’t anywhere more perfect.
The Head and the Heart
The Head and the Heart have been a band that over the course of the last year, I’ve been able to catch them half a dozen different times, and have been able to experience their continued growth as performers; learning how to truly work larger audiences. Coming back home to the Northwest and playing main stage at Sas was a big deal, and they didn’t miss the chance to remind the audience. Opening up strong with Down in the Valley, the maintained the quick pace all the way through. The energy they were creating amongst one another was infectious and began to spill over into the crowd. As emotional as it can be to hear an amazing set, crying isn’t the most peculiar thing for a concertgoer to do, but it wasn’t just the audience, it was the band themselves. You could see tears collecting in their eyes, as a genuine connection between artist and audience was being forged.
Beirut
Sometimes it’s hard to differentiate between what really makes a set, is it the artist on stage? Is it the audience around you? Is it the festival itself? Is it a combination of all of the above? After just watching the emotionally moving set of the Head and the Heart, I was expecting for Beirut to send me through the proverbial emotional roof and really break the audience down. As a performer Zach Condon can often be distant and cold, tonight there was something different—the spirit of the Head and the Heart must’ve still been resonating on the stage. As the set progressed and the hill began to fill up to capacity Mr. Condon displayed a sense of warmth that though may exist on a Beirut album, isn’t often a side of Zach an audience is often privileged to see. His banter initially playful and lighthearted soon gave away to a more raw and sincere tone. By then end of the set, with the Sun setting behind them, Beirut had too become a victim of the overwhelming appreciation they were recieving, and began to get a little choked up. And through that emotional roof I went.
Bon Iver
Since For Emma Forever Ago, Justin Vernon and “Gayng,” have grown in numbers considerably. Of course winning a Grammy can definitely have an effect on the size of your production budget, it seems that Bon Iver’s money was placed one-part in creating a fuller sound to accompany the award winning record on tour, and two-parts on an impressive light displayed that may traditionally have suited the likes of Nine Inch Nails. The lights made the mood, as if Justin couldn’t do that on his own. There’s likely to be a decent amount of backlash on Bon Iver being given a headlining spot. To many he may have been an underwhelming closer, but to those in attendance this was something that I believed was easily disproved. With the emotionally charged sets of The Head and the Heart and Beirut preceding Bon Iver this was the proverbial nail in the coffin, generating all the feels that could be felt, inviting the audience into the full emotional spectrum.
Feed Me
Yeah… there’s been a bit of an emotional disconnect that occurs when transitioning between headlining artists, and the late night EDM dance party, at least as far as I’m concerned. I don’t know maybe I’m not on the same wavelength with the majority, I allow myself to get vested more than most in the headliner, but this seems to be a constant. Having in years pass go from artists like Massive Attack to Booka Shade, or Death Cab to Bassnectar. Of course it makes for a great story when regaling others of your day’s lineup but sometimes the feeling that was created by the preceding performer wins over trying to top it. Feed Me with Teeth personally didn’t offer anything different, or exceptional when put up against past late night performers, in fact it felt a little short of reaching par. But for many out there it was the, “best show ever!”