Portland

Helmet/Clutch 10/9/22

I was looking for an excuse to go to Portland before the end of the year so I could see my mom since I would not get to see her for either upcoming holiday this year and would be gone all of next year traveling the United States. This show was a perfect excuse as I would also be able to go to my first concert at the Roseland since I lived in Portland 18 years ago. Time really does fly when you’re having fun! As a bonus I would get to see Joe, Claude and Joe’s friend Greg.

We arrived right after JD Pinkus had finished and right before Quicksand took the stage. I had not remembered that drinking was only allowed upstairs but it made perfect sense as I am positive the floor area would have been a total mess if they did allow drinking down there.

I own the Quicksand album Manic Compression because it was a free CD through Columbia House way back in the day. Other than that, I had not made an effort to hear any of their other material so seeing them live did not do much for me. They were ok but just did not knock my socks off.

Helmet on the other hand was great. It looked to be the same band supporting Paige Hamilton that he has had for years now, which certainly helped. I thought it was ironic that from my vantage point upstairs Paige was off by himself separated from the other “hired guns.” My favorite moment of their set was when they played “Speechless” because I distinctly remember mentioning that song to Paige several years ago when I was able to chat with him briefly.

I have seen Clutch a handful of times and the only complaint I have ever had is that they never play many of their older songs. I did not expect anything different for this occasion since Clutch just released their thirteenth album Sunrise on Slaughter Beach a few weeks before this show on September 16^th. Boy was I delightfully wrong! They did play five songs from the new album but went deep into the catalog for the rest of the set including three songs from the first album! This was the Clutch setlist I had been waiting on for years. Well played sirs, well played.

SETLIST: Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone), Walking in the Great Shining Path of Monster Trucks, Nosferatu Madre, Promoter (Of Earthbound Causes), El Jefe Speaks, Pure Rock Fury, Green Buckets, The Elephant Riders, Mountain of Bone, Willie Nelson, The Mob Goes Wild, A Shogun Named Marcus, Animal Farm, Passive Restraints, Skeletons on Mars, Noble Savage, The Face, Slaughter Beach, Earth Rocker, The House That Peterbilt

The Raconteurs 7/21/19

Portland, Oregon is beautiful in the summer so when I saw The Raconteurs were playing at the Edgefield I thought this would be a better place to see them then the scheduled stop in San Diego a week later. Not only would I get to see my family and friends but finally get to see a concert at the Edgefield since I vacated the city in 2004 and concerts did not start there in earnest until 2006.

Touted as “Portland’s Premiere Outdoor Venue” the venue is part of a greater 74 acre McMenamins property with an interesting history that now also includes restaurants, bars, a winery, a brewery, a distillery, golf courses, a movie theater, gardens, a spa & pool and over 100 guestrooms for lodging. Due to all this, tickets are usually in short supply and by the time I pulled the trigger on plane tickets the concert was sold out. There were overpriced tickets on StubHub as usual but I figured I would just wing it this time because worst case scenario if I did not get in I would still be able to hang out on the property drinking my favorite “Rubinator” beer.

Once Marvin caught wind of me making the trip up he decided to extend his weekend trip to Hood River for a bachelor party by hitchhiking to join Joe and I (Marvin is the guy who never has a ticket and somehow always gets into the concert by paying a very small amount of money for a ticket or just ends up getting in for free). Even though he could give two shits about The Raconteurs Joe already had a ticket because he was supposed to go with a gal he knew and since he only lives a couple miles from the Edgefield the plan was to meet at his place and leave earlier than usual to give us time to score tickets…but then we started drinking. We were having a good time at Joe’s and tickets came down to about $50 on StubHub later in the day so I just decided to get one so we could stay at Joe’s a little longer and not have to mess with it. Marvin on the other hand showed up to Joe’s semi-wasted without a ticket so we still ended up leaving a little early.

Once on the property we headed to the bar downstairs in the main building because apparently that is how Marvin occasionally meets people with extra tickets to unload. We succeeded in finding extra tickets but the guy wanted $40 and Marvin decided that was too rich for his blood. We also succeeded in downing a couple more unnecessary beers before Joe and I left Marvin to sort out his ticket situation. Long story short Joe and I ended up walking right into the venue through a curiously unguarded entryway without even showing our tickets to anyone. So much for all that crap trying to buy a ticket! I immediately sent Marvin a text about our revelation so he could do the same. Back to the beer line and toward the stage we went.

The Raconteurs were touring for their newest album Help Us Stranger that had just been released exactly a month earlier and ripped it up as per usual. The venue lived up the hype as the stage setup being enclosed by trees made for a vey intimate feel. Just as I was about to take a couple pictures for posterity I realized that since this was an event with Jack White on stage everyone who actually went in the way they were supposed to was forced to lock their phones in a bag the same way I had to the last time I saw Jack White solo. Knowing this would be a red flag to any security I wisely chose not to pull out my phone, which to Jack White’s credit actually created a better overall environment for the concert. We all predictably lost each other at some point and speaking of red flags I essentially got cut off from buying more beer since I kept asking for Terminator each time even though they had told me each successive time that they did not sell Terminator at the venue.

Marvin and I ended up finding each other right after the show and showed up back at Joe’s house before he did. Joe has a roommate so we rang the doorbell and after a minute the roommate answered the door with a gun in his hand as he thought we were randoms and did not want to be too careful! Joe showed up shortly after and we all had a laugh about almost getting shot. Good times!

SETLIST: Bored and Razed, Level, Old Enough, You Don’t Understand Me, Don’t Bother Me, Many Shades of Black, Thoughts and Prayers, Broken Boy Soldier, Now That You’re Gone, Hands, Somedays (I Don’t Feel Like Trying), What’s Yours Is Mine, Sunday Driver, Consoler of the Lonely, Help Me Stranger, Blue Veins, Only Child, Carolina Drama, Steady, As She Goes

Faith No More 4/17/15

The stars aligned when Faith No More reunited and scheduled a tour date in Portland because it was on a Saturday, I had never seen Faith No More and it had been about eight months since I had seen a concert with my brother-in-arms Joe. They were about to release the outstanding album Sol Invictus the following month (their first since 1997’s Album of the Year) so the only songs that were released by the time of this show were “Superhero” and “Motherfucker.”

Through a work friend I randomly obtained some LSD and sent it to Portland via USPS in a greeting card from “Raoul Duke” since I had to fly to Portland from San Diego and did not want to deal with all the possible ways that situation could go south.

I arrived in Portland the day of the show about noon. Joe and I tried to keep ourselves away from alcohol until much later since we had to be strategic on when to take the acid. After some back and forth we took the acid, smoked a bowl and picked up a couple guitars to keep ourselves busy and prevent us from thinking too much about the onset. Immediately after sticking the blotter paper on our tongues we both commented on the weird taste. Shortly after that both of our tongues stung a little. It had been quite some number of years since I had dropped acid so I reasoned that maybe this batch was just a little weird. Fast-forward about an hour and a half and neither of us were tripping but both of us felt a little weird. Not long after this we decided drinking was the best idea. After several drinks we realized that the acid was bunk and requested an Uber ride to get to our buddy Mason’s house to meet up with him and Jedd. This was interesting because Uber was in its infancy in Portland so there was literally only one driver anywhere remotely close to us. He picked us up and we immediately took over the stereo and put on “Lookaway” by Sepultura. Something between our look and banter prompted our driver to turn around and say, “Are you guys famous?” which sent us both into a fit of laughter. The acid was still not really acid but we were definitely having a good time.

After what seemed like a very long day Faith No More finally took to the stage that was bathed in purple lights and flower arrangements wearing all white, which made them appear somewhat saintly. They were simply fantastic. I unfortunately did not get to hear “Last Cup of Sorrow” but apparently this was the live debut of “Separation Anxiety.” I wish I could have appreciated the first time ever hearing “Sunny Side Up” more because that silly song ended up one of my favorites off Sol Invictus.

The fun did not end with the show ending as we decided to reconvene at Mason’s for an after party. On the way back we stopped off at a Plaid Pantry to get some beer and as we were waiting to pay all of sudden the cooler door behind us slammed very loudly. We turned around and a cholo type guy had a case of beer in his hands walking towards the door and announced “go ahead and follow me if you wanna get shot Holmes!” The best part about this is apparently something similar happened two other times THAT NIGHT. We were in the parking lot for quite awhile after this laughing about it and still no sign of the po-po. Stay classy Portland.

SETLIST: Motherfucker, Land of Sunshine, Caffeine, Epic, Sunny Side Up, Get Out, Midlife Crisis, Everything’s Ruined, The Gentle Art of Making Enemies, Easy, Spirit, King for a Day, Ashes to Ashes, Superhero, Separation Anxiety, We Care A Lot, From the Dead

Philip Anselmo and the Illegals 1/18/14

Philip H. Anselmo was keeping himself busy with multiple projects dating back to the days before Pantera was even over. The only times I had ever seen Phil was once with Pantera and twice with Down and the last time was over six years before this. Phil was now touring for his first solo album Walk Through Exits Only that was released on 7/16/13.

This show was a perfect excuse to make a trip to Portland because I could combine it with seeing my family since I had not seen them for Christmas. Even better this show was a rare Saturday concert and rumor had it that there would be an equally rare Jack sighting, who I had not seen in years (he kind of falls of the map for awhile and resurfaces every once and again).

After a night in nearby Salem with my family I met up with Joe, Jack and Claude for one too many delicious Rubinators from Baghdad. When I lived in Portland the Hawthorne Theater did not exist as a music venue. Sitting on the corner of Hawthorne and 39^th since 1919 it had went through quite a few incarnations over the years including an art gallery/headshop the entire time I lived there. One step into the 500 person capacity theater and it was clear that this was what the place should have been the whole time. It was also clear that this place was about to get rowdy as fuck.

I cannot tell you who opened or if there was even an opening band at all. What I can tell you is that place was insane from the first note of Phil’s band to the last and not just because I was one of the drunkest guys there. They tore the roof off that place. Obviously the biggest crowd response came from the Pantera songs played but it was also cool to hear some of the Superjoint Ritual songs.

An interesting sidenote is that for some reason I decided to wear a plaid flannel shirt instead of the standard issue black t-shirt that literally everyone else was wearing. Apparently this rubbed one guy standing near the bar in the back the wrong way because every time I would go back there to get a beer, which was frequently, I noticed this guy mad dogging me. I finally went up to him and said, “what’s your problem man?” He shrugged me off but apparently went up to Joe later and said, “Your friend in the plaid over there? He’s a faggot!” Joe started laughing in his homophobic face and walked away. We still laugh about that moment to this day.

SETLIST: Black Houses, Hellbound, Betrayed, Walk Through Exits Only, Death Rattle, Fuck Your Enemy, Battalion of Zero, Usurper Bastard’s Rant, Bedridden, XXXXXXXX, Family, “Friends” and Associates, Ugly Mug, XXXXXXXXXX, Irrelevant Walls and Computer Screens, Domination, Waiting for the Turning Point, A New Level, Primal Concrete Sledge

Melvins 3/6/04

I have known my friend Joe since middle school back in Washington but after we graduated he went to Washington State University in Pullman. I did not get to see him much after that until he moved to Portland a few months before this show. It was great being able to hang out with him but I was still dead set on moving to California and believe it was right around this time that I made the decision to pull the trigger and dropped the bomb on Joe. At least I was able to introduce Joe to Marcus before I left. They hit it off so well they began making music together and became roommates. I think it was just Joe and I at this one and it was the first time I was able to see the Melvins since I saw them open for White Zombie back in 1995. I really like the song “Queen” so that was a highlight for me. My strongest memory of this night was after the show when Joe and I were staggering around the streets of Portland waiting for a bus and decided to belt out an a capella version of “Rooster” by Alice In Chains at the top of our lungs (this would not be the last time we decided to stagger or belt out this tune a capella).

SETLIST: Let It All Be, Lovely Butterfly, Manky, Hooch, Youth of America, Night Goat, With Teeth, Tipping the Lion, Queen, Promise Me, Black Stooges, It’s Shoved, The Fool, the Meddling Idiot, Snake Appeal, Halo of Flies

Melvins

Static-X 11/25/03

Static-X was touring for the excellent album Shadow Zone that had just come out less than two months before this show. Marcus and I went to this one with his brother and you guessed it – were drinking. Maybe that is why I don’t remember much from this show other than it rocked and the guys in Static-X were taking shots on the stage.

Evanescence 9/3/03

So the real reason I went to this show was for the opening band Cold. My buddy Roscoe had turned me onto them some time before this with the album 13 Ways To Bleed On Stage. I guess the third time is a charm because I had intended to see them two other times that summer on Endfest and Lollapalooza but they were a no-show both times. Cold released the album Year of the Spider back in May, which just confirmed to me that this was a band I enjoyed. As for the actual concert they stuck to the more straight ahead rocking numbers. Lucinda must not have been at this show with me because I have memories of being in the floor section and with her being all of 5 foot 2 I was generally relegated to the balcony when she was with me.

Evanescence was a pleasant surprise. They had released their debut album Fallen in March of this year and were enjoying a moment due to their song “Bring Me To Life.” It was always refreshing to see a rock band being fronted by a female because there not many good ones I knew about at the time. Amy Lee had an amazingly powerful voice, was a great piano player and was easy on the eyes. The combination of her vocals, piano and crunchy guitars just worked.

Ministry 3/19/03

This was the second time I was lucky enough to see Ministry and it came the day after my 25th birthday. This tour was deemed the “FornicaTour” in support of the album Animositisomina that had come out about a month before this concert. I was able to get a really good spot on the balcony upstairs that was as close to the stage as possible. Mind you the Roseland is not a very big place to begin with so I was happy as a Filth Pig in shit. Like how I did that? Anyways what I remember most is Ministry having a female drummer, which to this day I do not think I have seen in another band as heavy as Ministry. The setlist they chose for this night just kept coming like punches to the face but instead of feeling beat up at the end of the night I felt like I needed to go wash my jeans.

SETLIST: Animosity, Unsung, Piss, Dead Guy, Filth Pig, Bad Blood, Psalm 69, Crumbs, Supermanic Soul, Reload, N.W.O., Just One Fix, Hero, Thieves, Jesus Built My Hotrod, Breathe, Stigmata, The Light Pours Out of Me

Seether 1/21/03

Seether was at Ozzfest 2012 but I do not remember seeing them. They either were not yet on my radar or they were playing the second stage at a time when another band I wanted to see was playing the main stage. I do remember the song “Fine Again” was the song that made me take notice of them. That lead me to their debut album Disclaimer that had come out exactly one week before the Ozzfest performance in question and almost exactly five months before this show. Nothing in my memory particular sticks out about this show (mind you part of the subtitle of this blog is Fuzzy Recollections) but I know I was there and they rocked all of the first album because those songs were all they had to choose from at the time.

Big Stink 7 9/1/02

Claude came in from the Tri-Cities to go this with Lucinda and I. This remains the only time I have been to PGE Park, which I believe is normally used for soccer games. I remember that I had our tickets but as we approached the entrance and I doled out the tickets Lucinda’s vanished into thin air somehow. We simply lost it. It was shitty to have to buy another but at least the show was not sold out. I remember this being a particularly nice day in Portland but an extremely long one because the first band we were kind of interested in was Earshot yet we showed up super early in the afternoon. A lot of sitting around. To pass a little time Claude and I partook in something where you put on sumo wrestler suits and go at it. Finally Earshot came on and they were quite good but remind me too much of Tool wannabes. Cake was also pretty good. The big reason we came was Cypress Hill. I don’t think I had seen them since that first time at the Gorge when they had the giant bong onstage. This time was even better because they brought along two live guitarists a la their excellent double album Skull & Bones that had come out a few years prior. They rocked which was not something that comes to mind for most when thinking of Cypress Hill. There was a near riot at the end of the show because the powers that be cut the power on them once they started to blaze onstage. They tried to play it off until it became clear the power was not coming back on. The crowd went nuts but ultimately after a lot of fuck you’s everyone left the venue in peace.

Rock N Roll Recollections

Fuzzy recollections of bands that rocked my world