Mike Watt and the Missingmen: An old punk still rocks the bass

Street Sweeper Social Club: Tom Morello = guitar god; plus great MIA cover

The Walkmen: Clean cut looking guys and their surprisingly melodic indie rock

Calexico: Tex-mex music that goes all over the sonic map

Mount St. Helen's Vietnam Band: More falsetto rock over interesting beats

The Murder City Devils: An angry singer makes everyone uncomfortable

Horse Feathers: Americana roots music with strings (cello, violin, guitar) and the occasional smack of a drum

The Avett Brothers: What happens when the "punk rock" aesthetic is used to make "country" or "bluegrass" roots music

The Submarines: Boy/girl duo, smiling and singing about heartbreak

Grizzly Bear: Interesting vocals and arrangements from this experimental band that doesn't fit into any genre

School of Seven Belles: A synth-trio with soaring female harmonies

Santigold: Soulful hooks, musicianship and choreography with the backup singers

Heartless Bastards: Female vocalist channeling Robert Plant and Janis Joplin with a solid backing band

The Knux: Old-school hip-hop minus the glorification of violence or misogyny plus real instruments

Nine Inch Nails: Mixing old and new stuff from Trent, who can still put on quite a show

Side Note #3: What's With the Smoke?

During Nine Inch Nails' set, the smoke machine was fired up. It hadn't occurred to me until that moment how silly and pointless a smoke machine really is. The sun had not yet gone down, so the smoke that occasionally billowed from the stage looked pretty ridiculous.

If Only I Could Teleport and Travel Through Time...

I would not have missed Blind Pilot, Blitzen Trapper, BLK JKS, Crystal Castles, Doves, The Duchess and the Duke, King Kahn and the Shrines, Monotonix, Mos Def, Natalie Portman's Shaved Head, Ra Ra Riot, Sun Kil Moon and The Wrens.

VENUE/SERVICE

Let me wrap this up with a word about the Gorge Amphitheatre and Sasquatch Festival. I love seeing concerts at this venue, but there is always something that drives me nuts. Some detail that seems to fly in the face of common decency and common sense. First off, let's talk cost. We are out in the middle of desert and we are not allowed to leave the concert or the campground (with car) once we enter. While I understand the security and logistical reasons for this, it is also problematic.

$5 for a water bottle. Limited water filling stations. No shady areas, like they had in years past. No, actually, there were shady areas, but only for those who purchased VIP tickets. Throughout the weekend, those areas were an underutilized waste of space. This is the desert, people. Don't make money off my need to survive. Provide me with the basics, and then charge me for comfort. At one point, when there was a huge line for water (which was also the sink to wash your hands), I heard someone laugh and say "Oh look, silver lining. Automatic towel dispensers." Good one, mystery girl.

As with any outdoor concert/festival, there are going to be problems with the sound and space. One of the smaller stages (the Wookie Stage) seemed to have consistent problems. The main stage had excellent sound; the Dance Tent was cramped and hard to enjoy.

What was impressive, though, were the big screens and the cameras on the artist. This was top-notch camera work done by people who actually seemed to know the music. They zoomed in for close-ups on the performers at the right times and, except for one or two acts, were consistently good throughout the fest. It was a little strange sometimes, because even though we would be close enough to see the band, we would find ourselves looking at the screen rather than the live musicians.

And, of course, there are some folks who really take their power over their corner of the world and rule it with an iron fist. These are the folks who skipped the customer service training that Live Nation was offering. The hall monitors or parking enforcement officers. I'm gonna skip a crazy story about those people; instead, here is a story about the way these people should act.

As I made my way to see Bon Iver from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the band had just begun a very quiet, acoustic version of "Maps." I stopped and sat on a brick wall to listen. There were several folks sitting on this wall, which stretched for about 30 to 40 feet, and very few walking around.

Two security guards interrupted the song's quiet brilliance, asking people to move, saying this was a walkway, not a place to sit. As people started moving, one woman said, "No, I am not going to move. There is no one walking around here, and I have been sitting here for the past hour. I am not blocking anyone. Please let me listen to the rest of this song." The security man asked her to move again, and she just repeated—word for word—what she had said before. She said this pleasantly, in a very non-confrontational, polite way—as if she were saying "Please, pass the milk please."

This woman must either be a Jedi or a middle school teacher, because the security man moved along. And when he moved along, he didn't ask anyone else to move. Instead, he seemed to be chatting amiably with the folks sitting there. Wow. You don't love me like I love you, security guy and Jedi woman, because you don't know me. But, you leave me with hope for humanity. | Tony Van Zeyl

Photos by Christopher Nelson and Sean Pecknold, courtesy Sasquatch! Music Festival

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