Sunday September 11th
Morning Teleportation – Pioneer Courthouse Square
You couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful weekend for outdoor music at the Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland. As the last night of shows began, Portland’s own Morning Teleportation played to a small, but excited crowd, as most of the patrons arrived later in the evening. I had always heard good things about the psych-rock outfit, but I had yet to hear them before this performance. Their blend of Led Zeppelin-like keyboards and organ sounds along with straight guitar driven power rock was pretty jarring, in the most flattering sense of the term. Tracks like “Crystalline” and “Expanding Anyway” shifted tone and rhythm various times within the track, making it impossible to look away and check your phone or distract yourself without missing anything. I had no idea I wanted to to hear them, but Morning Teleportation were a great surprise, and a nice start to the festival’s final show.
Cass McCombs – Pioneer Courthouse Square
A ton of technical difficulties aside, which eventually had the event running an hour behind schedule, the Cass McCombs band played a somber but powerful show at dusk on Sunday. The five-piece band, fronted by McCombs in a plain white button down dress shirt, might not have been what everyone was expecting, but the performance and talent of the band was unmistakable. Especially with the show running behind schedule, it was obvious that the crowd was growing anxious and rather annoyed with McCombs at different points, but when they actually managed to play a few songs in a row, they seemed to have won some fans. And even being a fan of the band myself, I have to admit the show left a bit to be desired. Whether it was an impatient crowd or the band just simply being out of place in that large of a venue, Cass McCombs was not what I was expecting, and that might have been the most disappointing part of the festival.
Band of Horses – Pioneer Courthouse Square
If one thing’s for certain after seeing this show, it’s that people love their Band of Horses. The band, originally formed in Seattle, has that kind of simple but inspiring sound that makes them so easy to love. And sure, seeing them isn’t life altering, but they put on a hell of a performance at the Square. Lead singer and guitarist Ben Bridwell had a smile on his face the entire night, vibing off of each member of the band, effortlessly fronting this, apparently hugely popular, modern rock band. And even on some of there more somber and mellow tracks seemed to take on a rock and roll aesthetic. “No One’s Gonna Love You” and “The Great Salt Lake” sounded great as the sound bounced off the surrounding buildings, guitar chords blasting down the streets as people peeped over barriers surrounding the concert. They also played some new material for the show, a sign that a new album might not be that far away. Even though the show was running an hour behind, the amount of standing and waiting all paid off once Band of Horses dawned the final stage for MusicFest, pleasing both fans and bystanders alike.
