Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

Bone Thugs in Portland? Count me in! As soon as I heard that the Bone Thugs were headed to town, I could already see my front row video of Crossroads being posted to my blog. My roommate and I listened to The Bone Thugs-N-Harmony nearly exclusively for 2 weeks leading up to the show, and once they hit the stage our eyes lit up like two 20 somethings in the front row of a Bone Thugs concert. The crowd was exactly what you would expect... side ways hats, XXL Jerseys, and marijuana cigarettes aplenty. The energy was electric, not a dull moment for 2 hours. So here it is, the video that I had been dreaming of as I set my eyes on the concert advert. Check it out and be amazed.


Bone Thugs-N-Harmony from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

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Lamb of God

Lamb Of God from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Shwayze

If you are unfamiliar with Shwayze, then scroll down and watch this video... immediately. I find this guy and his support extremely entertaining. The show was at a packed Hawthorne Theater, full of some very enthusiastic fans. And what's better than a hip-hop show with a crowd to match the energy of the entertainer? The way Shwayze played off the crowd and visa verse made you feel like you were at a stadium show with thousands of people. This video is him performing one of his radio hits called Polaroid. I suggest you check him out if you haven't already. He has some really fun tracks, great summer music and his stage presence is excellent.


Shwayze from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

In Flames

Have you ever heard of Gothenburg, Sweden? Well until around 1994 neither had anyone else. In Flames comes from this, the second largest city in Sweden and has been touring the world for quite some time now. They are veterans of melodic death metal, and have been a big influence for many of the bands that are brave enough to call themselves part of the genre. While these guys are a pretty big deal, I have just recently heard of them. My buddy Matt, an In Flames fan, saw that they were coming, so naturally I said “Let’s Go!” We hit the venue as the set was being changed, and when they hit the stage, the crowd went absolutely crazy. I always love going to a show where there are so many people that are in love with the band and know every word. It really creates an awesome atmosphere that I have always been a big fan of. It’s like when you go to a bands first headlining tour, and their support are all little known acts, so when the openers are playing, there is little to no crowd chemistry, but once the headliner hits the stage the entire venue erupts. I guess it’s kinda like that. Anyway, the show was excellent, got a little footage below for your viewing pleasure. Check it, and throw me comment if you’re diggin it.


In Flames from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Alkaline Trio

Alkaline Trio from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Redman and Method Man

I have been trying to figure out what is better than a live Superstar rap show, and thus far, I’ve got nothing. Ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration but in my experience rap shows rarely fail to impress. While I am a huge fan of rap and hip-hop of all kinds, it’s not the music that draws me to these shows. What brings me to shows like Ice Cube, Wyclef, and Tech 9 is the showmanship that is involved in bringing live rap music to the public. I have never been disappointed when any of these guys hit the stage; Red and Meth continued the trend. I arrived at the beginning of their set with my friend Janette, and we made our way through the extraordinarily blazed audience to the front, and as you can see from my video of the final song, we got pretty close. Red Man and Method Man both did some stage diving, and then Red climbed up onto the giant speakers at the front of the stage. Eager fans below began chanting “Jump, Jump, Jump” and he decided to yield to the crowd’s demands as he leapt into the masses. Check out the video, you get to see it all.


Red Man and Method Man from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Devin the Dude

What can I say about Devin? Well, first would be that if you don’t know who I am talking about, what you don’t know, is that you DO know who I am talking about. You may remember him from Dr. Dre’s 2001 album that dropped back in ’99, where he was featured on the track “Fuck You” along with Snoop Dogg. Devin has been on the scene for quite a while, playing to sell out underground crowds across the country, and I was fortunate enough to catch him when he hit Portland. The show was at Berbati’s and it was All Ages, or else you wouldn’t be reading this right now. (December 18th can’t come soon enough!) He had about 2 or 3 hundred guys on the stage with him, you can check the video, and each of them had something to say. You know at a show like this that most everyone is fairly “in the loop” when it comes to underground hip-hop/rap. Either that, or has a friend that is, in the case of my friend Jannette that came along with me. So everyone was pretty savvy as far as west coast rap concert etiquette goes, and also everyone was blazed out of their mind. Devin was awesome; his friends were alright… all six hundred and thirty of them. All in All, great show.

-I Miss you Easy-

Devin the Dude from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Against Me!

My attendance at this show can be attributed to my friend Chris. I was planning on going to see Conor Oberst that night, and Chris says” Sure dude go see Conor but I’m tellin you, you are missing out with Ted Leo and Against Me!” Well, I’d like to say Thank you very much Chris. This show was amazing. I can’t believe I hadn’t been into either of these bands before. Great vocals, great lighting, I also enjoyed their backline as it was uncluttered. Check the vid! I found it very, (uh oh, gotta bust an art school term) aesthetically pleasing. (Boom!) The show blew my mind, and their albums are continuing to do so afterward. Watch the video, download the CD, got to a show, but whatever you do, get these guys in your ears. My favorite thing about Against Me! was their relentlessness. I can’t remember a time where they stopped playing for more than 6 seconds during the entire hour and a half set. It was pure insanity… pure rebellious insanity. Thanks again Chris.


Against Me! from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Norma Jean

I missed Haste The Day. I had trouble getting to the venue, and I missed them. Okay? You happy?
Ok sorry about that, I was a little disappointed that I missed them but Norma Jean was certainly quite the spectacular. I had listened to them here and there, but wasn’t really into them. Once I saw them live it jumpstarted a whole new appreciation for their recorded material, and I didn’t put it down for the next week after the show. Their lighting was pretty cool, it sounded great, and the crowd was amazing. Great show. Check the vid.


Norma Jean from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Underoath & Saosin

The highly anticipated Underoath Saosin show went off without a hitch. Well, I can’t really vouch for the accuracy of that statement, but the show was amazing. My buddy Nathan and I showed up right as Saosin was taking the stage. Quickly making our way to the front, I couldn’t help but notice the vocals were a little off for cove, his mic needed to be turned way up. In between songs, a kid standing next to me yelled up to him to have it turned up. Cove responded, “I have no control…. I have no control…. I have no control kind of like a woman.” So maybe there were one or two hitches. Saosin played a few songs from The Grey EP which is their new creation that they are currently traveling with. During this tour they are selling 100 copies at each venue and that’s it. I purchased one of Portland's 100 copies to find out that they are also all autographed by the band. I was pretty stoked. It is a great disc by the way, go download it. They played a great set including songs from Translating the Name, which is the EP that Saosin put out back when Anthony Green (Circa Survive, Sound of Animals Fighting) was at the helm. As a Saosin fan myself, I enjoyed myself thoroughly.


Saosin from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

I have heard people tell me about a band called Underoath for years, and I never checked them out. Not until the release of Lost in the Sound of Separation, Underoath’s 2008 release that has been critically acclaimed in a number of publications. Here is a link to a great review I read on the Alternative Press Website. http://altpress.com/reviews/1352.htm I fell in love with this album right away, and decided that I should probably take a look at their older stuff since everyone had been right about these guys all along. I downloaded every album they have, and didn’t really dig it. But prior to this show, Underoath’s latest creation dominated my iPod. The Underoath set was an excellent one. Entering to the first track on the Lost in the Sound of Separation, "Breathing in a New Mentality", they continued to rip the stage a part for probably 5 songs before stopping to breathe. They played a nice variety of old and new, and much of the sellout crowd seemed to know every word. With each song the crowd surged forward, but not too violently of course, this is Christian Hard-Core mind you. At the end of the show Aaron Gillespie (Drums, The Almost) threw out his sticks, and I was lucky enough to catch one. Stoked! All in All, the show lived up to each one of my expectations, and I left with some cool memorabilia as well.


Underoath from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Four Year Strong

Movielife was a very influential band for me years ago, and when they broke up it was saddening. I am the Avalanche has proved to be a great extension of Vinnie Caruana’s talent, and each time I see them live it’s a great experience. I won’t hesitate to recommend that you listen to both of these bands if you haven’t already, and you can check the video yourself, but I would definitely suggest you catch them live if you get the chance.


I Am The Avalanche from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Isn’t there just something magical about New England hardcore? I agree, and these guys have it. I was introduced to these guys back in April when they opened for The Starting Line, and I really enjoyed them. Now look at them, they don’t need no stinking Starting Line. They rocked the less than stellar Satyricon crowd to the core. The crowd actually rushed the stage for the last song, check the vid. It’s glorious. I watched as 2 guys were drug from the pit into the café area. I think they were fine but it didn’t look good initially.


Four Year Strong from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Chiodos

The first time I saw Chiodos they were opening for 30 Seconds to Mars. This was back when few knew who they were and Jared Leto was still cool. In fact, Craig Owens, Chiodos front man, walked out the front door of the Wonder Ballroom shortly after the show and not a single person knew who he was. My friend Aimee, who had been listening to Chiodos for a while and was actually at the show for them rather than 30 Seconds to Mars recognized him immediately and confronted him. He seemed taken aback that he was being recognized, what with being in the shadow of Jared Leto and his brother during this tour. We talked to him for a few minutes and he seemed pretty excited as he walked away. Now, Chiodos has become almost superstars. They aren’t playing sold out arenas but I couldn’t believe how many Chiodos shirts I saw at a show with Silverstein in the lineup. I figured that there would certainly be more of their fans present as opposed to Chiodos fans. Anyway, if you take a look at the video I have embedded below, you will see how big shot Chiodos thinks they have become, dramatic lighting and all. The show was great by the way; they played nearly every song they had. Silverstien killed it as well. I have only recently become a fan of their music, but they certainly had a large fan base in attendance. I had fun, and that’s all that matters.


Chiodos from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Bayside

I am a Bayside fan. I have seen them twice before this show. Okay, now that I have those 2 statements on the table, this was the worst show I have ever been to. I arrived with my friend Camden as The Matches were performing. I was not impressed. Then came the headliner, Bayside, the band I had come to see. First off, they messed up the sound check. I didn’t hear anyone check the center stage mic, which is something I normally think nothing of, but once they came out I immediately noticed that the vocals were low. We could barely hear the guy. Watch the video; you’ll know what I’m talking about. Unfortunately they did not fix the problem. Then, that red lighting that you see in the video below, was the sole lighting sequence for the entirety of the show, also normally not something I think too much of, but when I returned home and watched all of the video I took, I noticed it right off. Thirdly, the newest Bayside release Shudder, was nothing spectacular. I feel like it was the same shit we have been hearing from Bayside for years with slightly new lyrics. I was disappointed, and this disappointment was just further realized when attending their show. Like I said, I am a Bayside fan, but this show fell short.


Bayside from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Devildriver

If you are unfamiliar with Devildriver, please go watch this video before reading on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULgU7_lYA38 Now that you are familiar with these crazy assholes, you can understand why my buddy Matt and I decided to go see them last week, and still haven’t stopped talking about it. When we arrived at the Roseland, we were ushered to the Bar as opposed to heading up the stairs to the concert hall as we normally would. They had cleared the majority of the bar out, and were using the stage that was normally reserved for smaller bar shows. I heard someone giving a Roseland staff member some shit about it not being in the concert hall and the staff member said “This is the first time this has ever happened!” I didn’t realize it at the time, but what had occurred to me after leaving was that the Roseland had actually done all of us a favor. I imagine that because the pre-sales were so discouraging, they moved the concert to the bar because it was a smaller area, and had the show been upstairs there would have been no pit, and it would have turned out much like the Kataklysm show. I say Bravo Roseland Theater.But then again, I could have no idea what I'm talking about. When Matt and I arrived, Snot was playing. I had never heard of them, but I enjoyed it very much. There were 2 girls that also enjoyed it very much, and they got up on stage to show it. There is a video below of these two girls and I strongly suggest you check it out.
Snot from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.
Once Devildriver got on stage, the place erupted. Unlike the Kataklysm show, the majority of the crowd was pit ready. I think the lead singer of Devildriver put it best when he said “We want everyone to be safe, but we want extreme viciousness as well. It’s really weird how it works.” He told us this right after he stopped the show because a 350lb guy had gone down and wasn’t getting up. It took 5 Roseland security guards to literally drag him out of the middle of the pit, and I can almost guarantee you, his leg was broken. As soon as he was clear, they started back up and the “extreme viciousness” continued. Watch the video, it gives you a little taste of it. I think the show was great and I have the bruises to prove it.

Devildriver from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Kataklysm

Who doesn’t like Mid 90’s Garbage Death Metal from Canada? Yep, no one! Well that is exactly what hit the Hawthorne Theater on Wednesday, and while I didn’t expect it to live up to its name it sure as hell did. My roommate James, buddy Mike and I decided that with a name like Kataklysm, and opener like Dying Fetus, and a title track like Prevail, this was a show we weren’t going to miss. When we showed up I think we were as disappointed as the band was to see a mere 60 people at the venue. We had arrived 2 hours after the show began and still the venue was empty, and unfortunately the headliner hitting the stage didn’t change that. These guys were your stereotypical long haired, tattooed, head banging fools, and it sure was entertaining. Check the video below to get a little taste of Kataklysm for yourself.I couldn’t stop laughing the whole night, partially because of how few people there were and partially because of how ridiculous the band was. It was a blast. At a show like this where the crowd is minimal, you often see every single person in the whole venue singing each and every word. This show was no different, as many of the people in attendance were obvious cult Kataklysm fans. Strange!?! Anyway, it wasn’t a total waste of time, but I want to shout out to Mike who actually purchased a ticket to come along with James and I. Thanks a lot buddy.

Kataklysm from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

By A_Niks

Flogging Molly

Flogging Molly sold out 2 weeks before they arrived at the Roseland Theater on October 11th in good ol’ Portland Oregon. Luckily enough I was able to get my buddy Scotty Burk and I in the door last minute. For some reason the capacity crowd of the Roseland always seems to impress me; I think it might be because of the energy that Portland seems to bring to live music as opposed to the sheer numbers that may seem weak to other venues around the country. I have never been a big fan of Flogging Molly’s records, but their live show certainly entertained me. I think I can speak for Scott and me both when I say that these Irish musicians gave the crowd their monies worth. They had a sizable pit, and the guys in the pit were sizable themselves. I don’t understand why their shirts had to come off but with the amount of 300lb guys that were running around with no shirts on sweating their asses off, I found myself in the middle of it for a very short period of time. There was a kid there wearing a kilt, and apparently he had been in attendance last time Flogging Molly graced the Pacific Northwest and Dave King, Flogging Molly’s front man, recognized him and invited him on stage for their final song. I have some video of Connor in all of his glory that will be up soon. The seven piece band drew a crowd and as they left I heard nothing but praises, overall I would say their show was great and I wouldn’t hesitate to see them again.

Flogging Molly from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Gogol Bordello

I work at a gym, and we open at 5:30am. On Wednesday s the Willamette Week is delivered and I often stop and talk with the guy that delivers them about upcoming shows and what not. A few weeks back he asked me if I was going to see Gogol Bordello, and I told him I had no idea who they were. He said “Dude! You have got to go check these guys out.” I followed his advice. My friend Sarah and I went in knowing very little about this band, we knew only their genre… Gypsy Rock?!?! Well, we figured out what that meant right away. These guys were crazy. They had the entire place, which was packed, moving to the sounds of violin, harmonica, accordion, and guitar. I enjoyed the music, which to be honest I didn’t expect, but their show was awesome. The guy on the violin had to be 90 years old. I would recommend checking Gogol Bordello out if you get the chance. I can almost guarantee you will have fun at their live show. Check out the video below and you might get a picture of what I am talking about.


Gogol Bordello from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Jamie Lidell

If you don’t know Janelle Monae or Jamie Lidell, get ready to click on the YouTube bookmark in your toolbar because you need to see these two. Of course you needn’t travel all the way to YouTube when yours truly has supplied you with such great footage right here within the confines of this very blog. Below is some footage from the Jamie Lidell show that you may enjoy, but definitely check these 2 out elsewhere. I downloaded Jamie’s album and checked out Janelle’s website before the show, and I knew that the show was going to be fun right away. What I didn’t expect was to be blown away. I became a fan of Janelle’s on the internet, but when she stage dove into a crowd of maybe 25 kids she became my hero. Jamie is a genius; he mixes beats while on stage and then sings to it. His style was awesome. When I arrived Janelle had 2 songs left. The show was at the Wonder Ballroom, and even with the bar there were maybe 200 people in the whole place. By the time Jamie Lidell got on stage the place was pretty full. Much of the crowd knew every word, but he wasn’t simply playing his album for us, he was remixing it before our eyes. Great show, check out the video.


Jamie Lidell from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

People Under the Stairs

Legends of Underground Hip-Hop anyone? The People Under the Stairs were in Portland on Friday and my buddy Adam and I decided we should probably check this out given what we have heard about these indie rap gurus, so we headed over to the Hawthorne Theatre an hour and a half after the show was scheduled to begin. We figured this would be ample time to miss the opening acts which we cared nothing about… we were wrong. The show was 5 hours long. We were standing for quite some time, and unfortunately for the acts, their turntables died and they were running the entire show off of iTunes from the back of the house. Each song had to be faded out rather than mixed into the next song. It was pretty interesting, allowing for a lot of weird silence and an overall loss of crowd energy. Luckily for the headliners there were using different gear and had no problems. Their set was exactly what they had promised, a high energy lyrically charged underground hip-hop event. They had the crowd’s attention and with it they set the place on fire. Double K and Thes One both spit some very hot fire, and Thes One was all over the freestyle throughout the night. However he couldn’t get away from calling Portland “Rip City”. While totally accurate, it got kind of old. Did I mention they are from L.A., because they sure did. As with much of the hip-hop culture, especially the underground crowd, where you are from means even more than what you saying, so every other song was often about where they were from. I am not from L.A. I am from Spokane, and I just so happened to run into a bunch of kids that I went to high school with. A few of them moved to Portland after graduating and a bunch of them were in town visiting. All of us meeting at the concert was a crazy coincidence. I am not from L.A.

People Under the Stairs from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Shiny Toy Guns

Berbati’s hosted the Shiny Toy Guns on Thursday to an All-Ages, sell-out crowd. My buddy Mike and I were in attendance and while their album made me think the show would be fun, I didn’t really have any. They had hung umbrellas upside down from the ceiling creating a neat effect with their laser lights, but I didn’t really care for their show. We arrived late, and left early.


Shiny Toy Guns from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

August Burns Red

If you are into brutal, if you like metal, if you understand that heavy has nothing to do with lbs, it’s quite possible that you are, or were at one time a fan of August Burns Red. Was that enough commas for you? If not, read my previous posts as they are littered with commas, often used incorrectly. So, August Burns Red came back to town last night and boy what a show. Did I just use “boy” in describing a metal show? Opps. These guys are awesome. The show was at The Hawthorne Theatre. I had a great time, and got a lot of great footage, you can check some of it out below. I arrived just before the band Sky Eats Airplane was scheduled to start, and they were pretty good as well. I had never heard of them but their live performance caught my attention and I downloaded their album upon arriving home. August Burns Red is a group of very talented musicians, and if you don’t like metal I’m sure you disagree, but I’m telling you they are outstanding. I got a pick from guitarist JB which I was pretty excited about. Overall the show was pretty brutal, check out the video and you’ll see what I’m talking about.


August Burns Red from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Maroon 5 & Counting Crows

I know a lot of people that don’t really care for Maroon 5 and to you I say… “That’s cool.” Personally I enjoy Maroon 5 very much, and there is nothing like throwing on my baby blue apron, busting out the Windex and vacuum cleaner and throwing on some (cough cough) umm, sorry about that I just don’t know what… This past weekend the Portland area was graced with Maroon 5 and Counting Crows' presence, but of course a line up like this couldn’t possibly be contained by a Portland Venue so the show was held 20 miles north of Portland in Ridgefield Washington at The Amphitheater at Clark County. When I found out that these two bands were coming to the area I began organizing a trip to see them. My brother was the one that tipped me off on the show and he was more than excited as The Counting Crows is his favorite band. I also called my good buddy Gates who, like my brother, lives in Pullman Washington attending Washington State University. They decided they would drive over together and stay with me over the weekend. I got a hold of my friends Aimee, Allison and her boyfriend Matt. In all we ended up having a gang of 5 anxious concert goers… MATT! Make that 4 anxious concert goers and one rather annoyed boyfriend. Sorry bro. We bought our tickets all in a row and anticipated their WORLD WIDE MEGA STAR arrival. This amphitheater was incredible. The reserved seating upfront was indoors but it had no back wall because behind the reserved seating was the giant lawn for general admission. Around the outside was something like 12 concession stands including the famous $13 beer, and $10 ballpark frank; nothing like event price hikes! My friend Aimee and I are big friends of the band Augustana, and they were the openers. We had seen them live once before in Portland, and they blew my mind. In this setting they were a little less impressive. Partly because the majority of the crowd hadn’t arrived yet so it was much like they were playing in an empty arena, and partly because we were so far away from the stage. They pretty much kick ass though. Maroon 5 played first and it was exactly what I expected. High energy, expensive sets, pyrotechnics, laser lights, giant T.V. screens, the works. The audio was great, it was a masterful presentation. I have a cool video of everyone with their cell phones raised upon Maroon 5’s request. Check out my Vimeo account at www.Vimeo.com/nichollsaaron, for that and other concert footage along with some shorts. Maroon 5 played a bunch of songs from their 2 platinum records, and at the end the lead singer threw his guitar in the air and let in smash to the ground. He then picked it up and handed it to someone in the front row. I was very upset. Counting Crows came next, and it was obvious that the majority of the crowd had come to see these rock superstars. They played great, vocals were spot on, similar theatrics but my one complaint was that some of the songs were remixes of the album track I was used to, and they didn’t live up to the originals. They were great though, and they played their encore with both of the other bands, a made a nice little “Save the World” statement at the end. I think all 5 of us had a great time and it was money well spent. Sorry Matt.


Maroon 5 from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

The Raconteurs

My roommate often listens to me talk about upcoming shows and doesn’t have any idea who I am talking about. This certainly is not to say that he isn’t into music because he is, and actually thanks to Pandora, who isn’t. I think Pandora’s biggest benefit is allowing you to drop some obscure band name and then say “Oh, they are kinda like Underoath, you should check them out.” or whoever you have your station set to and you sound so informed. Thank you Pandora. So, when I told James that I was thinking about going to a band called The Raconteurs he was excited to say that he did actually know who they were. I had never heard of them, but he seemed to like them so I told him that we were going and he needed to empty that date on his calendar. I downloaded their album Consoler of the Lonely, and gave it a listen. I liked it a lot. The lead singer is Jack White of the White Stripes which was a large contributor to both of their back to back shows in Portland being sold out weeks prior to the date. The Raconteurs remind me of The Doors, and little bit of The Who, sometimes a dash of Styx but all in all it’s a great sound that we haven’t heard for quite some time in main stream music. I believe that along with White’s star power it’s a large part of their appeal. The show was great. We showed a little later than planned but still caught Jack White in all his Super Star glory. Even without White’s fame, I think the band was great, probably because I could care less about the White Stripes. They sounded pretty good live, certainly didn’t quite live up to the album, but they made up for it in stage presents. I got some video, but wasn’t in the mood to push my way through a capacity crowd at the Roseland so all of it is from a distance. In the end, thumbs up to The Raconteurs.


The Raconteurs from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Nightwish

I got an email 2 weeks ago from a good friend of mine from high school telling me that a favorite band of his was coming to Portland, and that he was making plans to come visit and go to the show. I told him that I could probably get us tickets, and that he was welcome at my place for as long as he wanted. Well, I was able to get us into the show, and it was a blast. It was a band called Nightwish, a Swedish power metal band that mixed amped metal chords with a melodic opera style vocal. I knew nothing about this band, but apparently in their genre they are a big deal. I realized this when we arrived to a giant crowd at the Roseland, something I wasn’t expecting at all. We caught the last 2 songs of the opener Sonata Arctica and then made our way through the crowd during the set break. We ran into a couple of kids in town from Forest Grove (a 2 hour bus ride from Portland) to see the Swedes. When Nightwish came out they did so in fashion; all the flashy 90’s laser lights and dramatic intro music that I had imagined when listening to their album the day before. I was able to shoot some good video of the group. The lead singer Annette came up to the edge of the stage and sang directly into my camera at one point, and then the keyboardist came to the edge of the stage and handed me his beer. I drank it in proper “crazy fan” style as if the fact that it had been his beer made it taste like Hawaiian Punch. I promptly threw the empty cup into the security pit only to receive a giant cheer from the fans immediately surrounding me. At the end of the show I was lucky enough to catch the bassists’ pick to give to my good friend Dan, and he was nothing but excited. Of course his mind was elsewhere as I came to the back of the house only to see him sucking face with the Forest Grove girl. HAHAHA.

Nightwish from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Music Fest Northwest 2008

Last night was the closing night of Portland's Music Fest Northwest event that is put together by the Willamette Week. The festival included 215 bands at 20 venues in 4 days. You can choose to buy a ticket to the shows you want to go to or you can buy a red MFNW wristband for $50 that gets you into all of the shows on a first come first serve basis. My internship at Mike Thrasher Presents scored me one of these wristbands. So I busted out my centerfold schedule of all the bands from the Willamette Week, and mapped out my week. I decided to hit Mogwai at the Roseland on Wednesday, The Cool Kids and Del the Funky Homosapien also at the Roseland on Thursday, the Sand People and Jedi Mind Tricks at the Hawthorne Theatre on Friday, and then Saturday would be Ratatat at the Wonder Ballroom and The Helio Sequence at the Crystal Ballroom.

Wednesday, the first night, I went to see the Scottish instrumental band Mogwai at The Roseland Theater. I showed up with my buddy Matt at 10:15, and they were scheduled to start at 10:30. We arrived at the Roseland surprised to see 200 people standing in line outside of the venue extending down the street and nearly around the corner. We were absolutely devastated, having been talking about this show for weeks. We decided to get in line even though we knew that the venue was at capacity, and their policy is 20 out - 20 in, so there was really no real way that we were going to get in. I had some handbills to pass out to the line so Matt stood in line and I headed to the front to start passing out the bills. I got about half way down the line and I see three kids come out of the emergency exit, and a few people decided to file in as they come out. I see this and run back to Matt at the rear of the line, and say "Dude, emergency exit, let’s go!" he and I run back to the exit and by this time tons of people are rushing in. we ran into the crowded venue and caught the whole show. It was extraordinary. The capacity +150 crowd stood in amazement and what caught me as I looked around, besides the fact that I never had, and will probably never again see the Roseland that packed, was the diversity that the crowd had to offer. Ages varied greatly, as did walks of life. The show was better than I could have expected. Much of it I got on film, you can see the footage on my youtube which is linked at the bottom of the page. The lead guitarist set his pick on the stage as they left, and I rushed the barrier as everyone exited. A member of the crew was nice enough to respond to my plea “BRO! PICK!” and he handed it to me.

Mogwai from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.
Thursday, the second night, I tried to plan ahead. Now I was getting familiar with the way that MFNW works, and I learned that MFNW is long lined, sellout crowd, underground, mainstream craziness. So I went to the Roseland at 9pm. The Cool Kids were scheduled to begin at 10 and Del at 11. I borrowed my friend Aimee's car and parked a few blocks from the venue. I walked to the venue expecting to see a line, but luckily I had beaten the crowd and entered the venue at 9 without a problem. A guy named Cool Nuts was on stage when I arrived and he was alright, but then The Cool Kids came out and killed it. Their set was pretty damn good. Then Del came out and while I liked it, I wasn’t all that impressed. As I left I realized that the line that I had expected must have formed shortly after my arrival because the Roseland seemed to be just under capacity. I got back to the car at around 12:30… or at least where I had left the car. I hadn’t realized it when I arrived, but I had parked in front of a fire hydrant, and now the car was gone. I walked home.

By A_Niks
On Friday, after shelling out $280 to get Aimee’s car out of the tow lot, we headed to the Hawthorne Theatre to catch Jedi Mind Tricks. Local Hip-Hop group “Sand People” were on stage when we got there, and I really enjoyed their show. They had something like 7 members, and were constantly handing off the 3 mics that they had been supplied. I think they had a great show. Jedi Mind Tricks came out and gave the underground savvy crowd of maybe 200 exactly what they had come to see, Raw, Anti-Corporate, Anti-Police underground rap. The venue, while not full was still very alive and the rap duo kept the place moving for upwards of an hour and a half. We left having received our monies worth, if I would have paid.

By A_Niks
Saturday was the final day of MFNW and this is a sad day. Knowing that MFNW was hours from ending, I headed to The Wonder Ballroom around 5:00 to see about getting in to see Ratatat at 5:30. I was foolish to expect anything other than what I arrived to see. The line of 400 kids spanned nearly 2 city blocks, and the venue was already at capacity. I had forgotten that this was one of Nike’s free events that simply required you to pick-up a ticket from one of two Jackpot Records locations. I did not see Ratatat live. After bailing on Ratatat I was invited to go see a segment of the Time Based Art festival at the Portland Art Museum which is right across the street from my apartment, so at 9 I headed over there and caught “Zidane, a 21st Century Portrait”. This film was of Zinedine Zidane the famous French soccer player playing for Real Madrid against Villareal in 2005. The concept was to follow only Zidane throughout the 90 min. game. They used 17 different cameras and much of the film was accompanied by Mogwai. I loved it but many people got up and left when they realized the film was exactly what it had promised. After the movie, I ran to the Crystal Ballroom to catch Helio Sequence. I arrived to find yet another signature Music Fest Northwest line that ran down the block and around the corner. I looked at my phone, it was 11:15 and Helio Sequence wasn’t scheduled to start until mid-night. I stood in line for a minute, and then decided I was tired and had homework to do, so I started home. I got across the street and thought to myself, “This is what MFNW is. This line is the essence of the entire festival. Tonight is the last night, now get back in line!” I quickly heeded my conscious’ advice and got back to the rear. It took just under a half hour to get in the door and I made my way up the stairs to the giant venue that is the Crystal Ballroom. Crystal’s capacity is 1500, and there was still a line around the corner. I caught the end of Menomena’s set and I was quite impressed. They had drawn an amazing crowd, and half of them left as the band tore down their equipment. The line outside gave new life to the Ballroom as those who left were simply replaced with eager Helio Sequence fans. I had not really listened to them much, but when the Beaverton natives hit the stage I became a fan. They played a great show, and as the venue emptied I heard many satisfied Portlanders talk about the sadness of MFNW being over until next summer.

My first Music Fest Northwest was a great one and I came away with a few stories to tell and some great video to show. I applaud the Willamette Week for their excellent work in bringing this great festival to Portland every year since 2001. I can’t wait to see the bands that come next year.