There’s no sweeter reason to make your way through the seemingly endless lands of astonishing pine forest beauty in the Pacific Northwest and out to Eastern Washington’s no-man’s-land than for the Sasquatch! Music Festival at the beautiful Gorge Amphitheater. Quite literally in the middle of nowhere, The Gorge’s annual Memorial Day music fest, located in the city of George, is framed by an utterly breathtaking mountain backdrop, a river winding through gorgeous desert canyons as it stretches to the far reaches of an impossibly beautiful horizon.
Sasquatch 2013 embraces and celebrates two of their own with dual Seattle headliners: indie-pop duo the Postal Service and hip-hop smash sensations Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. The latter commanded Friday’s headline performance with the ecstatic reception of a true hometown hero, after tremendous roc-driven sets from Arctic Monkeys, Reignwolf, Japandroids, Built to Spill and more.
High winds and ominous cloud cover threatened rain all day on the fields of Squatch, which made for a hilarious mix of attire among attendees. Bikini tops and shorts mingled with knitted caps, heavy coats and rain parkas, a fitting spectrum given the wide-ranging spans of temperature throughout the day (highs around 70, lows around 40).
ZZ Ward impressed the early arrivals with a set that included a cover of Son House’s classic “Grinnin’ In Your Face,” which has been given new life thanks to Jack White. The sassy blues-rockin Oregonian also knows her way around a harmonica, another arrow in the quiver of her formidable talents. Ms. Zsuzsanna Ward’s knack for writing songs about the men in her life – specifically the ones who hurt her – is a double-edged sword, clearly a source of passionate inspiration while also running a singular thematic line that demands an expanded perspective.
Shortly after, Jordan Cook aka Reignwolf took the stage for his second Sasquatch festival appearance in as many years. Having decimated expectations with a searing set of gritted-teeth blues last year, a good five-to-seven thousand attendees showed up early for another taste of what this Seattle-by-way-of-Saskatchewan dweller had to offer. He delivered, tearing off unpredictable and reckless versions of his signature jam “Electric Love,” as well as “In The Dark,” “Palms To The Sky,” “Bicycle” and more.
A blur of hair and howling intensity, Cook alternated between serving as a one-man band (even taking on triple duty at one point, playing drums while shredding the guitar and singing) and a three-piece, joined by guitarist Stitch and drummer Joseph Braley.
Whether stomping a solo bass drum – adorned with the Reignwolf moniker and an image of a snarling wolf – or throwing himself around the stage on a blues-freakout tear, Jordan captivated the midday crowds and set a high bar for the acts to follow later in the day on Friday.
Underappreciated rock veterans Built to Spill delivered a beautiful career-spanning set on the main stage as the sun fell behind the desert horizon. The long-threatened rain had begun by then, resulting in some highly enthusiastic – and very likely highly inebriated – celebrations on the grass.
Sound problems plagued Japandroids‘ set on the Honda stage, but the band nevertheless poured their hearts into a spastic performance that saw by far the highest number of crowd-surfers and bro-down hugfests of the day. If Philly is the city of Brotherly Love, then the entire state of Washington deserves the distinction of being the most hug-friendly state in the union.
Friday’s sharpest and most surprisingly celebrated performance came from UK rock champions Arctic Monkeys, who delivered a no-nonsense set of high-energy rockers. Frontman Alex Turner, dressed to the nines and dapper in a very un-rock n’ roll suit, was an onstage personality mix of Elvis Presley and his desert godfather Josh Homme as he led his Monkeys through a celebrated performance including fan-favorites “R U Mine?,” “Don’t Sit Down Cause I Moved Your Chair,” and “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor,” among others. The audience reactions were downright giddy, as the punchy, uptempo songs resonated powerfully with the largely-female pit crowd and resulted in more jubilant jump-dancing than I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Day One’s highlight performance, of course, was hometown hero and recent music-world mega-smash Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Grinning ear to ear and earnestly sharing his appreciation for the local love, Macklemore was a sparkplug of boundless energy, leaping around beneath a giant “M&RL” marquis as dancers and backup singers framed the stage. Naturally, the entire place went goddamn bonkers when radio-smash “Thrift Shop” took off, though impressively the reaction to equality-anthem “Same Love” was equally impassioned.
With a seemingly endless Summer schedule ahead that includes a number of high-profile festival appearances, Macklemore was vocally determined to make the night unforgettable – and accomplished ths mission with (literally) flying colors. In a hail of Sonics confetti and flashing lights, he had the entirety of The Gorge was jumping in unison, collectively losing their shit to a man who summed up the entire experience with one graceful swipe: “Sasquatch! You just shat all over Coachella!”
See for yourself how hysterical the love was for Washington’s own, in one beautiful six-second video shot.
On to Day Two, with Sigur Ros, The XX, Bloc Party, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and more!
Photos: Johnny Firecloud
