What do you get when you put a bunch of pasty Portlanders in a gravel field, with 100 degree weather, and no seating? Project Pabst.
Heat can reduce a sauce down to its tasty essence; it can also reduce a crowd down to its extreme core. Fueled on Pabst Tall Boys (at only $4 a can!), the crowd at this year’s fest — held July 17-19 in Portland, OR — were baked in an unfiltered sun, stood on the uncomfortable gravel pit/festival grounds, and trudged back and forth from stage to stage, and yet still they endured! I have seen the future, kids, and when the earth heats up and we face mass extinction, these are the people who will survive.
The bands, of course, did their part too, playing to the smaller-than-expected crowds in the extreme heat, with little complaining. There was a retro video game arcade, housed in a tent, that offered some respite from the heat. And there were volunteers who went around misting people with hoses. For a bunch of Northwest music-lovers, it was a tough go of it. Obviously it wasn’t perfect, but, hey… it was Project Pabst. What did you expect?
Against Me!
ALVVAYS
Blondie
Buzzcocks
Hustle and Drone
Passion Pit
Priory
Run the Jewels
Thee Oh Sees
The Both (Aimee Mann and Ted Leo)
TV on the Radio
The Velvet Teen
Weezer
