An amazing day

The Frames @ Sasquatch
Originally uploaded by Drake Lelane.

The Frames - Set List
Sasquatch Recap: We didn't make it to the end, but what a day it was. The Frames (right) were on the second (Wookie) stage and were as amazing as all had warned me they'd be. The playlist above is their great live album that was released here last year in anticipation of their first US release, Burn the Maps. And just like this album, the Sasquatch crowd was singing along and hanging on every word from lead singer Glen Hansard. He's a storyteller in the great Irish tradition, all unassuming humor and precious asides. During one song a huge tour bus drove behind the stage and Glen broke up and yelled gleefully, "THERE GOES THE PIXIES.... YEEEEAAAAAAHHH!!!!"

U.S.E. Audience - IU Quotient
Originally uploaded by Drake Lelane.

The day actually began with us leaving our baby, Eli, with my folks - our first time leaving him. We arrived just at the start of U.S.E.'s set and my wife noticed right off the bat that there were a lot of people trying to look ugly. We saw U.S.E. a couple years prior opening for Junior Senior at the Crocodile, and that was my first up close exposure to what I call IU (intentionally ugly,) when Jeppe "Senior" Laursen came onstage wearing short shorts and long colored socks to go with his mullet, large sunglasses and uneven beard. U.S.E. seemed to cop that style after that, and their fans as well here two years later. We started a running tally of the audience's IU (intentionally ugly) quotient at Sasquatch, and the apex was the beginning, perhaps because a majority of folks there at that time were U.S.E. fans. The quotient is derived by appearance versus reality.
(How Cool Subject thinks he/she looks) / (How Cool Subject Really Looks)
The IU quotient value for U.S.E.'s audience = 3.6

Bloc Party's Gear melting on stage
Originally uploaded by Drake Lelane.

We saw Bloc Party instead of The Pixies - let me explain...essentially, there was a window of time we allowed ourselves, and since Bloc Party was playing so early (12:45PM,) that meant some sacrifice at the end of the show, because we were certainly not going to miss their show. Bloc Party had to overcome some serious heat on stage, as there was no shade on the stage at that time, and endured a lot of technical difficulties due to the heat. Kele busted a string during their last song ("Little Thoughts") and at the end just threw his guitar down in frustration. I'm sure it didn't meet their standards, but they won the crowd over nonetheless with their greatness shining through even the worst of it.
The IU quotient value for Bloc Party's audience = 2.8

Ray Lamontagne
Originally uploaded by ckemp.

At this point we took a break from the sun, as it was apparent that heat stroke was already claiming some victims around us. A friend who works for The Gorge's event management got us access to the air-conditioned staff trailer, so my wife could pump every three hours. So what initially seemed a hassle, became truly a blessing, thanks to the A/C. Ray Lamontagne came on and we sat out on the grass for it, which seemed like a pleasant idea at the time, as Ray's voice seems built for enjoying while lying on the grass. As he ran through the tracks on his album the crowd really started to cluster, in anticipation of The Arcade Fire who was to follow. The IU quotient value for Ray Lamontagne's audience = 1.2

The Arcade Fire
Originally uploaded by ckemp.

We scrambled in closer when Ray finished and were watching The Arcade Fire set up when my wife just started to wilt in the heat. Before they could start she had to retire to the Tobacco Smokes You tent, where she watched the show from afar. The Arcade Fire was great and it was the show my wife was most excited about seeing, so the heat thing was really a party pooper. The heat was pretty unbearable, but when The Arcade Fire came on, I felt a lot cooler for some reason, maybe because they were wearing suit jackets on stage. They started things off with "Wake Up" and never looked back from there. Truly a highlight of the day.
The IU quotient value for The Arcade Fire's audience = 1.8

Joanna Newsom
Originally uploaded by Drake Lelane.

From that point, we really didn't go back to the main ("Sasquatch") stage, it didn't seem worth the effort, especially when the Wookie stage had both more shade, and plenty of great music. So, instead of Wilco, we saw The Be Good Tanyas, and Bobby Bare, Jr.... and when Kanye West was strutting his stuff, we listened in on Joanna Newsom's freak folk.
The IU quotient value for Joanna Newsom's audience = 2.4

Sunset at The Gorge
Originally uploaded by Drake Lelane.

It was such a great setting to see these shows, it's too bad the heat became such a factor. We went back to the ampitheater area to catch the sunset, and possibly a few bars of Modest Mouse before heading back to see The Frames. Modest Mouse, however, took far too long to come on, so we dramatized our exit for effect with a hearty "screw this rock star bullshit, I'm going to see The Frames!" and headed to the last performance of the evening. It worked out nicely, as with leaving with the final song they played we felt we quite literally left on a high note.
The IU quotient value for The Frames' audience = 0.7

Now our thoughts turned to getting back to our lil' Eli.

tags: playlist, music, sasquatch