sasquatch music festival
saturday, may 29, 2004 • the gorge amphitheater, george wa • review by janice • illustrations and photos by mike


sleater-kinney: As the New Pornographers left the stage, Mike and I quickly retreated to our seats in the roped-off KEXP section. We were smart enough to bring some snacks in our button-covered messenger bags (yes, we are so cliché), and lucky enough to have with us the most exquisitely-delicious gingersnap cookies that Arianne made. Oh, god, they were so good, I wish I was eating them right now!!! [Homer-style drooling ensues.]

As I mentioned earlier, I'm not a fan of SK. So we decided to use this time to walk around and check out the booths. Pretty dullsville.

built to spill: Mike and I sat off in the lawn area and just listened. I couldn't tell you what songs they played or even what they were wearing.

the shins: But then it was time for those adorable Shins, so Mike and I brushed the grass off our jeans and returned to the throng, which was getting noticeably bigger as the afternoon was coming to a close.

It goes without saying that the guys were great, and Marty was as funny as always. They played "Kissing the Lipless" and "So Says I", and even a few older tracks like "Know Your Onion!" and (of course!) "New Slang". At one point, some crazy dude ran out on stage naked, running back and forth across the stage and then back off again. It was completely hysterical and so, so weird! Too bad Mike didn't have a chance to capture that in his lovely drawing! ;)

postal service: And then, the Postal Service, yay! By this time, night had fallen and the skies were so clear and sparkly with stars! It was so beautiful, being out in the middle of nowhere, in this picturesque setting, and hearing the vocals of Ben Gibbard, the "Death Cab Cutie" himself. ;)

With Jimmy Tamborello on a raised platform towards the back of the stage, Ben and Jenny Lewis down in the front, they proceeded to play all this hits from Give Up, an album I'm still not bored of! "Such Great Heights" sounded positively dreamy, and "This Place is a Prison" and "Clark Gable" sounded just awesome, too.

I had to laugh, but Jenny actually wore the same outfit she wore the first time we saw Postal Service play! When she took her jacket off, I could actually hear a drunken frat boy behind us gasp, "WHOA". And then I realized: there were three of Playboy Magazine's nominees for sexiest indie rock girl at Sasquatch this year --- Jenny, Neko Case and Chan Marshall of Cat Power! (The winner? Neko. And the only reason I know about this poll is 'cause of the indie rock factor, in case you were wondering, and I can think of five people of the top of my head who probably were...)

After they played, we decided to head on home, missing the two headliners The Roots and Thievery Corporation. *shrug* C'est la Vie! I thought I would hate the whole "festival style" concert, now that I'm older and less tolerant (hee). But honestly, no, the younger kids running around didn't bother me, the drunken frat boys didn't ruin things for me, and the twirling hippies didn't stink up my clothes with their pipes. And I don't think it's just cause we were sitting in a roped-off area, 'cause even when we down by the stage, or on the lawn by the second stage, everything was cool. Maybe it's just the beautiful scenery that makes everyone feel all tranquil? Either way, it was nice, and if the line-up is as good next year as it was this year, then why, we might have to actually buy our tickets come next spring!