My friend doctor zorro went to Sasquatch and sent me this, enjoy!

Sasquatch 2007 was a rip roaring riot. From a media perspective it went off like an amateur children’s choir show and any retarded monkey with half a brain could have done a better job managing the thing, but from the point of view of the fans, the shows (when they finally came together) were all incredible and awesome! Our main stage host, Sarah Silverman (who?) not only showed up late but then phoned it in, giving us a couple minutes of regurgitated poop jokes from her act in 1988 before disappearing backstage into an insignificant haze. I can only hope they cancelled the check for her two day, two minute appearance. Seriously, a whore off the street could have given a better (certainly longer) performance off the cuff with no preparation. My only solace comes from seeing the look of panic in her eyes as the muffled boos and “what the fuck was that” followed her backstage. Even her clone posse wearing the trademark green sleeved t-shirts were upset so I’m hoping her new show will now die off and the Nanny can have her voice back. When your only job is to mumble enough words to introduce a band, it takes quite an effort to piss off an entire stadium of people who are rooting for you.
Her boyfriend, Jimmy Kimmel, was happily drunk and he let me pick him up off the ground in front of a tour bus long enough to get a picture, he’s much shorter (and drunker) in person which is why I imagine he is able to cope with two minutes of sad sex with Sarah Silverman.
Meanwhile, the Beastie’s were hanging out backstage watching SS implode and conversing amongst themselves. They scheduled and played an extra instrumental set a day early (Saturday) on one of the smaller stages. I thought it was a nice gift to the fans although there were a lot of pre-pubescent kiddos upset that Brass Monkey wasn’t part of the repertoire. The big clue for me that it would be an instrumental show was the word “instrumental” and “show” in the program. That didn’t seem to keep the bogan boyz from flipping them the bird at the end of their extra appearance but those of us old enough to know better enjoyed it.


Blackalicious came out and put on a hell of a show first thing in the afternoon. I love seeing the new underground hip-hop artists that use a live drummer for their beats. Having a band is awesome and Gift of Gab is a pro at getting a crowd pumped up and dancing. That he was able to get it started right after lunch was a nice treat to start out a long afternoon. He ran through every hit I know and then some. It was greatness early in the morn.

Bad Brains came out and tore it up too. They seemed grateful for the performance and in less than an hour they came out and did what they had to do. I don’t know much about them or their history but the other performers had much respect for them and I think they had the most shout outs all weekend from bands on stage. It was a true performer’s performance so let’s hope they get their stuff together and put a full tour together without anyone dying. Sorry, someone has to say it.

Tokyo Police Club was a nice band to meet. They were unapologetically late and seemed incredibly under whelmed with the Sasquatch experience until I asked them to turn around and look at the view while we were taking photos. They gave some oohs and ahs and we chatted for a bit about what it was like to be on Letterman and play at Coachella in Tokyo but I was hard pressed to get any more from them than that. When asked who they were excited to see play or who they were stoked to be on the bill with they couldn’t name anyone else. They didn’t bother to care and so I didn’t bother to see their show. It was a fair trade all in all.

The Stars of Track and Field put together a great show! They paced their songs nicely and didn’t try and be a band they weren’t. As the wind picked up and roared through their set, knocking over lights and equipment, they held a great rapport with the audience and still put on a hell of a show. Their performance on the small stage was one of the highlights at Sasquatch this year. The new material they played for us was just as great as songs from their first CD; this is still a band to keep an eye on.

The Polyphonic Spree came out and did a few songs and then had to bail because of the hurricane force wind blowing up out of the Gorge. Everyone at the concert was excited to see them play, then we stood around and looked at each other in disbelief while they used all 100 members and their precious brief time to throw some kitschy pop tunes at the audience. Their uniforms were snappy, their vocalists were peppy but they wound up looking like weenies when they left the stage. I give them credit for playing a make-up show later that night, but coming on after midnight behind the Beastie Boys wasn’t the smartest choice. The muffled sounds I heard from 2 miles away in my tent sounded very heartfelt.

Spoon was dead on. They really stole the show by coming on first after an afternoon of disappointing wind delays where absolutely nothing changed on the set. The wind didn’t die down and they didn’t add any cables to keep the lights from wildly swinging around. This made Spoon look cool and dangerous while the Polyphonic Spree still looked like pussies. Spoon’s show was great, full of energy and awesome tunes. My only complaint was that it ended earlier than I expected. I like that Spoon acted as if they appreciated every single person who was there to see them play. They saluted the venue and the proud crowd who toughed it out during the delays to see them.

Interpol fell a little flat. They got out there and did their thing, coasting from one song to another and played the crowd favorites towards the end. I guess the wind did them in because the entire band looked and played like they were frozen in one spot. Just when things started picking up and rocking they quietly set down their instruments and walked off without another word. The lights came up and they were gone.

The Beastie Boys put on a solid show. Every time I have seen them, they seem to get a little better. Sure it was a little instrumental heavy and sure there wasn’t one song off of License to Ill but it was an entertaining show. As a fan I enjoyed the new tracks they played and some of the remixes they did with their old tunes. They had a couple solid “super-mixes” that had 3 or 4 songs packed into them from Paul’s Boutique and Ill Communication. The show was fun despite the monkeys running it. There were mistakes and quirks and some tension but they handled it like the pros they are. It was nice to see them have lots of audience interaction, lots of joking around and even an apology when it was time for their last song. People really do like it when you talk to them and keep them informed.

Arcade Fire played one of the best shows I have ever seen. This was another band just grateful to be playing at Sasquatch and the Gorge Amphitheater. They took time to talk to the audience and appreciate their surroundings and even let us know how much they love Bjork who was coming up after them. This is one band that seems to give it every ounce of energy each time I see them and then digs down and finds a little more to push their performance over the top. I may not love all of their music but they show they put on from the stage was something to see. Arcade Fir’s performance was simply incredible and uplifting for everyone who braved the chill to see them.

Bjork, poor Bjork. The songs I heard her perform sounded just like her CD’s. If only her people hadn’t been trapped inside an arena all day in the hot sun and if only the temperatures hadn’t dipped to sub-zero right before she played. If only the Arcade Fire hadn’t put on a show that was one of the best I’ve ever seen right before she came on stage. If only, if only.

Who else? who else? Aziz from the TV show Human Giant was awesome. pumping up the crowd during the windy delay. Great little guy to grab for a photo too. Patrick from MTv Canada was back in the media section. In full peppermint stick garb and make-up ready to do a spot about some band or another. He was very nice, his devil goatee'd handler was not. But hey! The Ice Cream Man gave out the best premium Ice Ceam ever, also his mini-buttons of critters eating ice cream are the thing to have right now. The catering was top notch and the company from Seattle giving out the free lattes was top notch. A special howdy-do to Tom from Visqueen who was a first rate chap hanging out backstage for two days. I didn't get to see his set but I think he gets all the girls because looks like the fellow from Arcade Fire. Nobody is really sure he isn't.

more to come...

doctor zorro