Daniel, Me and Jose at the Greek for the National and Portugal the Man show after we got our overpriced beers and hotdogs.
By Airec Sype, Jose and Daniel
Note: I’m still waiting for better pictures and videos since I only have a crappy iTouch
The National along with Portugal. the Man delivered a mind-blowing musical experience at The Greek Theater in Berkeley, Cali., last weekend. Already having seen Portugal. the Man last December and broiling with enormous expectations for The National, I was mentally preparing myself for an awesome night of indie music with two of my best bros: Jose and Daniel.
I was prepared to go full hipster that Saturday night (although Jose hates it when I say that).
The Greek, whose full-legal-Google-Maps name is The William Randolph Hearst Greek Theater, is located on the UC Berkeley campus. Actually to be precise, this legendary music venue is located at the top (and I do mean the top) of a steep hill on the UC Berkeley campus. Our lungs and legs felt the burn as we hiked our way to the top. Luckily we did not pre-game for the show.
None of us Brosters have ever set foot in The Greek before, so we did not know what to expect from this venue. We got in rather quickly despite the mob of people and walked past the ticket ushers with no pat downs. It seemed that most of the people who were at The Greek were respectful people. The fans of T since a lot of families were there and it was all ages (so checking out girls was a little difficult at the risk of being scummy).
So once we got pass the cluster of people trying to get their first beer of the night, we three started making our way down to the right side of the pit. Then once we reached the bottom and got our feet planted in the ground and had a chance to look up, we saw the amazing architecture of The Greek Theater. The Greek is like most amphitheater which is composed of a pit, then some seats, followed by a grassy area for families and couples who brought their own lawn chair and blankets and such. Some of the things that distinguished this amphitheater from others like Mountain View are that almost everything was made of cement and the stage had pillars and stone carvings that resembled a real back-in-the-day Greek theater. Of course there were some modern touches like railings, stair lights and stage lights; it really is a sight to see. Its design assisted with our transportation from a regular concert to experiencing a magical musically artistic event.
Portugal. the Man, from the cold state of Alaska and currently residing in Portland, Ore. (yeah when Jose told me they moved their indie band to Portland I couldn’t help but chuckled), was the first band up. Their set started at 8pm and lasted till about 8:50pm. When I first saw Portugal, it was at the Mezzanine, which is a dark club enclosed club in S.F. with a crazy light set up. So I was curious to see how their performance during the day light was going to be.
Starting with “Plastic Soldiers,” Portugal led us down the madness that inspires their genre. When the first song ended and as they played into their second song, my curiosity was answered with an affirmation that their set was going to be no less than awesome. Their transitions from song to song were fierce, sporadic, a bit psychedelic and subtle. And in those moments of hard guitar rifts and immense jam session, you can feel their energy. Right off the bat, I knew that most of the crowd at The Greek was there for The National, but it didn’t stop them from fist pumping and bobbing their heads to the psychedelic sounds of Portugal. the Man. Most of Portugal’s set contained music from their current album, Evil Friends (2013), with hits from The Satanic Satanist and In the Mountain in the Cloud. As the day started to fade into the dark, the stage lights started to come more into play as it flashed rays of dark purple, blue and red lights, hypnotizing us in the pit under the vivid musical spell of Portugal. the Man. Everyone knew that Portugal was going to end their set with the song “Purple Yellow Red and Blue” since it is one of their most popular songs that was yet to be played. However, this predicable moment did not stop Portugal from delivering an oldie surprise. As the melody to “Purple Yellow Red and Blue” started rifting in, bass player Zachary Sarothers came out of left field and started singing vocals to Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall.” The crowd cheered to the old and familiar song, and then roared as lead singer John Gourley blended in Pink Floyd’s classic to their modern hit. It was smooth and it was great, not even a DJ premiering a Beatport mash-up could have done a better job.
Portugal. the Man playing “Modern Jesus”
There was about 20 minutes after Portugal. the Man for us bros to relax, use the bathroom and get our drink on before The National takes the stage. As expected of an intermission, the lines for beer and bathroom (beer and bathrooms, the catch-22s of any music events) was packed with overflowing lines of people who have been there for a minute and with other kids who have “coincidentally” seen their friends in the middle of the line. But what has always surprised me at shows is that everyone seems to be illiterate; why does no one ever read the signs for the extra bathrooms and no-line-beer-gardens! We took the signs advice and headed up hill and away from the alcohol and urine filled people to the vacant promise lands. Also as expected, prices for beers was 8 bucks, not including tip (you always have to tip your local beer venders because let’s face it, it sucks to be serving beer while great musical talents are on).
Knowing that we would not be able to even reach the tip of where we were once standing in the pit, we took our beers to the top. Up on the grassy lawn, there was another beer garden, empty, and there was a vast amount of accessible, also empty, porter potties. So we did the math and decided to cut our losses and stayed on top of the amphitheater. From the top, we were able to see everything, the amazing architecture of the venue, the vast sea of people in the majestic of it all. In the dark, we were able to see even the bleakest of light, from bright phone screens that were in the process of Instagraming or Snapchatting to the little orange flame of a lighter sparking up a bowl or a cigarette.
Then before we knew it, the entire amphitheater went dark and the crowd cheered as The National took the stage.
The National, originally from Ohio and now based out of Brooklyn, took the stage under an illuminating midnight blue lights and opened with “Don’t Swallow the Cap,” a song off their current album, Trouble Will Find Me (2013). Like I previously stated, this was my first time seeing The National and I did not know what expect. A bands live performance makes it or breaks its creditability. And I do love the studio recordings of The National’s music. My only alternative to this quench is watching their live performance on YouTube, and we all know that you can’t rely on YouTube for a live performance thirst. And after hearing their first and second song, “I Should Live in Salt,” they did not let me down and even surpassed my, and surprisingly Jose’s (he thought they were too depressing), expectations. I don’t know if it was the multiple 8 dollar Sierra Nevada’s, or being with two if my closest bros or if it was the magic of The Greek Theater, but my mind and ear drums were transcended to a higher musical plane. Lead singer Matt Berninger voice did not disappoint and was just as good, if not better, than their studio recordings. His voice is soothing and amazing as my inner hipster dreams. Berninger voice filled The Greek Theater and into our souls through our ears, especially during the song “I Need My Girl;” his pitch is a perfect blend of a deep peaceful tone that isn’t afraid to jump up into a post-punk scream, like at the end of “Sea of Love.” In those post-punk moments, the energy shot up and stage lights quickly flashed, sending an energy into the crowd making us jump. I know I was jumping during their encore, and second to last song, when they played “Terrible Love.” I’m pretty sure that it was at that moment when I felt a euphoric sensation, mixed with the overpriced beers, that made me latch hold of Daniel (because Jose was off buying some Portugal. the Man merch) on the shoulders as we jumped in drunken unison and screamed out the lyrics to “Terrible Love.” I’m sure they played the alternative version of this song since the guitar riffs were faster and drum beats louder. We screamed and jumped our hearts out to the emo-indie-sound of The Nationals. I caught a glimpse of three girls, who were sitting down below us, giving us confused and awkward looks, thinking that we have completely gone bonkers, but we didn’t care, our spirits were overcome by The National’s music.
The National playing “Graceless”
When it was all said and done, we had a good time: the venue was amazing, the beers were good, the music sounded like they came from the muses and the friendship was strong that night. I felt feelings that night (of course I blame most of that on the alcohol). The only thing that could have made this experience even more magical was having a special someone there, but I guess that was what my drunk texting was for, or two or three. Opps, you kinda forget which girl you’re texting after awhile, nor does it matter because you’re in the moment with your BROS! But I guess having my best bros there was another great bonding experience. So if you ever get a chance to experience a show at The Greek Theater in Berkeley or have an opportunity to see Portugal. the Man or The Nationals, DO IT! You won’t regret it; just let loose and let yourself feel feelings and go #FullHipster.
BroSters 