10/26/2011 Portugal. The Man @ The Jefferson Theater

Venue: The Jefferson Theater
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Time: 9:00pm


Openers: Alberta Cross
Headliner: Portugal. The Man

Prelude to a Show:

Alberta Cross advertised a chance to win tickets to a show of your choice by signing up with their website for email alerts. I signed up for the 10/26 Charlottesville show at The Jefferson Theater and dutifully checked my email for the rest of the evening and through most of the next day. Nothing.

Defeated, I came home from work, made dinner and put on my pajamas (you know where this is going right?). I climbed in bed around 7:00pm to spend some time online, but wait… what’s this? An email from the management team for Alberta Cross with a time stamp of 12:30pm? How did I miss it? Is there still time? Could I really get dressed, grab gear (pen, notebook, camera, etc…) and get from Richmond to Charlottesville in time?

Of course! This is me we’re talking about and no, I didn’t break any rules to get there with 30 minutes to spare. Maybe a couple, but nothing life threatening!

Alberta Cross

Set List

Ahhh, my reason for traveling an hour and a half away at a moment’s notice! Petter and crew sauntered on stage with a quiet determination to make an impression. First song up (and this is the only one I’m a little iffy about in the set list) was “Leave Us and Forget Us” with Petter’s voice carrying through the venue like a knife on breeze. His sound is unmistakably his own with a gentle lull to pull you in but then cuts with a piercing jab before you get too comfortable while Sam Kearney tears it up on guitar. Sam’s ability to remain stoic in the midst of songs like “Money for the Weekend” (arguably their catchiest song) and “Give It Up” is not lost on me. 

From my vantage point on the far right of the stage I couldn’t see the bassist or drummer but keyboardist Alec Higgins gave me plenty to watch. His synth and Wurlitzer sounds melt into “Rise from the Shadows” with an eerie stealth that surrounds you with a false sense of security. Members of Portugal. The Man joined Alberta Cross on stage for “Rise from the Shadows” and “ATX” finished the show.

This 45 minute set was far too short! Just 7 songs long, I was left wishing I could leave and come back in again with hopes of starting over. Check out the new album released in September 2011 The Rolling Thunder as well as their first release Broken Side of Time.

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Portugal. The Man

Set List

During the in between I met Ben, a really nice Portugal fan that drove 3 hours from Blacksburg just to see them. Kinda makes my last moment 90 minute drive seem paltry. Thank goodness he came as I knew nothing about Portugal. The Man prior to seeing them that evening. He said if I liked Alberta Cross then I would like Portugal and he couldn’t understand why Portugal hadn’t received more recognition. I have to admit I’d never heard of them or heard them on satellite radio (not that those are requirements for greatness). Ben didn’t lie. Portugal deserves a wider audience. The crowd at The Jefferson knew them well enough and cheered enthusiastically when they took the stage set with large white orbs connected by black rods. The set resembled molecules which surrounded the drums and synths with John Gorley (vocals) and Zachary Carothers (bass) front and center.

Not knowing the songs brought some difficulty when John sang in his signature high vocals. He uses two mics for different sounds depending on the song. I tried my best to write down a few lyrics I could make out during each song and think I managed to find them all (see set list and let me know if you see something out of order).  These songs sneak up on you. The melodies move from slow to fast and back again like waves in an ocean. I had to ask Ben for a few song names after being lost in them musically and forgetting to write anything down.

“So American” started the show with one song flowing quickly into the other until a very recognizable “Helter Skelter” cover sent the crowd (including myself) into a dance frenzy. The frenzy continued through “AKA M80 the Wolf” as the fans sang along, clapped in the air and danced. Other crowd favorites included “Floating (Time Isn’t Working My Side)” and “1989”. After 20 songs in rapid succession and a short break, Portugal. The Man returned for a 4 song encore which included a cover of “Don’t Look Back in Anger” by Oasis.

Big shout out to bassist Zachary Carothers for bringing the jams during this show. Several times I thought he would break his spine snapping backwards while playing. His heavy hitting bass lines pulsed in rhythm with the drums of Jason Sechrist hard enough to rattle the floor and the hairs on my head. I’ll definitely be watching this band and hoping for another show in the not too distant future. 

Check out their newest release In the Mountain in the Cloud.

More pics from the show (warning: a photographer I am not!)