Alright so first off, White Arrows opened up. Now generally speaking I'm a fan of theirs and was excited when I saw that they were opening...but I must say they were a disappointment. It's easy for people to hide behind music tech stuff these days, but all that changes in a live performance...and it was pretty evident that White Arrows just isn't all that great. Also, their microphones stopped working like 3 times, so that didn't exactly help (although maybe it did errrr...). However, I will still jam to "Get Gone" and "I Can Go" in the car regularly, and I liked the lead singer's leopard print button up.
Now let's talk about the venue, Crystal Ballroom. This place is so so so cool. Most Portland travel websites/blogs will suggest that you see a concert here (even if you don't even care about the band), and I would second that (...although a killer band doesn't hurt). If you've been to Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa (one of my favorite venues), imagine that times a thousand. Ballrooms are my personal favorite type of venue, because they're typically general admission (so everyone has an opportunity to make it to the front), and if you're in the front it's just like a small venue no matter how expansive the venue actually is.
(Also Crystal Ballroom has the craziest bass I have ever heard in all of my life.)
a few pointers to getting to the front of the crowd no matter where you start:
1. It's easier to work your way sideways than it is to work forward. Most people don't take this into consideration, so the middle area is usually denser. Get as close to the front as you can on either side and then cut in toward the center.
2. Go in hot. Once you stop moving people catch on to what's going on. Find a path and cut as far in as you can without too much resistance before stopping. Then continue in with the following steps.
3. Know when to shove and when to squeeze. Everyone handles crowd-cutters differently. Observe those around you. Shoving is faster, but it doesn't always get you further.
4. If you can get a foot or a shoulder in, you're set. Feet and shoulders are the perfect wedges.
5. Make people uncomfortable. They'll give you space, and you can work with space.
6. Make friends not enemies. This one is tough when trying to steal people's spots, but small talk and jokes are sometimes a good option, especially when you can feel the hatred.
7. Avoid trying to cut through groups. If you walk between a group of friends they will absolutely notice. They will also feel more confident standing up to you. This is another reason why it's important to observe those around. Go around groups or you can count on staying behind them the whole time. (Also if you try to go through and inevitably fail, they might do the thing where they get everyone around to gang up on you, and then you're done.)
8. Utilize distractions. No one is going to try to stop you when they are holding a crowd-surfer, trying to touch a band member as he passes, or in a mosh-pit.
9. Sometimes closest isn't best. If there's a tall guy front and center, maybe there's a better option. (Also on the note of the tall guy front and center, it's not his fault he's tall! Everyone wants to be in the front no matter what their height. Leave him alone. He probably isn't really a jerk.)
10. The tricks you hear from everyone don't work for that reason. Everyone knows them. If you say you're looking for your friend in the front, you won't be believed (which is because of jerks like me who ruin it for everyone...sorry guys...just use these tricks instead).
Okay on to the good stuff...
The OK GO concert began with a projected video of several clips of familiar faces saying "ok" and/or "go". The build-up that this created was insane.
At the end of these clips, the band members' giant singing heads were projected...
...and then the actual band was revealed...
...and then some crazy stuff happened with the projector that was super cool and unlike anything I have ever seen before...
...and then Damian came into the crowd and played an acoustic song (which is a really cool thing for those people who just didn't quite make it to the front (because of course they didn't have my tips like you do))...
...and then the confetti fell...
...and fell...
...and fell...
...and fell...
In fact it fell so much that I lost track of how many times it fell. Now I've been to a lot of concerts and a lot of cheer competitions, but I think it's safe to say that I saw more confetti tonight than I had seen before tonight all together.
(This picture^^ was taken about halfway through the confetti storm.)
At one point in the concert, they recorded the audience making various noises and used them as the drum set, which was super fun and way cool.
If you're into OK GO music videos like me, this will probably look familiar...
...and if you're into glow-in-the-dark stuff like me, this will probably look spectacular...
...and it was...
...and like any good concert, it concluded with a bunch of teenage girls dancing on stage.
This was absolutely the most creative, innovative, awesome show I have ever been to (which is fortunate because we had to wait in the Portland rain for it). From crazy lighting to singing in the crowd to unimaginable amounts of confetti to choreographed dancing from one of many super cool videos to glow-in-the-dark jumpsuits to more confetti, it was like nothing I have ever experienced before.
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