Day 1
I will start with this - this festival was PACKED with music. We were one writer and one photographer. With 20 acts total that played across two stages on both ends of the festival, we could not make every set, unfortunately. But we did the best we could and we will share with you the awesomeness we did catch. Because what we did catch, was pretty badass.
To set the scene for you, the festival was laid out pretty conveniently with north and south end stages. The two basically identical stages were, I would say appropriately named, the Unicorn Stage and the Captain Pabst Stage. In between, the west side, which seemed to stay mostly shaded, was lined with delicious food trucks and a number of retailers. The east side, which sits along the Willamette River, consisted of a pretty awesome indoor dive bar and an outdoor bar, the medical tent, and of course, a place to let out all the Pabst you’ve been drinking. The centerpiece of this magical festival is a whimsical unicorn statue which serves as a perfect photo opp for people as they come through the gates to begin their adventure at Project Pabst. The unicorn horn of course lit up at night, creating a memorable centerpiece.
The first show we were able to catch was STRFKR, a local indie rock band from Portland. Their set was out of this world. No seriously. Their dancers braved the heat, wearing astronaut costumes that were adorn with colorful album art. As always, they had some pretty awesome shifting visuals. Some of the astronauts crowd surfed as if they were gliding through space, bubbles were floating in the air, and the crowd was absolutely into it. They truly created an experience for their listeners. Of course they treated us to their cover of Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” It was a great way to wrap up an undeniably energetic set.
Gossip was next and they were not far off with the vibes. They proved that they haven’t lost a note after a 12-year hiatus. The queer rock icons played a high-energy performance. They displayed their abilities and talents, inserting a Dolly Parton cover of “Working Nine to Five” within the bridge of “Standing In the Way of Control." Lead singer, Beth Ditto, spent time talking to the crowd. Even connecting with fellow Arkansans. Her stage presence is truly something special.
We couldn’t attend Project Pabst and not see the Violent Femmes. They are an absolute classic. I was actually surprised by the number of people that were there for them and the age range of that group. What’s special is, the band actually looked really exciting to be performing. They were smiling and looking at the crowd with such enamor. I give them props for starting their set with a hit song, “Blister in the Sun.” Not many bands start out with a banger. They followed that up with “Gone Daddy Gone” and “Add It Up,” They continued to do a few songs with a full horn section which really got the crowd going. Let me mention, the bass player had one of the wildest acoustic instruments I have ever seen. And the drum player had a grill. I will add pictures because words can’t do these justice. Sorry.
Alright, to the moment all of us, or most of us, were waiting for…T-PAIN! Of course he played those fire hits like “I’m In Love With a Stripper” and “Buy U a Drank,” or “I’m Sprung,” but it wasn’t just all our favorites that ruled the radio in the early 2000s. The rapper also showcased his unbelievable talent as a singer, leading the audience in a call and response during his covers of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” and Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me.” He showed that he is a man of many talents. He also made us laugh. He's a true performer which was made clear by his interactive stage-presence. Between his humor and the straight bangers, he kept the crowd going the whole set. It would be hard to find a person who wasn't singing along. T-Pain's a true performer and a man of many talents.
“What are all these people doing in my apartment?” he asked DJ Montay. Afterward, he made sure to inquire how many attendees had a Pabst in hand.
The close out show of Saturday night was Billy Idol. I’ll be honest. It was not my favorite. While he could still put on a show, and he still looked great, wearing a suit jacket with no shirt underneath, and for being the rightful age of 68, he was just not very lively. It just seems he really couldn’t hit those high notes like he once could. And I don’t blame him. Again…he’s 68-years-old. Of course he brought the house down with “Dancing With Myself” and “White Wedding” to turn the lights off for a very successful Saturday at Project Pabst.
