Project Pabst Review

Pabst Blue Ribbon’s Project Pabst touched down in Portland this past weekend after 7 years! The widely renowned dive-bar staple brought its 2-Day celebration of music, beer and all things local to the beautiful Tom McCall Waterfront Park. With a diverse lineup sure to please everyone in your friend group, it was definitely the place to be (if you were 21+ that is). With sunny weather, $5 tall cans and some cozy beach-style chairs placed throughout the park, everything almost seemed too good to be true - verdict? 10/10 - would go again and again! 

Festival goers had a blast whether they were enjoying more intimate performances over on the Unicorn stage or at the main stage, Captain Pabst.

Day 1 showcased some rad local PNW bands like Alien Bay, La Luz and STRFKR. Some other notable acts we checked out: Canadian post-punk Home Front; Chicago garage,surf-rockers Dehd; and Bay Area’s indie-doo-wop quartet, Shannon and the Clams. 

Over at the main stage a crowd packed in for the early 80’s and 90’s folk-punk leaders, Violent Femmes. They began their set with their widely recognized hit “Blister in the Sun”. The guitar plucking had the whole crowd jumping up and down singing along. 

After that set it seemed even more attendees poured in and made a quick run over to the Unicorn stage for the first man of the hour, T-Pain. With a strong build-up, T-Pain’s DJ took his place on stage and continued the hype. The energy was unanimous as T-Pain showcased hit after hit. The live sign language interpreter didn’t hold back as she gave her all throughout the set, earning a shout out from T-Pain himself. “She killed that… KILLED it!” 

Now, If you told me I was going to see T-Pain followed by Billy Idol I’d have told you you’re crazy. But such is life in 2024. 

Day 1 truly reached its peak when UK’s punk icon took the main stage. With people peering  from outside festival gates and some standing on top of public facilities surrounding the park, it felt like a really special night. Billy Idol may be nearing 70 years old but age is definitely just a number and performance is second nature. He showed up for Portland and I don’t think anybody left without hearing their favorite song. 

After some rest and an outfit change, attendees trickled in for Day 2 on Sunday. The weather was a bit more overcast for the first half of the day which was nice. It was another diverse lineup of artists which only proved to be a good opportunity to discover some you may not regularly listen to.

Another local band got things kicked off which I thought added to the festival’s overall charm. For those who didn’t get there early, they missed out for sure! Portland’s Glitterfox absolutely captivated their audience. The four-piece killed it, led by vocalist Solange Igoa. It may have been overcast in the early afternoon but that didn’t mean the band didn't get hot on stage; At one point in the set two stage crew brought out small fans and a leaf blower and hovered around the band, sparking a contagious laughter throughout the crowd.  

With a daily schedule avoiding any set time overlaps, there was zero pressure to rush from one band or artist to the next. The brief breaks in between music gave perfect pause to grab another tall boy from the PBRtenders or some local eats and treats! Could you tell it was a good time? I hope so. We caught all that Day 2 had to offer with killer acts like the raging rock duo, Sweeping Promises fronted by Lira Mondal who absolutely crushed it on bass and vocals. Be sure to check them out if you’re a fan of Sleater-Kinney! We also caught the lovely Miya Folick play a unique acoustic set that showcased her sharp vocal range beautifully. Things spiced up a bit when Atlanta-based rapper Kenny Mason took the main stage. The crowd was wild and shouted the words to his tracks back at him, making for a high-energy set. 

Other notable bands we caught were Militarie Gun; Soccer Mommy; and Jeff Rosenstock. 

The sun was hot and slowly going down as Manchester Orchestra took the main stage. Frontman Andy Hull’s vocals are one of my favorites. His tone is so emotive -  sweet and gritty, with a volume that can become explosive. 

On the other end of the park, the energy was infectious as Denzel Curry took the crowd by storm. He has a versatile rap style that really shines when he delivers his boundary-pushing lyrics. Curry seemed to hold as high a level of expectation for the audience as they seemed to for his performance. At one point a fan stage dove and Curry deterred the security from removing him and encouraged the crowd to catch him as he was directing him to jump back in. 

The night was sadly coming to a close and honestly it was such an abrupt shift of energy between the two closing sets. You had Denzel Curry completely unleash chaos on one end and then folk band Big Thief were about to close out the entire shebang. There definitely was anticipation for Big Thief as they recently announced their founding bassist was leaving the band just a few weeks ago. We caught the newly added percussionist and bassist for the set. This was also the first show in almost a year for the full band since lead Adrienne Lenker has taken her solo music on the road. 

There’s surely some unknown for what the permanent lineup will look like moving forward but the performance at Project Pabst was beautiful. Lenker’s voice is deeply moving and combined with soundscapes their instruments create, it serves the listener well. The band was very humbled by the welcome they received and treated us just as well with ten new songs over the duration of their set.

Ultimately, this was a festival we won’t soon forget. We hope to see the giant unicorn land along the waterfront next summer!