In Which michael5000 Avails Himself of Divers Publick Entertainments

Ah, it was a fine weekend to live in the City of Roses. For me, anyway.


Friday Evening: Mrs. 5000 and myself hie ourselves to the McMenamins Crystal Ballroom -- "the Crystal," as one says -- for a wee rock show. The opening act was one Grand Old Party, a San Diego act that I had never heard of before, but which by no means sucked. They were a trio with the female drummer/singer thing going on; I detected some Talking Heads influence, and Mrs. 5000 identified more than a little strain of Led Zeppelin. Cool.

Second opener was Scottish singer Johnathan Rice. I like him, and it was not a bad performance, but I feel that musicians run into trouble when they tour with a louder, harder sound than is on their record. An audience that likes a blazing studio recording will usually be receptive to a more nuanced performance, but an audience that has grooved on your accoustic 'n' strings arrangement might not dig the Great Wall of Guitar Roar. And thus it was with Johnathan Rice.

The headliners were L.A.'s Rilo Kiley, a very smart band that simply exuded talent in performance. Travelling with extra musicians to capture the big, horn-heavy sound of their new album, they made a lotta noise, and it was all good noise. Rilo Kiley tends to sing about the grim, seedy, and disturbing aspects of the human experience, but in a kind of stoically optimistic sort of way. We all may be portions for foxes in the long run, but we can have a good time at the show in the meantime.

Disturbing note: Although Mrs. 5000 and myself are very often among the elder statesmen of a given rock show, this is the first where neither of us saw a single person who was visibly older than us.


Saturday PM: I worked in the studio while listening to the Ducks' 39 - 7 dismantling of the allegedly mighty Michigan Wolverines. My expansive enjoyment of this was wholely untroubled by a certain negative vibe I was getting from the Sooner State. (I am afraid I must tell you that the word "Assfaces" was used at one point in reference to our fine young Oregon student-athletes.) But really, it was all in good fun, not so much abusive as whiny and increasingly desperate.


Saturday Evening: Went to Civic Stadium to watch PSU lay an egg in its home opener against UC-Davis. But oh well. There was some interesting football, a moderately engaged crowd of 10000 -- not bad for Division I-AA -- and fireworks at halftime. Gotta love fireworks. And did I mention that the Ducks humiliated Michigan? Walked home across bustling downtown, over the river, up Belmont on a superlative late summer night. Sweet. Literally sweet.


Sunday: A friend's barbeque went somewhat awry when the usually secluded riverside location turned out to be the venue for -- I am not making this up -- Hempstock 2007. People everywhere, a persistant thumping reggae bassline from the festival stage, and a singular tart woody smell hanging in the air throughout the afternoon. But that's cool. We enjoyed a great bike ride down the Willamette River trail to get there, along with a gazillion bikers young & old, serious athletes and young families, everybody out enjoying the tail end of summer. It's so thoroughly Portland, that it's a totally wholesome scene on the way to and from your accidental trip to Hempstock.

Have I mentioned recently that I am absolutely in love with this town?



Weekend College Football Round-Up:


Cincinnati 34, Oregon State 3. Yeah, this one was pretty painful.
UC-Davis 26, Portland State 17. The Aggies hiked a ball over their punter's head into the end zone for a safety. TWICE!! But PSU didn't really come back out after halftime. Also painful.
Oregon 39, Michigan 7. Two of my teams were embarassed. Why am I so HAPPY!!!!

Other games of interest:

Oklahoma 51, Miami of Florida 13. Even if I weren't an experimental Sooners fan this year, I'd be happy with this one. Stinkin' SEC. Stinkin' State of Florida.

Washington 24, Boise State 10. Divided loyalties here, but it's exciting to see Washington showing some fire this year. Also, I'm happy for my Huskyphile brother-in-law.

Kansas 62, SE Louisiana 0. OK, I don't love my alma mater, and it wasn't a real game. But it's cute. Rock chalk!

Gustavus Alolphus 34, Willamette 25. A tough loss for the Bearcats, after being ahead at the half.

Final Note:

I'm interviewing for a totally sweet job on Wednesday. Wish me luck. And if you are involved with the live-action life of michael5000, don't mention this to my boss. Cheers.