“We are not very good at stage banter,” Portugal. The Man’s backdrop proclaimed in bold white letters as the band began to set up their instruments on a dimmed stage. Unsurprisingly, their mantra proved to be correct. Throughout the show, the band combined an hour-and-a-half long set of popular tunes like “Live in the Moment,” “Purple Yellow Red and Blue,” and “Modern Jesus” into a nearly seamless passage, with spurts of old-timey tunes like chords from the Beatles’ “I Want You (She’s so Heavy)” and “Hey Jude.”
The only thing perhaps more exciting than the band’s nonstop melodies were the visuals onstage, which transcended the show from a good concert to a truly unique experience. Throughout the show, vivid images of cartoonish animations and colorful soap bubbles were projected onto the stage behind the band. Towards the end of the show, many of the images were adorned with familiar white text, boasting phrases like “Let’s get weird” and “Y’all smoking weed?..” Despite the band’s self-proclaimed dislike of stage banter, the projected messages still brought about a feeling of intimacy between the audience and the band.
Since the band’s release of Woodstock (2017), featuring the radio hit “Feel It Still,” fans have criticized Portugal. The Man for moving away from their roots. Any of the band’s fans at Santa Barbara Bowl this past Saturday would be hard-pressed to disagree with these criticisms. Next to the complexity of the band’s older songs, the pop-influenced tunes from Woodstock felt a bit lacking. My personal favorite moment in the show was the band’s performance of “Sleep Forever” from In the Mountain in the Cloud (2011); the song’s gently escalating vocals and yearning message truly lit up the stage in a way that the band’s newer hits failed to. Although I personally enjoyed Woodstock as an album, the band’s performance surely reminded me of the depth missing from some of their newer songs.
Disapproval of Portugal. The Man’s newer direction aside, the concert was truly a must-see that I would recommend to any and all fans of alternative music. I found it surprisingly refreshing to see a show so devoid of personable jokes or backstories; it gave the audience an incredibly immersive experience and made the show feel like an uninterrupted narrative. Although the visuals were also incredible, I can’t take credit away from the band’s incredible talent. After all, it’s the music that really makes the show at the end of the day.
Written and Photos by Emma Jaeger