On Feb. 11, alternative rock band alt-J released their new album, “The Dream.” Less than a month after the album’s release, alt-J and Portugal. The Man headlined at Hard Rock Live on March 5. While the accompanying guest band, Sir Chloe, could not attend due to an injury, fans both new and old flocked to Hard Rock Live to hear the two alternative rock staples play.
When many people think of alt-J and Portugal. The Man, they may only think of a handful of hit tracks from each band. Respectively, Portugal. The Man’s “Feel It Still” won a GRAMMY award in 2017 and alt-J’s song “Breezeblocks” reached top ten in hit music charts both in the UK and the U.S. in 2012. While these songs were both played live, the rest of each of their sets were so amazing that their hit singles just felt like another great song in the setlist.
Portugal. The Man opened the show by blowing my initial expectations of the show out of the water. There was a video camera hooked up to the giant screen behind the stage and a staff member walking around during the performance capturing live footage of the musicians playing with a vintage video filter superimposed over the feed. At one point during the show, the cameraperson walked in front and got footage of the fans closest to the stage, which really made the performance feel special. When the camera wasn’t running a live feed, Portugal. The Man had some of the most eye-catching graphics playing on a loop behind them.
While I admit that I only knew Portugal. The Man’s hit song “Feel It Still,” they impressed me so much that I’ve been shuffling their other songs repeatedly ever since. Their recently released single “What, Me Worry?” has wiggled its way into my brain and has not left. Their cover of Nirvana’s song “In Bloom” left me yearning for them to officially record it so I can stop only hearing it in my dreams. I also thought the blending of songs together as transitions was so clever, as their performance felt like a whole collection of art and expression rather than just playing one song, stopping and then playing another.
After Portugal. The Man finished their set, there was a short intermission before alt-J’s performance. The curtains were closed, but the audience could hear the faint noise of construction happening on stage. As the curtains were drawn open again, a giant platform had been set up with three positions for the band members to stand on. As they marched up onto the stage, a giant LED-light box came down around them. Their set was as much of a visual art piece as it was a musical performance.
alt-J started their performance with their new track “Bane,” which was an incredibly magical experience. Images of candles lighting up and flickering one by one played on the LED-light box around the band. Each song in the setlist had accompanying visual effects, but their song “Taro” was my favorite to watch. Branches sprouted around the band and grew cherry blossom leaves, slowly growing over the course of the song and then slowly letting the blossoms fall away by the end.
By the time alt-J’s performance was finished, most people in the audience were on their feet and dancing. Even after the band had left the stage, the crowd chanted on until they returned. Their light box lit up with the colors of the Ukrainian flag and the band dedicated their encore performance, which included “Breezeblocks,” to the country’s struggle for freedom.
