Sold Out Jai Wolf at Roseland Theater
Portland is known for its many different forms of culture and quirks…
…from the people, to the food, to the beautiful sites and music, and I had the pleasure of experiencing Jai Wolf’s – The Cure to Loneliness Tour at Portland’s very own Roseland Theater on May 10th. My first EDM show in Portland showed me a new kind of crowd and experiences that has inspired me to come back.
The room was cold as Ford. came on stage with minimal lighting which fit the aesthetic of his music bringing the focus to his hand movements. I was directly on the rail since the venue was still so empty and it was a new experience for me to see someone create every sound with the use of the board.
He started the set with one of his most popular songs “Dusk” and it created the atmosphere that would only flourish from that point forward. Having released his first album back in November, Ford. proved to the crowd that although he has a calming aura, he wasn’t afraid to throw filthy beats in as well. It was almost a mix between natural sounds and melodic trap that worked so oddly well together. My favorite moment of his set was when he played a unique mix of “Warmth” that I’ve been trying to ID.
Next on was Hotel Garuda, whom I had been meaning to see but always had some sort of conflict preventing me. He played an adrenaline house tunes with an upbeat pace set as the crowd flooded the floor and made waves. I enjoyed his music but I didn’t have any real notable moments as we approached the main course.
I focused on the crowd the entire time and chatted while making friends. The crowd in Portland just made you feel at home and relaxed without worry. I normally feel that way regardless, but the Portlanders were able to bring that comfort to a peaking point in rave culture for myself.
Jai Wolf was on next and started strong with plenty of bass building up to a visual of a colorful planet that pulsated with new neon colors to every beat. He played a remix “Say My Name” by Odesza which got the entire crowd jumping and mouthing the lyrics together. He quickly transitioned this into a techno mix of his song “Drive” to accompany Tron-like visuals.
He played most of his original “Kindred Spirits” EP with this visual style coming off as a 90’s techno with an MGMT feel. He then began to play tracks from his new album “The Cure to Loneliness” which was also the highlight of the tour with his bright pink and blue visuals and shots of Jai Wolf driving in front of a beautiful golden sunset. He continued to flash different real-life locations covered in neon to give it an alternate reality vibe. I felt myself visual stimulated from the color patterns the entire time as the turntable still streamed with stripes of different hues. The entire set felt like it passed too quickly as he announced that Portland was the best crowd on the tour so far.
With an ‘encore’, Jay gave us one more song, his classic “Indian Summer”. The stage itself just covered in falling leaves, sparkles of color, as well as returning back to a shot of the world covered in beauty.
-Jeffrey Davis
Courtesy of VRTXMAG
