Not even rain drizzles and foggy clouds could keep the crowd away from the Glass Animals and Portugal. The Man show on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. A flowing mixture of trip-hop, rock and psychedelic vibes streamed from the stage all night, and kicked off with the artist Son Little.
Glass Animals strutted out onto the stage to a chanting of voices, and this was perhaps the biggest audience they’ve performed to since their debut album Zaba was released in 2014. Their U.K. tribal music let the crowd get used to the dancing that was about to come, and they even played some new songs, including the jungle lovin’ song “Life Itself.” I saw them in the fall at the Ogden and their transition from a more intimate stage to the Rocks revealed their mastership as musicians.
Dave Bayley, lead singer, kept smiling brightly and stated in his accent, “Someone once told me this was the coolest place to play in the world,” garnering cheers of approval from us loyal show goers. They played classic hits from their discography, such as “Gooey,” “Hazy,” and “Black Mambo.” For “Hazy,” they switched up the style to make it more accessible for the sold-out show. Maybe they brought their English weather with them to this side of the pond, but with their twinkling water-droplet sounds and big drums, the weather was a cool relief from the heating up of music.
Bayley then kicked off into the crowd, performing a cover of Kayne West’s “Love Lockdown,” with their trip-hop twist, of course. Ending with “Pools,” the crowd was perfectly poffered to take on Portugal. The Man. Glass Animals offered one last comment, appealing to the swirls of fans who fall in love with accented males — “It’s totally bonkers here.”
When not affecting the psychedelic world of rock music, Gourley resides as a visual artist in Portland, Orgeon. I continuously see his influence as an artist seep into the layers of his music. When “So American” hit the lights, the crowd found another song they could latch onto and feel fill up their musical soul. But the lyrics were startling rooted in an artists’ mind — “If pain was a color to paint on you / Your heart would be the color blue / Be a painting, hung up there ’til your body met your head / Which were made of silver / You are the one they call Jesus Christ / Who didn’t know no rock and roll.” Their warped harmonies jived well with heartfelt piano chords that form this popular song.