SASQUATCH 2017
This was my 3rd Sasquatch Festival at the Gorge, but the first where I was finally granted a media pass! It was nice to have some close access to all stages, except the main stage. They used their photographer for the Sasquatch stage.
The media tent was hot and sweaty, packed with dozens of photographers, each with 5-10 accessories plugged in or charging at every outlet. It was nice to have a place to sit and sort photos, while grabbing a cold water.
The festival was one day shorter this year, and the crowd seemed a bit thinner at times. It was actually nice to not have long lines.
We split our trip up into 2 days, so we could arrive early Friday morning. This still had us somehow camping in the back 40, almost against the farthest road. The car next to me was so close, we couldn’t open our doors without touching the other car. I tried to ask the parking attendant about it, as we didn’t want to scrape our cars. He yelled something at me about not getting special treatment, that we are all parked the same. A walk later showed cars anywhere from 5-10 feet apart, as campers finally took things into their own hands. Some Canadian folks next to us had an on-top camper than assembled out to the side, they would have been attached to our car to camp. They decided to upgrade, and move to premiere camping. Great news for us! We spread out our tent, coolers, chairs, and camping toys. We shook off the parking aggression and remembered how fun it is to camp. We watched campers sprint quickly to fill up their inflatable couch cushions, and I joked about being glad we weren’t out of style yet for having them, they’re still “a thing.”
Gorge Concerts are beautiful, and the camping culture is sometimes more than half the fun. You must have stamina, hydration, and good shows to have the best experience here. Some people are quite professional at day-drinking. They bring large canopies, tables, and games. Lots of drinking games. This was happening at a camp nearby!
Fred Armisen
This was a comedy favorite, El Chupacabra stage was packed with fans who love Fred Armisen.
He played guitar, drums, and sang a terribly off-key Beatles classic.
Fred is filming the last season of Portlandia with Carrie Brownstein. After speaking at Sasquatch, he was headed to an internet radio interview with Pearl Jam. Mike McCready was seen at the Easy Street Records booth.
Highlight for me at The Gorge? Or anywhere? This.
Sasquatch has several stages with many styles of music.
Winds at the Gorge didn’t keep Borns from being amazing last year.
There is SO much EDM music!
I think the biggest…surprise at Sasquatch, would be how much fun it is to see Foxygen!
This band had so much energy, I hope they reschedule the Boise show they had to cancel last week. I really want you to see them.
Head and the Heart played a lovely show under the sunset.
When started singing, a huge roar rose from the crowd.
July Talk had super high energy in the heat as they tore up the Yeti stage.
The canyon is such a beautiful backdrop for the main stage.
The Oh Sees get crazy and drop a mic? No problem.
Security was a little different each day, once again. The first day I was let in without any problem. The second day they tried to not let me camera in, even with a media pass. I was hot and cranky and made them let me in. The third day, they wanted to look inside my tiny credit card wallet. I have no idea what they were looking for, and it seems futile when I overheard a camp neighbor excited about all of the “edibles” she was bringing in with her food. Stage security was super nice, and made sure the beach ball went back out into the crowd.
Save up $ for your favorite beverages.
