This weekend, I had the opportunity to go to this year’s installment of Sasquatch! Festival. In this article, I’ll be doing a recap that utilizes my opinions as a writer, and not Respect My Region’s as a whole. All of the interviews and photoshoots I assisted with will also be posted on another separate article called “People Of Sasquatch”
Sasquatch! Festival Day 1 Recap:
Unfortunately, I got to the festival late because I didn’t get off work until 6. To my luck, I was able to get there in time to see LCD Soundsystem start to perform. For those who don’t know, LCD Soundsystem filled in as the headliner for Friday due to a cancellation by Frank Ocean and his management. My favorite act of the first day has got to be Bonobo, who played in the “El Chupacabra” tent. The dynamics of the tent, with the perfect lighting and sound, made their set more amazing than it would’ve been if they were put on any other stage at the festival. The intimate and emotional set made for a perfect ending for the night. No hype, no big drops, just soothing, soulful electronic euphoria.
My favorite act of the first day has got to be Bonobo, who played in the “El Chupacabra” tent. The dynamics of the tent, with the perfect lighting and sound, made their set more amazing than it would’ve been if they were put on any other stage at the festival. The intimate and emotional set made for a perfect ending for the night. No hype, no big drops, just soothing, soulful electronic euphoria.
Sasquatch! Festival Day 2 Recap:
The first task I had to complete was an interview with The Manatee Commune, who performed the day before on the “El Chupacabra” Stage. Little did I know that he was from Seattle and was raised in the Spokane area, where I’m from. You can check out one of his most popular songs below. This track features “Flint Eastwood” who also performed at Sasquatch! Festival
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After that came hip hop artist Aesop Rock, who threw down a NASTY set. The crowd went berserk the whole time I was there. It was the first time I listened to his music and seeing him perform made me want to listen to more.
Just before he finished, I walked over to the El Chupacabra stage where Fred Armisen was scheduled to perform. I thought his set would be weird and didn’t think it would mix well with all the performers, but Fred managed to blow away my expectations. He talked about his show “Portlandia”, and performed different skits and references from Saturday Night Live.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4347ZE0NQM&w=560&h=315]
Later that evening, Dustin Adams and I got the opportunity to interview Klangstof, an indie electronic band from Amsterdam. After we sat down and interviewed the group, we went and did photos for them behind the Yeti Stage. You can check out their music here. Immediately after, Sam Lachow went on
Immediately after, Sam Lachow went on stage and threw down the hardest set that Sasquatch had seen at that point. I shot photos for him during his performance on stage and got some pretty sweet shots.
Sam Lachow on the Yeti Stage! He pulled one of the largest crowds all weekend.
After Sam, I headed over to the grassy area above the main stage to watch Twenty One Pilots perform. They put on a really great show and easily drew the largest amount of fans to their performance. Although they weren’t my favorite act that day, they deserve the recognition that they have been getting the past couple years.
My favorite act on the second day has got to be Big Gigantic, who played just after Twenty One Pilots. I had no idea what to expect. I’m a huge fan of their music but I’ve never seen them perform before. They played out originals they produced, covers of old hip hop songs, and played over well-known EDM tracks. Their music blended together perfectly with the live drums and the saxophone which they both performed with.
Sasquatch! Festival Day 3 Recap:
The third and final day of most festivals is almost always bittersweet. I tried my best to make it last as long as possible and am thankful for the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people during this weekend of Sasquatch.
At around 3, Boogie got on stage and laid out some insane raps. He really hyped up the crowd by bringing people on stage and letting them battle each other in verses. Boogie was one of the most interactive artists to perform. He even let a few people come up to do dance routines while he spat lyrics.
Later, in the evening, I had the opportunity to shoot photos for an incredible indie rock group, called Jay Som. Their set was emotional, intimate, and soulful. It was wonderful listening to them while I took photos.
Jay Som Finishes Their Set as the Sun Goes Down
After all of that, I went down to the main stage one last time to listen to the final main headliner, Chance the Rapper. I’m a fan, but I don’t know too much of his music. I took videos and sent them to a friend of mine, asking her which songs he was playing, so I can listen to them later. I wanted to know which songs they were because they were good. He exceeded my expectations as a headliner and was definitely worth coming to see.
Chance the Rapper performs with Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment (Photo: Brooklyn Vegan, Matthew Lamb)
To wrap things up, Sasquatch booked Rüfüs Du Sol to play as the final artist. They’re an electronic group that, like Bonobo and Big Gigantic, had a live setup. Similar to the others before, Rufus’ set was emotional, intimate, and all around amazing. I personally recommend going and checking them out the next chance you get.
Rüfüs Du Sol finishes off the festival at the Bigfoot Stage
Thoughts: Overall, Sasquatch was great. The organizers booked great artists, I had the opportunity to connect with so many great people, and I ended up learning about new music, which I always enjoy. If I got the opportunity, I’d definitely go again.
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