General info:
Date: March 25th, 2010
Location: Hawthorne Theatre in Portland, OR.
Line-up: Artist vs. Poet, The Bigger Lights, Anarbor, and This Providence.

To start off: I am so proud of This Providence. This is their first headlining tour, and they definitely deserve all the success that comes to them. They are pretty fabulous.
On the other hand, some bad news! For some reason unknown to me, The Audition didn’t play, even though they were scheduled to, and the Portland date is on their tour dates. Hm. Very disappointed.

Anyways, let’s break it down by band this time!

Artist vs. Poet: One thing that bugged me: I don’t know why Artist vs. Poet played before The Bigger Lights. I understand that AVP isn’t playing at each date, but still. I enjoyed AVP far more than The Bigger Lights. I thought AVP was exceptional! I saw them last year in Seattle and I enjoyed the show, but this time around I felt their excitement a lot more. Maybe it’s because it was the first show on the tour, but they were great. The whole band was very into the performance, and the crowd was loving every single second of the set. I only know the old-er AVP songs, but I’m sure it was nice to hear new songs for those who know them.

The Bigger Lights: Just so you know, I really do not enjoy this band. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve never been a fan. Aside from that, the crowd loved them. The band was very into the performance, even though there were a few mic stand accidents. Topher [lead vocalist] reminds me a bit of Mick Jagger with his mannerisms, but definitely not with anything else. I don’t think I’ll start listening to them, because they didn’t blow me away, but they did alright for a band I don’t enjoy.

Anarbor: I. love. this. band. Gosh. I saw them with Forgive Durden last year, and they were just as amazing as then. They have so much passion and energy on stage, and they are just so adorable. I always forget how much I dig their music, and their live performances always remind me. Freakin’ fabulous. I don’t really know what else to say about the set aside from that fact that they really, really, really rocked it. I’m definitely excited to see them again in Seattle on May 1st and at Warped.

This Providence: Oh gosh, where to start. I’ve seen This Providence twice before, and this performance definitely topped them both. Hands down one of the best live bands I’ve seen. I adore Dan’s voice, and the band just seems to fit seamlessly together. The crowd was definitely into the performance, which only made it better because the band fed off the crowds energy. I haven’t been able to stop listening to them since the show, I just love their music so much. More than any other band that played before them, their set seemed cohesive, but different enough to be able to differentiate between songs. I loved the fact that they played some super old songs that I only hear on my iPod, but also played all of their latest album Who Are You Now? This paragraph is getting too long, but I can’t wait to see them live again. If you have yet to see them live, or even listen to them, please do. You won’t regret it.

Overall, I really enjoyed the show, and I’m super excited to go and see the last show of tour in Seattle on May 1st!