2022/09/25 - Live at Portola Festival San Francisco

[MadPooter]

I'm going to both the Denver + SF shows. 

I'm sure we'll be able to coordinate a meeting point for Sunday to meet up for the show!!

[inchemwetrust]

I'm going to both the Denver + SF shows. 

I'm sure we'll be able to coordinate a meeting point for Sunday to meet up for the show!!

Hey Compadre! Definitely looking forward to seeing you and the rest at the meetup once again!

Talk about a 'before and after' time differencial! Last time we met we were in a pre-covid era, and now it's like 'what in the hell just happened?'

Plenty of stories I'm sure. I hope everyone is doing okay btw.

[Bosco]

I'm going to both the Denver + SF shows. 

[Stefan]

although a bit of a steep climb out of Wharf.

Understatement of the year. I don't remember San Francisco having a single street that's not steep XD

[Bosco]

Understatement of the year. I don't remember San Francisco having a single street that's not steep XD

Haha, good point!

Did you happen to drive through San Francisco? That's one thrill I'd rather not try again...

[Stefan]

Thank god no. I have a nervous breakdown even thinking about having to drive and park in streets like this

[Ben_j]

Thank god no. I have a nervous breakdown even thinking about having to drive and park in streets like this

Suspensions and tyre shops must thrive in SF

[MadPooter]

One of my favorite non-contact sports is driving in San Francisco.

Thankfully I managed to never get into an accident in the 16 years I lived there. But admittedly the hills are a little tricky.

Fun fact--my transmission on my old Honda gave out on one of the hills in SF. Thankfully tow trucks do their thing.

[shakermaker]

set times are up!

[shakermaker]

sooo, Chems are playing 8.40 - 10 pm. there's extra time after so let the vain hopes for an encore begin!

sunset will be about 7 pm that day so should be dark enough. glad it's not going late, although I will inevitably wander over to Four Tet/Floating Points after and ride that out through the end.

now to pour over the rest of the schedule...

[Bosco]

According to the official Portola app, Chemical Brothers play 8:40-10:10PM. The graphic is misleading and makes it look 8:40-10PM.

Hoping they can tag on an encore for everyone, especially considering the ticket cost. I'm not sure if they're closing main stage earlier for crowd control or some kind of outdoor sound ordinance they have to abide by. Could be both.

[whirlygirl]

I don't know about you but... I'm finding it increasingly difficult to maintain my excitement.

[inchemwetrust]

It hasn't hit me yet, but usually the excitement kicks in earlier than usual.


Fyi M.I.A. dropped out! No replacement yet. I'd say have James Blake go on early, then put chems on and give them an extra hour!

Edit: seems a replacement is found already!

[rynostar]

I don't know about you but... I'm finding it increasingly difficult to maintain my excitement.

I'm in the same boat, I'm not sure how to maintain whirly's excitement.

As for me, it just hit. One week till first post-covid Chems show for this ryno. Half of it is to see Tom and Ed. Other half is to see you guys.

[shakermaker]

I'm excited for two days of music I can ride my bike to, at the nicest time of year in San Francisco, culminating with the effing Chemical Brothers. (also my first festival since Feb 2020.)

Fyi M.I.A. dropped out! No replacement yet. I'd say have James Blake go on early, then put chems on and give them an extra hour!

Edit: seems a replacement is found already!

where do you see this info? I wish goldenvoice would be more forthcoming about dropouts. as long as I have been attending their events, unless it is a headliner, any cancellations are just quietly swept under the carpet as if nobody will notice.

[Wolkenkrabber]

where do you see this [MIA] info? I wish goldenvoice would be more forthcoming about dropouts. as long as I have been attending their events, unless it is a headliner, any cancellations are just quietly swept under the carpet as if nobody will notice.

On twitter. They've moved Toro Y Moi from the Ship Tent headline slot to MIA's spot (Pier). And they've added Oneohtrixpointnever to the empty slot in the Ship Tent.
MIA has gone...MIA due to an "unexpected health matter" according to SFgate.

https://twitter.com/PortolaFestival/status/1572640711480324096

Incidentally I went to two festivals in London this summer. For Field Day I had to download the app in order to show a digital ticket on my phone (if you don't have a smart phone it could be very difficult to gain entry these days!). And for Wide Awake festival I found the app useful as you could select your favourites and plot out your day on a personalised timetable. Also the app let us know of some last minute changes on the day. Looks like Portola has an app too.

If I were going to this festival I would probably want to see:
SATURDAY
Romy (of The XX) 3pm
TSHA 4.45pm.  Rarely wears a bra. She likes to bounce up and down during her DJ sets, and so do her boobs.
The Avalanches 4:55pm
Jungle 6pm
Caribou 7:15pm.  I caught him/them in May at Wide Awake, the third or fourth time I had seen Caribou at a festival. Always fun.
Jamie XX, 8pm. Another member of the XX! All that's missing is Ollie.
Fatboy Slim at 8:30
Bicep Live at 9:45. Caught them live at Wide Awake fest back in May. Surprisingly banging. The beats rose above 130 BPM when they played Boss Rhythm.

SUNDAY
Prospa 1:35
Haai 2:35
Sofia Kourtesis 3pm
Kelly Lee Owens 4:40pm
Keinemusik at 5:15 and/or DJ Shadow at 5:35
Blessed Madonna at 6:30pm
James Blake at 7:10pm
And things get complicated for the end of the night with:
Chems at 8:40 clashing with Ben Bohmer at 8:25, Four Tet & Floating Points at 9, and Oneohtrixpointnever at 9:30

Not a bad looking festival.

[Enjoyed]

TSHA 4.45pm.  Rarely wears a bra. She likes to bounce up and down during her DJ sets, and so do her boobs.

Can confirm.

But also, her set was great. I hadn't been to much live music when I saw her supporting Bob Moses a few months ago, so I could have been swept up in just hearing LOUD music again, but I thoroughly enjoyed everything I heard. Went home and downloaded a bunch of her music and would also recommend!

[Conn6orsuper117]

Hey guys, hope you all had fun in denver, as well as in frisco, tomorrow. Wish I can be there, but I already used up my vacation days (Fuck work ).
Hope y'all record some good ones.

-Connor

[shakermaker]

so here's the lowdown.

portola is a mixed bag.

it's very much goldenvoice flexing. the production quality of the lineup, stages, tents, and sound is up to the standards I have come to expect from them. the screens at the pier stage are huge.

the space is cool. it's surrounded by cranes and a giant ship. they put astroturf (or something like it) down near stages so we're not standing on concrete the whole time.

it's over populated. (some were saying 30k people.) not enough food vendors for that many people, so long lines of hungry people. they manage flow of people in & out of the warehouse, crowd control around there is a fucking mess at times.

during the day there was a nice breeze and it was very comfortable. at night that same breeze made it a little chilly.

drink selection is so-so and overpriced. $14+ for a beer. sigh.

cell phones were pretty much useless after 3 pm. you'll get spotty text coverage. (timestamp your text messages, they will be delayed.) you'll get some data coverage in certain parts of the venue but don't rely on it.

myself I'm honestly on the fence about how to approach tomorrow. I could go early and enjoy the best part of the day (1-4 pm), and manage my way through the rest, knowing better what to expect. on the other hand I could skip the madness, roll in at 8 and go straight to the Pier stage and wait for the Chems.

some were saying that saturday sold out while sunday did not. so maybe it will not be as busy sunday?

my advice for anyone coming sunday:
- bring layers for the evening.
- arrange meetup time/places before going in.
- avoid the warehouse. if you do go in, plan extra time for getting inside, expect congestion.
- if you're planning to eat in the venue, do it early before peak times.

[shakermaker]

then there is this.

24" x 18". $55 after taxes. (a little steep for a poster that isn't signed or numbered, but I still wanted it.) they gave me a poster tube for it. someone told me the lockers aren't big enough to hold it, but I cannot confirm.