Turning to live music seems to be a cure for all the fuss that’s possibly going on around you, or if your spirit is already uplifted you’re ready for the experience. Especially whenever you’re trying to grasp what’s going on in the world and you’re trying to find something with substance that is captivating. This concert gave that awe-inspiring feeling. On March 13th, 2022, the bands’ Windser, Portugal. The Man, and ALT-J performed for the people of Houston, Texas on the lawn stage at White Oak Music Hall. It seemed like the energy surrounding everyone around the venue was positive.
Before Portugal. The Man, and Alt-J took the stage, an independent artist from Santa Cruz, California introduced the night of the concert. Vocalist and Songwriter Jordan Topf, of Windser stated that it was his first time to play in Houston, Texas. He performed various songs off his EP’s: “You Got What I Want,” “Trouble in Paradise,” “Memory,” and even a new one called “Capsize.” Take a moment to look up his music on streaming platforms. He has a calm falsetto to the style of his vocal and Windser delivered a natural flowing performance that one can relate to. Soon the crowd started thickening up and an eagerness awaited the rest of the night.
Portugal. The Man has a belief system positioned for social change and awareness, so before they even played their first note they brought to the stage an individual that represented the history of indigenous native people of the land that is now known as East Texas and our neighbor state of Louisiana. They represented the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana. Portugal. The Man disclosed that they gained an appreciation for Native Americans because they originated from Wasilla, Alaska, where a strong community of Native American people live, and they grew an appreciation for their culture. Then all of the sudden they opened up with a cover of Metallica’s, “For Whom the Bell Tolls” from Ride the Lightning. Portugal. The Man’s entrance was great and the crowd loved it. They had a videographer filming them on stage and streaming visuals up on the screen mixed with psychedelic art. As the night went forward with dance-like energetic shoegaze movement, Portugal. The Man played an assortment of materials, one of their underlining influences, Pink Floyd, even made it to the setlist. They performed a cover of “Another Brick in the Wall,” from The Wall that transitioned into their hit “Purple Yellow Red and Blue,” as the lyrics go: “ All I… wanna do is… live in ecstasy… I know what’s best for me.” Then insert the feel good beat of rhythm and you’re jamming. After Portugal. The Man the night turned to ALT-J’s perfect performance.
ALT-J introduced their set with an artistic flare of images of candles burning with a background darkened in black with the candle flame lighting the forefront. The flames appeared and disappeared creating a warm atmosphere. The band opened up with “Bane” from their 2022 album The Dream. The chant-like style of the song might give you the feeling of floating and reflectiveness that intertwined with your thoughts as the overtones and harmonization from the trio filled the air.
Mixed with the imagery of close-ups, water mixed with oxygen bubbles begin to rise— captivating your visual perception with your auditory senses. The transition from song to song was perfect. Another stunning visual emerged of the moon’s surface. It appeared on the back screen with rays of sunlight protruding in the distance of the depiction. During “Matilda” close-ups of the trio that make-up ALT- J are visible on the screen. Their performance was a mixture of music and art throughout the night.
ALT-J has a certain style to their music. It is possible to describe noticeable influences within musical groups. It could be said that ALT-J has a primitive relatable focus to their form. The form of tribal-like percussion and drumming, chants being vocalizing with harmony, and the sustaining meditative nature of the synthesizer seem to create that description to their music. A feeling of floating can naturally take over the body if you let it, or not. Music can be subjective. This primitive nature mixed with captivating visuals brought the show to another level from images of space, mountains, post-apocalyptic aerials of a city, water, architecture, and artistic lighting. Everything was stunning.
Before the night ended the crowd roared when they displayed the Ukrainian flag with ALT-J yelling “F*** PUTIN!” The flags bright blue and yellow colors brightened the whole area of the venue. It was a beautiful moment because that is something that carries the weight and thoughts of many of us as Ukraine and many people around the world are facing.
ALT-J ended the night with “Breezeblocks” from An Awesome Wave, and so they sang: “Please don’t go… I Love you so…”
Alt-J’s Set List:
1. Bane
2. Every Other Freckle
3. The Actor
4. In Cold Blood
5. Deadcrush
6. Tessellate
7. U&ME
8. Matilda
9. Chicago
10. Something Good
11. Nara
12. The Gospel of John Hurt
13. Philadelphia
14. Taro
15. Dissolve me
16. Losing my Mind
ENCORE:
17. Left Hand Free
18. Hard Drive Gold
19. BreezeBlocks
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