Portlands’ beloved city festival, Project Pabst, has made a roaring comeback since 2017, with locals and PNW residents coming in for the occasion. Project Pabst has an epic reputation of bringing together the perfect mix of nostalgic legends and contemporary greats, and this years’ installment did just that. Featuring Iggy Pop, Death Cab for Cutie, Devo, Japanese Breakfast and more, the lineup had a little bit of everything in store. Taking place at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, it was the perfect scene in the middle of it all with an ultimate Portland backdrop – skylines, rivers, bridges and all.
Welcome back to the rose city, Project Pabst.
It’s lovely to have you.
Saturday
Rocking two stages, Project Pabst had a solid festival map, with either stages flanking the end of the park with food, vendors and bars in between. The famed Project Pabst Unicorn (its name is Pepper) played centerpiece, serving as the perfect meet up landmark for attendees, as well as multiple shaded seating areas, misters and water refill stations. The best unexpected Project Pabst perk? The epic menu pricing. We’re talking a 16oz cold one for $5, and a whopping 25oz PBRewski for a mere $7.50! So of course, with my dollar going further than anyone could have imagined, my leftover riches led me right to Frybaby, my long-awaited first time after having them on my mind for months. A pleasant surprise of the weekend was seeing Goodies Snack Shop popping up at the festival – the cool ass, finely curated and independently run shop pumping life through Old Town. It felt pretty good to see Project Pabst tap Goodies for the comeback fest. Great moves, team.
To beat the heat, I spent a good amount of time at the dive bar pop-up, an expertly designed shaded lounge that didn’t skip on details or ambience. Pinball machines, velvet couches, vintage beer lamps and other memorabilia, red leather booths, an old photobooth – they really got it all. I know the team probably would’ve dragged a pool table in if the logistics made sense – 10/10!
First up for day one were lovable punk band Fidlar, an excellent replacement ahead of their Denver stop the next day. Bringing all of the ruckus with a daytime set that fueled the evening, Fidlar opened up the pit for an all girls rager, a fun and inclusive nod we’d love to see more often. Speaking of bands that make their values known – Mannequin Pussy were a definite highlight of Project Pabst. In a time where censorship and complicity make most afraid to speak their minds, Mannequin Pussy have gladly stepped up to the plate. On ‘Loud Bark’, the entire crowd sang in unison, soaking up the fierce energy emanating from the band. MP’s commitment to promote the shared global struggles for human rights is a testament to how seriously they take their creative craft and the platform that comes with it, and we’re totally here for it.
With so many musical icons passing recently, most notably Roberta Flack, Sly Stone and Ozzy Osbourne, it made the appearance of Iggy Pop even more anticipated. Incredibly, the 78 year old legend stopped through Portland in the midst of a global tour, rocking a stage presence that defied his age on paper.
The audience was ecstatic, letting Iggy know just how appreciated he was by keeping up the energy despite the days’ raging heat. Once I got a few gems, including ‘Passenger’, I was out of the festival to avoid the mass exit and prepare for an earlier day on the grounds.
Sunday
Indie lovers and elder emos had their chance to shine on Sunday, with bands like Death Cab for Cutie, Built to Spill, Cap’N Jazz and Japanese Breakfast on the lineup. As a 30 something emo kid, I did take notice of the nuanced fashion on day 2, with many rocking niche band shirts and early 90s related brands. A lot of this led to great crowd interactions and some fun, interesting energy to round out the fest. Highlights for me were hearing ‘New Year’ by Death Cab for Cutie, getting turned on to the legacy of Cap’N Jazz and their notable reunion (true emo kids already know, but self-professed emos like myself have some heavy digging to do) as well as Built to Spills’ delicate performance of ‘I Would Hurt a Fly’.
Thanks for the memories Project Pabst.
We’ll see you at the same time, same place, next year.
