Portugal the Man Steals the show in NYC

While spending a week in Princeton, NJ for work last month, I was able to escape over to NYC one night and catch a pretty great show. Playing at the Rumsey Playfield in the middle of Central Park was a co-headlining tour featuring Grouplove and Portugal the Man. Despite already catching both bands at Lolla earlier in the summer, it was a no-brainer to attend.

This pair spent about two months on tour together this summer, and the NYC date was the final night of the run. Both bands had been alternating opening up for each other, and on this occasion it was Grouplove that started the night. Now I'm no stranger to Grouplove, catching their set and ranking them highly at both Big Guava Fest and their headlining Metro show this year. However, I was less than impressed with this fun California band this time around. They didn't quite command the attention of the crowd that I've become accustomed to, and that subsequently seemed to affect the bands energy.

The feeling of slight disappointment from one of my favorites having an off night was quickly erased once Portugal the Man hit the stage. Following the same model from Lolla, the band came on stage playing Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2" before jumping into their arguably biggest hit, "Purple Yellow Red and Blue." This was just the first of eight songs played off their brilliant 2013 album, entitled Evil Friends.

Throughout the next 90 minutes, the guys from Alaska dazzled the audience with a 21 song setlist and some amazing lasers that stretched on top of the Central Park crowd. One of the most notable notes from the night was the high amount of cover songs performed. In addition to Pink Floyd, the group covered Black Sabbath, Ghostface Killah, Oasis (one of my all time favs), the Beatles, and even a fan friendly sing-a-long of the 'Always Sunny in Philadelphia' tune "Day Man."



It was a pretty entertaining setlist to say the least. The strongest section came during the end of the set, with "Atomic Man," "Modern Jesus" and "Creep in a T-Shirt" being played consecutively to end the night.

After seeing Portugal the Man for the first time earlier this year, their performance in NYC solidified my fan-hood in them. I recommend them for any alternative rock fan. Hopefully they'll make the trip down to Florida for a future tour.

CONCERT RATING: 3.5 Stars 



SETLIST:

1. Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 
   (Pink Floyd cover)
2. Purple Yellow Red and Blue 
3. All Your Light (Times Like These) 
4. "Sabbath Sludge" (medley of Black Sabbath riffs) 
5. Kilo 
   (Ghostface Killah cover)
6. The Home (partial) 
7. Waves 
8. Hip Hop Kids 
9. Evil Friends 
10. Day Man (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia song) 
11. So American 
12. People Say 
13. Everything You See (Kids Count Hallelujahs) 
14. Don't Look Back in Anger 
    (Oasis cover)
15. Atomic Man 
16. Modern Jesus 
17. Creep in a T-Shirt 
18. Someday Believers 
19. Sleep Forever 
20. Smile (partial) 
21. Hey Jude 
    (The Beatles cover)