"It's on, baby!" Those three words signaled the end of the day's nine-hour freeze on main stage acts due to heavy winds, but as the sun set, Alabama Shakes brought back music to the Gorge Amphitheatre for Sasquatch! Music Festival, and to say there was palpable relief both on stage and in the audience is an understatement. And not long after Brittany Howard spoke those opening words, the Athens, Alabama, quintet took command of the huge crowd that was in front of them. And while there was enough pent up energy for the crowd to meet the band erupting in a high tempo rocker, Howard and co. took an alternate route, playing a set that locked into a warm, mid-pace groove and rarely deviated from it, but the range and depth of their tunes ended up being the perfect end to a long musical drought. The high energy, dance-friendly music would come later in the night, so hearing the radiant sound of Howard's booming voice ringing out of the Gorge during the sunset ended up taking the circumstances of a frustrating day and turning them into one of the weekend's undeniable highlights.
Backed by swaying chains of light that were only made to look more grandeur by the high winds that accosted Sasquatch! Music Festival throughout Sunday, Purity Ring captivated the Bigfoot stage from start to finish. Generating the largest crowd (at Bigfoot) of the weekend, the duo did not disappoin…
"This is the most beautiful festival we've ever played," beamed Bully's Alicia Bognanno. "I mean, I've still got sand in my pedalboard from Hangout, which was cool, but nothing like this." Bognanno's sentiment about playing while facing the Columbia River Gorge is one that's often repeated througho…
