PUP and Jeff Rosenstock bring the party to Crystal Ballroom

Hi, Reader. I wanna start by apologizing. While it was out of my control how this tour was planned, I am sorry that I am writing about it from their Portland date – which is near the end of the tour. Please don’t be mad when I tell you, this might have been the most fun show I’ve seen all year.

Opening the show was the critically acclaimed Ekko Astral, who have been making waves all year. They were a great start to the night, blistering through song after song. The energy, particularly of their wild and frenetic guitar player, was contagious and spread through the sold out crowd. At times it seemed he may fly right off the stage, swinging his guitar with reckless abandon.

One quick note before I tell you about the co-headliners. For those unfamiliar with Crystal Ballroom in Portland, the floor is famously bouncy. When the crowd starts jumping, it’s felt throughout the venue, which sits 3 floors up above street level. I was surprised how bouncy it was for Ekko Astral. Boy, was I unprepared for how hard taking photos was about to get.

Jeff Rosenstock (aka Death Rosenstock) took to the stage and immediately sped through the powerful “Mondays At The Beach” from No Dream before launching into long time set staples, “Wave Goodnight To Me” and “Nausea”. It is obvious from the moment they take the stage, they’re having so much fun. The excitement and revelry of the band was returned in kind by a joyous crowd with plenty of singing along, crowd surfing and moving that bouncy venue floor to what has to be its limits. The band played 19 songs that span Jeff’s career.

As PUP took the stage, the room was electric. They opened with “Free At Last” from their critically acclaimed third studio album, Morbid Stuff, before moving into “Totally Fine” and then “Concrete”, which is on their newest album released this past May, Who Will Look After The Dogs?, which was showcased throughout their set. The energy of these 3 bands just seemed unmatched, but also rivaled by the energy of the crowd. I’ll be honest, it was hard getting some of these photos because the floor just didn’t stop moving.

The only thing that could top it was how they ended the show – by bringing Jeff and the band out to perform as Double Band, everyone playing 3 Jeff Rosenstock songs and 3 PUP songs, including “Get Dumber” which features Jeff on their new album. Stefan and Jeff shared vocal duties throughout and even jumped into the pit and crowd surfed.

For the final gift of the night, they reached higher and brought out Ekko Astral to perform as Triple Band, asking the crowd if they wanted to hear Jingle Bells or a special cover song. As Jeff sang the first lines from Alanis Morissette’s, You Oughta Know, the crowd erupted. These bands brought an epic party to Portland and we were all welcomed to be part of it. They gave us everything and then some. If any of these bands are ever coming through your town, it is for a sure a do not miss concert.

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