Portugal. The Man + Drug Rug - Paradise Rock Club (Boston, MA; Oct. 18, 2009)

Though it was a cold, snowy night outside, Boston’s Paradise Rock Club warmly invited a diverse crowd to take in Drug Rug and Portugal. The Man. Indeed, observing the flannel-draped hipsters, tight-shirted fraternity boys, and the odd dreadlocked head, I realized the wide appeal of psychedelic, noise-heavy indie rock.

Drug Rug took the stage first. Two songwriting, harmonizing Boston-area natives lead the band: Sarah Cronin, a guitar-slinging pixie, and the mustached Thomas Allen. They opened with the upbeat, feel-good “Haunting You.” The singers’ harmonies rang out clearly over their instruments, and the lyrics were easily intelligible, which is always a pleasant surprise at a rock show. Their set continued with highlights from 2009’s Paint the Fence Invisible, including “Don’t Be Frightened by the Devil” and “Blue Moon.” Songs that came across as sugary on the album were lent more of an edge in concert by the prominent driving bass and forceful drumming. Overall, the performance leaned away from the psychedelic, electronic trappings that characterize their albums and towards a heavier, bass-ier sound.

Portugal. The Man followed with an intense hour and a half of music. The band hails from Wasilla, Alaska (ring a bell?), but has recorded in Cambridge, and its members have apparently developed a fondness for the area. On Sunday, they were spread all the way across the wide Paradise stage, from background vocalist Zoe Manville on the far right, to an older gent (their producer, sitting in on guitar for the night) providing a steady cool on the far left. Lead singer John Gourlie stood in the middle, clothed in a hooded winter coat. I hear he has a cool mustache, but I couldn’t testify to it, as he was turned sideways, hunched over his microphone, for the entire show.

Though Portugal. The Man’s set spanned a number of their albums, it was almost like the show didn’t consist of separate songs. Each number was extended with instrumental jams, and they freely transitioned from song to song with little or no pause. Plus, their performance covered so many different styles—from Black Sabbath-esque metal, to reggae, to Maroon 5-ish pop—that the concert seemed to move from style to style rather than song to song.

Picking out lyrics or individual vocal and instrumental parts was difficult, but ultimately unimportant. Portugal. The Man sacrificed sonic clarity to achieve an enormous sound that filled the space, taking the energy level up several notches. At certain particularly powerful points, the band turned their backs to the audience, allowing their immense noise to do its trick without distraction.

While most of the set was driven by powerful, metal-esque guitar, the melodies and vocal harmonies revealed a clear pop sensibility. This was particularly apparent on “People Say,” off of their most recent effort The Satanic Satanist, which features a soaring chorus that showcases John Gourlie’s distinctive, high-pitched voice. The fans were clearly psyched to hear this one, singing and bouncing along with the anthemic refrain.

One of the show’s highlights came when Portugal transitioned from “Church Mouth” into a brief cover of Harry Nillson’s “One,” (made famous by Three Dog Night). They brought a dark, funky groove to the song that conveyed a certain pleasure in being alone, very much unlike the hysteria that characterizes the Three Dog Night recording. Later in the set, they also covered David Bowie (“Moonage Daydream”) and MGMT (“Weekend Wars”), providing a fresh, original rendition of each.

My only complaint was the length of the set. Maybe it was my inner 60-year old man tugging at my attention (or more likely Monday’s rapidly approaching 6am wakeup), but it was just too much noise for too long. That said, the rest of the audience did not appear to share my objection, dancing and singing along through the final encore, the song “1989,” off of 2008’s Censored Colors. This more subdued final song reeled me back in, taking on an air of epic nostalgia that often accompanies songs with a year in the title (“1979,” the 1812 Overture, “Millenium”…), and I left happy.

DOWNLOAD: Portugal the Man - Intermission (MP3) or Follow us for more Portugal the Man MP3s (Twitter)

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