English indie rock band, Alt-J, hit Nashville on March 1 with Portugal. The Man in tow. The show was opened by Vermont’s Sir Chloe. It was a rockin’ night at Nashville Municipal Auditorium.
Sir Chloe, fronted by Dana Foote, opened the show with a very enjoyable set. Admittedly new to them, I enjoyed their guitar forward alt-pop grunge sound. The best way I can describe Sir Chloe is what I think The Cranberries would’ve sounded like had they been born out of Seattle in 1992. I’ll definitely be digging into their catalog.
Portugal. The Man enters with “Nashville, God D*** it’s good to see you again.” They were right, it had been far too long. After a touching tribute to the Middle Tennessee Native American Council, they opened with one of their two biggest commercial successes “Live For The Moment.” After that, the crowd was off and running. They played a solid hour nonstop that included all the favorites and a couple of impressive covers (Nirvana’s “In Bloom” was one of them). “Feel It Still” was their closing song, which was met with an enthusiastic audience. This was the fifth time I’ve seen them and they play a great, in your face, rock ‘n roll set.
Now, the dichotomy of the show happened when headliner Alt-J took the stage. They were also met with an enthusiastic crowd especially when they played songs like “In Cold Blood” and “Left Hand Free.” They also got a great response from some of their latest releases, Nashville proving how they’ve loved the evolution of the band. What I wasn’t expecting was how much they would dazzle me with great visuals – their light and video show were impeccable. And that wasn’t even as impressive as their vocals. They sounded as if they were digital. It was clear, crisp, and had a contagious alt-pop vibe. As the band prepared to leave, the video screen across the stage turned to a Ukrainian flag along with a few colorful words for Vladimir Putin. This statement was met with a huge response.
All in all, this was an amazing show by all three acts.
