I'm sorry for you Portugal.The Man, I really am, but after your drummer walked off stage last Monday night in New Orleans, apparently ditching the current "Jagermeister™ Tour," the rest of you guys should have, too. [Text by Andrew, photos by Mike.]
The spirit to keep on trudging is admirable; it's hard to contest that. But their drummer-less foray at The Ritz Ybor on Wednesday night was about as satisfying as a foot-long mustard sandwich. The lesson here — drums are vital, especially when everyone's expecting them.
For a handful of songs, they had back-up help from the drummer of opening band The Lonely Forest, most notably an uber-trippy, narcotic rendition of the Beatles' "Helter Skelter." This was a minimal saving grace, however, and overall, kind of an annoyance since apparently, no one in the building knew they'd be witnessing a virtually drums-free show until Portugal.The Man actually hit the stage.
They opened with "So American," a wierdly anthemic beast of a track from their latest In the Mountain in the Cloud, which fared well here – Gourley's infectious vocal melodies seemed to radiate through all corners of the Ritz – but still couldn't compensate for the rhythm-less white elephant in the room.
This was my overarching sentiment towards Portugal's entire set. Sure, due diligence was paid to performing songs like "1989," "People Say" and "Colors" as best as possible with a beat-free and sometimes indistinguishable flurry of reverb-drenched guitars, bass, and nimble keyboard effects tightly wrapped around Gourley's lullaby falsetto. But, with no drums, an essential component – maybe the most essential component — their live performance came off as a hollowed out machine, a pretty car with no engine.
Portugal the Man is an unquestionably solid band. They've got a foot the mainstream door and a knack for breaking convention, even if only slightly, always welcome in an industry that can be so stylistically incestuous it's nauseating. But, trying to perform as a body robbed of an essential limb, and giving no real forewarning to your fans is just a bad call in this book. Here's to the next time, guys.
This article appears in Apr 12-18, 2012.