When MJ Lenderman & the Wind played Portland, Oregon’s Revolution Hall in February this year (READ OUR REVIEW), the show quickly sold out as the band was riding high on the buzz around their alt-country masterpiece Manning Fireworks. Those who missed out on the show were giddy when they announced a second serving with a two-night run at the very same venue less than one year later. For MJ Lenderman & the Wind, this tour stop is part of a seemingly endless journey on the road. After all, if the fans are still showing up, why stop playing? On a Monday, September 15th, the curly-haired guitarist and his band kicked off the first of two sold-out shows in Portland with a set that, while not a drastic departure from their performance back in February, offered enough variation to appease newcomers as well as repeat offenders.
If there was one thing that distinguished Monday’s performance from the band’s stop in town just seven months prior, it was seeing the ways they have developed their songs after constant touring. They also mixed up the setlist just enough to keep things surprising. Opening with “Rudolph,” the band started quietly and built momentum before spacing out with an extended, reverb-laced jam that led seamlessly into the darkened country-rock noir of “Toontown.” “SUV” was an early standout with its Sonic Youth-meets-Dinosaur Jr. thrashy guitar pounding, while fan favorite “Joker Lips” simmered with an easygoing twang and funky undercurrent. Another highlight came during the band’s cover of This Is Lorelei’s “Dancing In the Club,” transforming it into a masterclass in slacker rock with poignant, literal lyrics delivered in Lenderman’s perfectly deadpan vocals over bright bursts of guitar.
Throughout their ninety-minute performance, the band let their songs speak for themselves with little bravado or flamboyant stage antics other than the occasional awkward quip and some damn fine playing. Perhaps it was the show taking place on a Monday, but for the most part, the audience was quiet and respectful, with only the occasional hoot. Even well-known tunes like the dark and brooding “Wristwatch” and a version of “You Have Bought Yourself a Boat” properly lubricated with swaggering country grease didn’t lead to riotous applause, but this didn’t seem to bother the band a bit. At this point in time, the Wind is about as dialed in as a band can get. We saw this in the straightforward alt-country of new tune “Pick Up The Pieces” as well as the Greg Sage cover “Sacrifice (For Love),” one of the hardest rockers of the night that saw Lenderman running away with a blissful guitar solo. Bassist Landon George had his moment in the spotlight when he laid into the mournful fiddle part on “Rip Torn,” which served as a lovely companion to a version of “Manning Fireworks” brimming with rustic charm and even more fiddle playing.
Adding little tweaks onto their songs and making good use of effects, the band managed to keep things interesting by making slight deviations from the studio versions. “On My Knees” bled into the playfully meandering groove of “Bark At The Moon” (complete with the audience howling along), followed by an atmospheric interlude of psyched out pedal steel and drums that soon morphed into the crashing glory of “I Ate Too Much At The Fair.” The band left the stage after their infectious anthem “She’s Leaving You” and a dreamy, humid take on “You Don’t Know The Shape I’m In.” When they returned for a few encores, they welcomed one of Lenderman’s heroes, Patterson Hood of the Drive-by Truckers, and backed him on his tune “Uncle Disney” before joining together to wrap up the night with a cover of Neil Young’s unifying tune “Lotta Love.” In the end, the setlist and performance wasn’t a major departure from their last appearance in Portland earlier this year – even the backdrop was the same, as was the song Patterson Hood played – but the beauty in all of this came from the simple joy of seeing a well-oiled band capable of keeping their fans enraptured with little more than well-written songs and a healthy dose of rock and roll.
All photos by Greg Homolka
