Tag Archives: Oregon

Kamasi Washington Oregon Zoo Saturday, August 17th 2019

Concerts, , , ,
Oregon Zoo Saturday, August 17th 2019

Several months ago the Oregon Zoo started announcing performances for their annual summer concert series. Eventually something I was interested was announced and I was excited. Herbie Hancock and Kamasi Washington would make a stop at the zoo during their 2019 tour. Kamasi I have heard before and seen recently. That performance blew me away so I was excited to see him again. And Herbie, I mean its Herbie Hancock so yeah I was excited to see him too.

One perk of the concert ticket is free admission to the zoo but unfortunately I was unable to partake in this added bonus. Getting to the zoo is still on my local tourist list. Arriving to the venue I highly recommend you take the Max. Either the red or blue west and get off at Washington Park. From there its an elevator rid up and then right for the zoo entrance. Can’t beat it considering the parking lot fills up quickly on the weekend and sold out concerts.

One of the elephants came out and joined us for part of Kamasi’s performance that night.

The stage is set all the way in the back by the elephant enclosure. The zoo has been doing this since 1979 so now they have a permanent stage and facilities which are nice. It is a smallish outdoor amphitheater which is perfectly proportioned I think. Up close they have a traditional reserved seating area. Most of the venue is grass. You are allowed to bring blankest and low chairs so of course do that. Get there as soon as the grounds open to secure a spot on the lawn. I arrived 45 minutes before the show start and it was already at capacity. Lots of food options around the venue which was encouraging to see.

Right on time Kamasi Washington and The Next Step took the stage for an hour long performance. The first time I saw Kamasi his performance blew me away. This time I would say it didn’t have as much energy as the Crystal Ballroom performance. I think it was just the intimacy of the crowd that made the Ballroom a better performance. Still a good crowd but not the same as being packed in with your fellow fan listening to Kamasi groove.

Still a very good performance by everyone. He even brought his father who played with the band all night. He hit some of the classics that have made him famous. Not so much talking this time around, more straight and to the point. I think it was a great opportunity to expose Kamasi to new fans who may not have heard him but wanted to see Herbie. Even one of the elephants managed to come out and see him play.

Next was Herbie Hancock and it was cool to see him play after hearing his music for so many years. He has a talented group of band members but none of them are originals or long standing. They were all good at what they do but if I had to rate the performance I would say average. Herbie was into the music but the other guys just seemed to be playing along for a gig. It was lacking energy. Even when they did Watermelon Man and Cantaloupe Island, it felt forced.

Again, it was great to see Herbie but the performance was lacking. I was here to see Kamasi to be honest and even that performance was just ok. Great venue and I look forward to coming back. I also hope to see Kamasi do another tour and hit a smaller venue in the Portland area. Let’s pack the place and have a groovy time.

Kamasi Washington
Saturday, August 17th 2019
Oregon Zoo – Portland, OR

Set starts at 7:00pm

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  7. Fists of Fury #
    Set over at 8:02pm

Note
# with Herbie Hancock

Herbie Hancock
Saturday, August 17th 2019
Oregon Zoo – Portland, OR

Show starts at 8:31pm

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  4. Actual Proof
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  7. Watermelon Man
    Set over at 938pm

Encore starts at 9:39pm

  1. Cantaloupe Island #
    House lights at 9:50pm

Note
# with Kamasi Washington and his dad

  • Several trees were strung with colored lights. It added to the ambiance.
  • Everyone got on stage for Herbie’s encore which was really cool.

Silver Falls State Park July 2019

Hiking, , ,

The weather was finally starting to turn hot during the late afternoon hours. Its weird but for me when the weather gets like this I just want to get out and do something. The early morning hours are still very cool and if you go up into the mountains, its cooler yet. I can beat the heat naturally for a while and get out side to enjoy nature at the same time. This time around I just didn’t have enough time to research a place so I went back to Silver Falls State Park which I have been to before.

This park checked all the boxes that I wanted in a hike that weekend. Its a good hour and a half drive from the city. It is also pretty deep into the boondocks so a nice quite drive down two lane roads for the most part. Not so many mountains along the drive but you do get some good driving through the forest. It was also a place I was familiar for so plenty of parking and hikes of various lengths. I could do 10 miles and see all the falls with all the crowds of people or go on a shorter hikes and avoid the crowds.

The drive down was pretty easy, its just far. Getting into the park turned into a cluster. It was a beautiful day so the entrance was smashed with people. A ranger was asking everyone what they where doing and directing them to a specific lot depending on what activity you where doing. The F lot was for hiking and a little deeper into the park.

Upper North Falls

From here I headed north to the Upper North Falls which I am pretty certain I skipped last time. When you do the loop trail you skip this place since it is an out and back. I mostly didn’t want to fight all the crowds that would be along the trail so decided on this hike which worked out. It was still a little busy till I got the North Falls and from there it died almost completely.

Once I finally got to the water falls there were only a few people hanging out. I spent probably 45 minutes at the falls and the entire time no more then 10 people where around. Most wondering over the rocks, some along the waters edge, some didn’t move much past the end of the trail.

The waterfall itself is pretty impressive. Not as good as some of the others in the park but it was serene. I sat on some rocks not far from the base of the pool. The canyon trees where tall enough to provide shade so I could enjoy the sight and sound of the waterfall without roasting alive. It also allowed me to rest and cool down. I took the time to do some writing to family. I love being in beautiful spots like this and writing letters.

The Upper North Falls hit the spot that weekend. I got a good drive in, a decent length hike an lots of natural beauty. You throw in some peace and quite and it was a perfect afternoon. Even when its warm outside, in the shade its generally comfortable. Its great weather for getting out into the mountains and hiking.

  • It is difficult to describe how tall the trees are. You just have to see them for yourself.
  • Past by this field of flowers in full bloom. Really beatiful seeing all the flowers.

pFriem Family Brewers June 2019

Around Town, , ,

I was headed to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix and because of some recent changes I wasn’t working before I left for Canada. Having already packed I decided on an adventure to Hood River to drink beer and eat some food. I did some research and decided on pFriem Family Brewers right along the river as a good place for lunch. The menu looked really creative and I was excited to try all the different beers.

The brewery is housed in a new industrial area along the Columbia River. While this might be industry it is all modern and meant to be a hip place to locate a business. There are several places like pFriem in the same complex for instance. Large open ceilings with plenty of room for the brewing equipment in the back. Not a stellar looking brewing operation but you still get to see the entire process from start to finish.

Food was fantastic hear. The brussel sprout appetizer was pretty damn tasty. The sausage was also really good. So much flavor in all the food I had. Many other things on the menu looked fantastic and worth a trip back just to try more of the food. As for the beer I only had two and they where ok. Got some lighter beer which they had a lot to choose from. Also a lot of various IPA’s on tap. Mix of Belgium styles along with some barrel aged stuff. You can certainly find something to explore here.

I would certainly come back here again. Mostly for the food but I would also take the opportunity to try some of the heaver beers and see how they rate. The place has a really good atmosphere. On nice days there is a rather large outdoor covered patio section which is nice.

Yeah its a pretty daily occurrence.

Photo Gallery

  • pFriem Bright Pale
  • pFriem Kölsch
  • I got the sausage which was really good. All the food was fantastic.

The Roots Edgefield June 14th 2019

Concerts, , ,

Things have been super crazy here in June. I got a new job so the last day at my old job was May 31st. I didn’t start my new job till June 17th and in between that I a trip to Montreal planned. Nothing like going on vacation when your unemployed and spending lots of money. Well when I got back from Montreal I saw The Roots were playing at Edgefield Friday after I returned and decided to see them again.

This is actually the third time I have seen them and I will probably continue to see them live. First time was at the 2016 United States Grand Prix in Austin. They played with User that night as a last minute gig when The Weekend cancelled his performance. The second time was during the 2017 Newport Jazz Festival. They closed Sunday and the festival weekend with their performance.

Earlier in the day I decided to do a little hiking. This didn’t turn out so well because of the fire roads and my car. Traffic getting back to Portland was a bear even in early afternoon. For some reason the show was starting early so by the time I made it home I didn’t have much time to shower and rest before heading to Edgefield.

I have been to the property before. Its a great place to hang out with friends, hang out by the fire and smoke a cigar. This time a majority of the property is taken over because of the concert. Where you usually can sit has been converted into a pavilion for food and drink. The lawn itself was rather nice and big. The place didn’t sell out but a ton of people showed up. I was near the back with plenty of room to dance which was nice. Another really nice feature is that you can bring slow beach chairs into the venue. I took the opportunity so not only did I get a great performance but I could do it comfortable.

Seeing them a few times I knew what to expect and wasn’t disappointed this evening. The weather also really worked out which made things better. No opening act and they got a late start. One of the beat box guys came out and did a performance before eventually the band walks out on stage. Being summer it was daylight for the entire performance which was a weird thing to see. They had lights but it really didn’t mean anything.

Just a great time seeing The Roots at Edgefield on a Friday night. With the show ending rather early even with traffic getting out of the venue I made it home rather early. I do enjoy seeing them play and with their limited tour schedule I am always glad when they roll through town and I get an opportunity to see them.

The Roots
Edgefield – Troutdale, OR
Friday, June 14th 2019

DJ starts at 6:53pm, band walks out at 7:10pm

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House lights at 9:05pm

Michael Quu Helium Comedy Club May 7th 2019

Around Town, , , ,

Most of our customers are MSP clients but we do a fair amount of contract project work as well. This means we get some pretty cool clients like Helium Comedy Club. As a thank you for helping them out they gave us some free tickets to see the first night of Michael Quu. It was Tuesday night of all things so I understand getting free tickets. Get as many people in the venue as you can and hope they buy drinks. Plus I’m sure its good for the talent to see a full venue when they look out into the audience.

I didn’t plan on going but never bought movie tickets liked I planned either. A colleague was going and invited me so I decided a change of plans was in order. It ended up being three of us. Our third didn’t arrive till just before show time. I arrived first and decided to see about a table but the line getting in was ridiculously long and slow. They choke point was the ticket booth. My ticket was “free” but a $6 cover was required at the door. They have a stated 2 item minimum but they didn’t appear to enforce that.

There was an opening act in addition to Michael. The opening guy was a local that moved to NYC and now does comedy full time. Not bad but he will probably never make it off the medium city/small club tour. Still funny at times and worth it. The main act Michael was also pretty funny. Longer set. I think Michael did like 45-60 or something.

Anyway a good night out to see some comedy. I can always use a good laugh and I will have to come back to the club. Hopefully they can work on the queue issue but a nice place to catch some comedy.