Benicassim

Writing from another airport in another week- realized that this last show post was not complete and time has already taken me to other cities on other airplanes. Our last days of tour in Spain seem pretty distant, though I have a spot of beach tan to prove the Mediterranean heat. 

The end of tour was a hefty mile. Our set at Benicassim lasting until nearly 3am, then a series of bus and plane-ing that took 24hours, leaving me thoroughly wiped chez moi. Home long enough to do laundry and re-pack, headed to other places on personal missions, one of which being a yoga intensive. Post tour trainings are a dramatic head space shift, requiring that you definitely be in one piece with two feet planted to participate. An all over multi vitamin for the overly airported.

To recount the final festie:

The backstage tented area behind main-stage Benicassim slid at an angle creating an artificial drunk. We slanted our way between food and preparing and visiting. I vowed not to take the lazy mans side stage position for Portishead and went out front. There were the exuberant youth partying their faces off, girls dancing the sexy dances, arms in the air drinking smoking. 

I’m glad I was in front of the speakers, receiving that perfect blast. The heavy lows and crisp of the drums. 

I felt lucky to be watching them for the 4th time this summer, now familiar with their set list, and over the initial association to my teenage rave days, hearing their music alive and well. 

Every Portishead show there are moments when Beth does her human theremin vocal solo and people are just overcome and start screaming. That happened to me this time.

And then up on the stage, looking out at this steamy sea of people. They waved and pulsed and made loud magical noise just like a good Spanish audience does. 

It felt good, we had energy, they had energy, it was 2am.

This was a notable show for eye catching objects. Usually things that get held up during a show lead to distraction, bordering on annoyance. But here there were some gems. My favourite, the people holding up giant letters that spelled AMOR, which kept getting word scrambled, delightful.

Also the kid holding the neon inflatable guitar above his head for whole show. The whole show!! That is dedication.

And the guy who lit a flare during the encore only to get stomped on by an army of security. Ballsy and dumb for sure, but a great impromptu light show.

And that’s it that’s all, our last real festie tour for this album. And we did mix it up quite a bit, going East into new territory and having more Italian and French times then UK party fields. Subtly different, easier on the soul perhaps, but a festie tour nonetheless. Few sound checks, similar set lists, long drives and late shows. But we were still present at the end, still smiling and finding the joy in it. And now back in North America, with our good vast nature and lakes and cold cold ocean. We’ll play a handful more shows here before stepping back to Europe for the final festie hurrah.

Until the next backstage then.