When it comes to city primed for music festivals , Portland shore among the best , alongside Austin , Chicago , and NYC . Whether it ’s electronic music , bluegrass , or NPR - approved indie rock that ’s your travelling bag , there ’s pretty much something for everyone . As with most events with large swath of people congregate in a parking band , under a bridge , or off in the wood , there ’s a real genus Circus of world take place at these things . Before you head out to PDX Pop Now ! or Pickathon , show through for a quick brush - up on who you may expect to discover enjoying what remains of Portland ’s summer music fete circle .
The Skater Dad
Why they ’re there : To mosh to whatever reunify punk rocker band fete organizer cast on the neb to didder out some street cred from the quondam - guy - with - soul patch circle . Where they came from : The verboten stretch of Beaverton , so really Hillsboro or Aloha .
Skater dad told his ex - married woman that taking the kids to a festival would be a great bonding experience , but he ’s really just using them as an excuse to justify standing in a parking muckle and showing off his newfangled pair of Vans to a bunch of youngster that are n’t even half his age who give the guy side eyes anyway .
The Disinterested Tween
Why they ’re there : Because her step dad got her and her friends some tickets in hopes that they ’d think he ’s cool . Where they came from : Lake Oswego , West Linn , or some other part of unincorporated Multnomah County that ’s fill with palatial abodes in the middle of the Sir Henry Wood .
Despite her voguish balmy - dirt look and her one protagonist with the septum piercing , the Disinterested Tween would much rather be in her cellar in the suburbs mind to Lana Del Rey than eating pizza and posting one Snapchat fib after another in a parking fate with a bunch of sweaty old dudes .
The Out-of-Place Hippy
Why he ’s there : With Phish being inactive at the moment , he decided to be Modest Mouse ( which he just abbreviates to " Mouse " ) across the country for the past two months because it ’s something to do . Where they came from : Most recently , the double-decker stop across from the Ben & Jerry ’s on Hawthorne , but either Bend or Boulder before that .
With the elision of String Summit or Pickathon , there ’s not much in the style of fete that pander to regional jam band aficionado whose born home ground is the parking raft , taking drugs and ask for " miracle . " That wo n’t stop them from import their culture to the least likely of places , however , and until a hombre in a drug rug assure you how rad STRFKR sounds on Ketamine , you have n’t really inhabit through the Portland festival scene .
The EDM Bro
Why they ’re there : To pop a bunch of gild drugs and coil violently whenever any ticktock anywhere " free fall . “Where they come from : Eugene , Corvallis , or Pullman .
gathering like Sasquatch and WTFestival are obvious choices for neon - clad OSU frat bros who cash in one’s chips down Monster energy boozing and eat molly like it ’s candy , wearing CamelBaks to stay hydrated , but that ’s not stopping these dudes from showing up to a mild - mannered indie rock fete and getting hyped AF when the medicine the roadies have on the PA between readiness on the chief phase reach any kind of flood tide . You never make love it was possible to fist heart , let alone dance in any word form , to Bon Iver , but they ’ll do just that and elbow you in the face 20 time in the process .
The Overpreparer
Why they ’re there : To check that no one gets sunburnt , dehydrated , or malnourished . Where they came from : Laurelhurst or Irvington .
The matronly instinct and the planning skills she honed as chairwoman of her sorority are greatly appreciated in the provision stage of get your crowd forgather for a weekend of medicine and encampment , but the presence of an overenthusiastic delegator with a clipboard and a 10 - gal purse of trail mixture is more often an annoyance than an asset once everyone start out cut loose . channelise clear of her if you ’re in an opposing squad at an adjacent campsite lest you may manage inactive belligerent prelude about the volume of your music and the fume from your bug spray every hour .
The Aging Scenester
Why they ’re there : His pal is the touring drummer for one of the headliners , and he was predict there would be free beer and food . Where they come from : A cunning region deeply in Southeast that ’s considered part of Woodstock because of a partition triviality .
Do n’t have this ponytailed veteran in gruff leather frivol away you with marvellous story about shooting smack with Kurt and staying up all night finger picture with Elliott – he ’s just an onetime deoxyephedrine who think being fired from every dive bar in Ithiel Town and knowing a couple dude who play bass in Everclear gives him some sorting of elder statesman entitlement in " the scene . " Back off quickly before he begin bumming smokes and take sips of your beer .
The Bewildered Public Radio Diehard
Why they ’re there : She find out one of the former bands play a Tiny Desk Concert and thought they ’d be pleasant to see live . Where they come from : Beaumont Village
Commonly found at Project Pabst and Pickathon , this entry - layer festival goer eff nothing about current music besides what ’s spoonful - flow to her by NPR and KBOO . All they wanted to do was check out The War on Drugs or Sufjan Stevens , but no one state them they ’d have to cipher with an unwashed ocean of drug - addled youthfulness in the operation . She ’ll spend the majority of the weekend tucked aside in her Subaru eating Kashi and doing crossword teaser .
The Anti-Technology Crusader
Why they ’re there : To fight the good fight of keep concert " utter " by slap that smartphone out of your hand while you ’re seek to get some footage to put on Instagram . Where they came from : The last vestige of Old Portland in the Clinton / Division neighborhood .
Back in his day , it was nothing but beer and a lighter in the hands of existent diehard festival goers , and it ’s his job to assume the moral high ground by objurgate anyone who ’s in the elbow room of his entirely analog concert - snuff it experience . In realism , he ’s just an Android user who ca n’t seem to hang on to a speech sound that work well enough to take decent videos , which rick out to be a material bummer when Kraftwerk play at Keller Auditorium a few months ago .
The Juggalo
Why they ’re there : No one has any clew , actually . Where they came from : Vancouver or Gresham .
A mostly misunderstood bunch , Juggalos often keep their public fundamental interaction with mainstream humans at large to a bare minimum . You ’ll still see one here and there in the state of nature , however , and when you do , you ’ll desire they ’re not there to see your favourite band . They ’re normally just there to chug Faygo and give normal people soiled looking at , but you ’ll now and then find them nod in accord with whatever pelvic girdle - hop deed the fete organizers threw on the bill to correct for Portland ’s disturbing deficiency of medicine that ’s not made by white dudes with guitars .
The Protestor
Why they ’re there : Because this is Portland and no one is allowed to have any fun here without somehow aggressing someone else ’s well - being with their perquisite . Where they came from : Sunnyside or St. John ’s .
Did you take heed what the leading vocalizer of that band said to that blogger from Norway last week ? They only printed 20 % of the consultation , but I ’m certain the 80 % that was delete out was just as offensive towards animal and market shop clerk as the part I read on the internet last Nox ! disgrace on you !
The Corporate Sponsor
Why they ’re there : His electronic web of car dealerships is a patron of the venue , and no one else in the office had any interest in utilize their comped ticket , so why not?Where they came from : The West Hills .
Armed with Oakley ’s and a bang clip for his phone , the corporate supporter forthwith regret his decisiveness of wandering around a black - top parking peck in the hot sun while music that ’s probably even too eldritch for his minor to handle about further affray his agitated demeanor . A bottomless supplying of free Heineken will head to him being shirtless and offensive in the panjandrum area before the sun goes down .
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