There are few combos sweeter than a great rock show, complimentary cocktails and free food. Go ahead, try to name a better triad. I’ll wait!
That’s exactly what Hilton Honors members and assorted press were treated to over the weekend at a devastatingly-good Portugal. The Man Show at the famed Troubadour in West Hollywood. A Beavis and Butthead bit played before the band took the stage, setting the tone for the heavy-guitars-with-a-dash-of-tongue-in-cheek revelry we were about to experience. The band kicked things off with a rollicking Brick in the Wall cover featuring a quartet of falsetto vocals raining down from the house speakers while very cool and weird video work played behind them.
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 11: Mike Lawrie of Portugal. The Man performs onstage during the Hilton Honors Presents All-Access Exclusive Performance by Portugal. The Man at The Troubadour on October 11, 2019, in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Koury Angelo/Getty Images for Hilton)
They sauntered through the uber-emotional ‘Atomic Man,’ a song that’s relatively low-key compared with the searing guitar lines and heavy drums of other tracks. It was a standout, a deceptively-difficult-to-sing number that relies on pitch-perfect vocal flights and performative vulnerability. Nailed it.
Their ‘Gimme Shelter’ cover was another huge hit in that room. The Troubadour is such an intimate room that seeing and hearing everyone singing to the song’s iconic chorus felt like church. That night we all came to Jesus.
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 11: John Gourley of Portugal. The Man performs onstage during the Hilton Honors Presents All-Access Exclusive Performance by Portugal. The Man at The Troubadour on October 11, 2019, in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Koury Angelo/Getty Images for Hilton)
‘Modern Jesus’ was another great moment. Two-octave vocal doubling is always just so, so tasty, and this one kicks off with just that. This is the stickiest chorus in their catalog, a call to arms perfect for trying times: “Don’t pray for us / We don’t need no modern Jesus / To roll with us / The only rule we need is never / Giving up / The only faith we have is faith in us.”
I mean. That’s heat. We all, of course, exploded as they launched into their smash, “Feel it Still,” a world-conquering, career-altering hit deep into the bands’ career. They’re playing rooms much bigger than the Troubadour, so it was a thrill to see them take a sonic victory lap with this endlessly catchy song.
Shoutout to the staff for a smooth, inviting night. I felt honored to be among the honored.
