Now/It's: Live On the Green 2017 - Week Three
Creeping along, creeping along, creeping along, and just like that, we're on the back nine of Live On the Green's for 2017. No need to let that get you down on your luck, however, because week three of 2017 was one for the books. Considering that at one point in the free festival's fledgling history, LOTG would run for six weeks, well into October (flirting precariously with Halloween), it seems fitting that in the new LOTG format, the third (and final single evening) week would be the most densely populated.
Following the unexpectedly large turnout that was St. Paul and the Broken Bones on week one, and the paltry in comparison, but nonetheless sizable one for Local Native week two, LOTG 2017 week three was expectedly dense, with more than the Courthouse Lawn's fair share of The Weeks, Portugal. The Man, and Spoon faithful. Granted, if you were to talk to any attendee that made the hajj downtown who they came to see, six out of ten would have told you Portugal. The Man, three The Weeks, and the remaining one (inevitable old-head) would have told you Spoon. Had this been 2011, that would have been wholly surprising, but for 2017, it makes sense.
The lineup for the evening was truly one of the most "stacked" (for lack of a better term) bills LOTG has ever seen. The Weeks released one of the better Nashville records for the year in their LP Easy, Spoon released one of the best of the year in Hot Thoughts, and Portugal. The Man have become one of the hottest band on the touring circuit seemingly over night. And so explains the massive contingent of indie heads clamoring before Nashville's hall of justice.
As far as the live sets were concerned, The Weeks' set was rambunctious and raucous as usual, with Cyle Barnes made a point to celebrate the festival's proximity convenience for local bands that play it (their second year in a row) - "This is great, because I live down the street, so I can just get as drunk as I want and get to sleep in my own bed." They spent the majority of their set with the founding four piece, but new contingents Johnny Fisher and Taylor Craft came on midway through their set, to play relief to Cyle and Damien as they (literally) floated across the sea of adoring locals.
In reference to the allusion made earlier in this recap - Portugal. The Man's set was by far and away the most hotly anticipated for the majority of those in attendance. They came out playing a blistering (and fifteen minute long) cover of Pink Floyd's "We Don't Need No Education" with about as enveloping a light display as one could imagine. So much so that most every photographer in the pit made out with nigh upon a couple of solid photos. As for the rest of their set, Portugal. ran through just about every single song in their discography (or so it seemed) with minimal banter in between. Take that however you may.
Finally, the most hotly anticipated band for your author, Spoon came out in marvelous display. Led by Britt Daniels - indie post garage rocks most readily forgotten icon this side of Paul Banks - Spoon ran through the deep cuts and the hits behind deep blues and reds that made for many an alluring silhouette. Everything from "Don't You Evah" to "Inside/Out" to "Do You" made their way into the setlist, and you better believe it was a delight (for me, at least).
So with the end of week three comes the end of the singular evenings of LOTG (at least for 2017). But with it comes the gargantuan weekend, and the question we posed at the beginning of our LOTG coverage - will Live On the Green break 100,000 attendees over the single weekend? My bet - most likely.
