We are not flavorlessly insane!

Wednesday night was one of those amoeba-envy nights, where you want to split in two and wonder how mitochondria works or what it even is, and what’s the use of teaching Life Science to 7th graders who are no doubt going to drink away all memory of its intricacies when they get to college.  Go blue! Where were we?

Both the Asylum and Space had shows we wanted to go to, but being non-amoebas, we opted for Buckethead (tickets bought first) and had to enlist a rogue reporter to give accounts of Secret Chiefs.  From first and second hand accounts, let’s just say we can be proud today of having brought this type of music to Portland, and also for our having supported it so well, and on a rainy mid-week eve to boot.

Buckethead packed Asylum and did not let his nerdy (meant endearingly) fandom down, with endless hours of guitar shredding mastery, hidden behind a no-less-than-terrifying white mask. Never have we cared less that the back up band was invisible (though we still care slightly).  That said, the reason to go see him is not for music that will move you to tears, but just to be impressed by the fastest fingers this side of Gob Bluth.  Of course, it’s easy to impress us, with our campfire appropriate guitar chops, but we got what we wanted.

According to our reporter on the scene, Space was equally electric.  Quote from the morning email: “I don’t care how awesome Buckethead was, you made the wrong choice.  Secret Chiefs played 3 distinct sets, each one with its own personality, but all sharing the common thread of rhythmic, melodic, genre-ignoring, rock’n’non-rock’n’roll, deep fried in other worldly non rhythms and non melodies dipped in straight up rock’n’roll.  Yes, it awesomely made that little sense.”

Also heard it was packed.  On a rainy Wednesday night.  Who knew?  Had we been asked earlier in the day “can Portland support both of these shows on the same night with bad weather and a ripe line up of must see TV concurrently airing?” we’d have said “please pass the hot sauce, brother, surely you must be flavorlessly insane!”  But we’d have been wrong, which would have marked our first time.  Thankfully we were not asked and our reputation remains pure.

Thumbs up, Asylum and Space, or if this were on facebook: “i like this”.