Friday I hopped in the car from Portland and ventured down south to the Cuthberth Amphitheater in the College town of Eugene, Oregon. Odesza, the chill-EDM moguls, came to town to melt faces at the beautiful outdoor venue. The journey began sitting in traffic throughout the Portland metro area, it was an absolute mob to get down to the venue. Upon arriving though I was in awe, I had never seen a show at an amphitheater before. The venue treated it almost like a festival; there were food vendors and even a beer garden! The mood was totally set by the glowing orange stage encasement, the sun setting behind the viewing area, and all the wild EDM fans draped in bright & colorful outfits.
The first set by Fakear was smooth and relaxed. His music is very much more ambient lo-fi stuff and with the outside scenery it was a perfect combination. It felt like being swaddled by the warmth of the sun and soothed by Fakear’s tunes. Knowing Odesza’s music, I don’t think they could have gotten a better opening act, the energy provided by Fakear really proved to set the crowd up for the craziness that ensued when Odesza went on.
Odesza goes on at 9pm. By then it’s dark outside and people somehow cram packed the large and open venue. The visuals were provided by the overhang lights and the LCD monitors set up both behind the raised platform and wrapped around the bottom of the platform onto the stage as well. However instead of just a regular DJ booth set up, the duo set up a drum pad and electronic bass drum on both sides of the platform for them to bang on. It was incredible watching Odesza, drum sticks in hand, create these crazy beat kicks and drops live, rather than the typical alternative of producers standing in their booth pressing buttons. So Odesza was on the platform along with a guitar player, then a trombone player on stage right and a trumpet player on stage left. It was breathtaking seeing EDM artists meld a live instrumentation into their show, and they pulled it off flawlessly. Time seemed to be irrelevant as these dudes played their hearts out all the while the fans reveled in the experience.
I hope my pictures can capture even a fraction of the wonder Odesza displayed.

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