Day 17: Porto
Welcome
Yesterday we played at Primavera Sounds in Porto, Portugal.
A successful night of 8+ hours of sleep was achieved, and we awoke feeling greatly refreshed. There was just enough time left in the morning for a short run, so I jogged a couple of kilometres down to the nearest beach, Praia de Leca de Palmeira. It was well worth the visit. The Atlantic Ocean visits these shores, and it is a deep shade of sapphire blue, with an intrepid swell that is enjoyed by swimmers and surfers. Gaggles of craggy rocks jut out of the sand, juxtaposed by a long straight sea wall that keeps the road safe from the waves. In the distance I could see the Farol de Leça, the famous lighthouse whose rotating crystal directional optic sends a beam of light 52km out across the water. Up above the road looking out at the ocean is Forte de Leça da Palmeira, a 17th century stone structure that took over 100 years to complete.
A van was waiting outside our Holiday Inn Express at 11.30am and we boarded it for the transfer to the festival grounds. It was a warm day with smatterings of cloud - perfect festival conditions – but it was forecast to rain later on. We were shown to our green room, inside a very large white tent that was partitioned with chipboard walls for privacy. The festival takes place inside the very beautiful Parque de Cidade do Porto, and the area behind our stage was tranquil, with a small lago surrounded by reeds and trees, and a midilith constructed of large blocks of granite.
The midilith.
The small lago.
The schedule for the afternoon was incredibly relaxed. In a turn of events unheard of at nearly any festival, we had been granted a soundcheck, and we also had a couple of hours setup time before that. First, we decided to eat. A van shuttled us across to catering which was on the other side of the site, and there we set about serving up our plates from the colourful spread that was laid out in the corner of another huge, white tent. I did my best not to serve up too much food. I really thought I was starting with small enough portions when I was at the beginning of the buffet. On this large dinner plate I had polenta chips, white rice with herbs, couscous with olives, lentil curry, sauteed summer vegetables, macaroni with fish, potato salad, and a green salad.
After this comforting meal we were delivered back to our stage where we began to unpack and prepare our equipment. When we had arrived in Porto the previous morning and were retrieving our luggage from the baggage claim, my bass case had emerged onto the conveyer belt with the lid open. Not the way you want your instrument to be traveling but I was still grateful that it arrived unscathed. Now at the festival we discovered that the handle was smashed, leading to the hypothesis that the case must have suffered quite a large fall at some point in the process of dismounting the aircraft. An onsite repair was required to return it to a useful standard of operation, and this was accomplished thanks to a helpful stagehand who was able to provide an assortment of sturdy cable ties and a screwdriver.
Everyone working on our stage was thoroughly helpful, and more than a bit friendly. We got everything set up and waited for Gabe, who was struggling with the provided console, a Midas Pro 2. This one suffered a similar problem to the example from Cologne, but in addition the headphone amp didn’t work, making the soundcheck considerably more challenging considering that we were competing with a neighbouring stage.
These 1000 litre water containers stop the stages from blowing away.
While we waited it began to rain. Lightly at first, and then very heavily. We pulled our equipment back from the edge of the stage as drops began to land on our guitar pedals. The PA system bore the weather bravely, as did the exposed lights out the front of the stage. None of the festival techs seemed particularly worried, and when eventually there was a lull, we began to soundcheck.
Watching the rain arrive.
The sun came out just in time for our set. We were surprised, as there were thunderstorms forecast for the afternoon, and we were also grateful. The hillside began to fill up with people as we played, and by halfway through the set it was densely populated. Playing in a country for the first time is always exhilarating and we were amazed that so many people showed up, and that so many of them seemed to know the songs. We smashed through a 45-minute power set, had a great time, and then we cleared the stage in seven minutes, so Alvvays could get themselves set up.
Back at the green room we were unwinding when we heard a knock on the door. The backstage manager entered and presented us with a gift from the festival sponsor, a large magnum of Super Bock beer with our band name printed on the label.
We had an early lobby call the next morning, but we stayed just long enough to watch Alvvays play to a crowd that was ecstatic to see and hear them. Halfway through the set it began to rain, and everyone loved it.
Just after watching Alvvays in the rain.
Later on we took our gift back to the hotel and ceremoniously opened it, enjoying a few glasses of Super warm Bock before getting an early night.
Here is the day as seen through the capable lense of Tristan Deck.