This Saturday, the Lodge Room, an unsuspecting and intimate venue in Highland Park, was buzzing in anticipation, waiting for the performers Portair and City of the Sun to take the stage. Despite being a more relaxed concert venue, all of the dedicated music fans that showed up created a remarkable energy that carried throughout the night.
First to perform was Portair, an Australian-born and Los Angeles-based alternative artist. As he opened his set, through his thick Aussie accent, he explained that he considered this show to be his big first hometown show. As such, he had lots of fans and supporters cheering him on in the room. Personally, I had only heard of Portair through his collaboration “Above the Salt” with VÉRITÉ, another alternative artist, so I was excited to hear more of his work live. Portair’s performance did not disappoint. Impressively, it was only Portair on stage with his guitar, and he was able to capture the audience solely through his soothing vocals and intricate strumming. Before performing the last song in his set, “Learning How to Die”, Portair explained that the song was a happy death song reflecting on how he’s lived his life. Reflecting on his message, I am so happy that I got to witness Portair living his life to the fullest and sharing his passion for music with the audience. I am excited to see where Portair’s journey goes.
Shortly after, City of the Sun, an instrumental rock group from New York City emerged from the greenroom to perform. Right away, they energized the crowd and got them dancing along to the rhythm. This was my first time seeing an instrumental band perform live, and I was pleasantly surprised by how fun and lively both the band and the audience were. Often facing in towards each other on stage, it was almost like the band was in a private jam session, with the audience having the privilege of watching in. I was honestly amazed by City of the Sun’s electric spirit, and would gladly see them live again.
Review and Photos by Laurel Ayuyao (@laurelayuyao on IG)
Comments