Photo Ladies 8/2/26 Photo Ladies 8/2/26

idobi Summer School Tour @ Crystal Ballroom - Portland, Oregon

July 23rd 2026: idobi Summer School Tour: Honey Revenge, Games We Play, South Arcade, Winona Fighter, Chase Petra, Laughing About Nothing @ Crystal Ballroom - Portland, Oregon

idobi Summer School Tour - Photos Courtesy of: Christina Hall

The idobi Radio Summer School tour concluded in Portland, Oregon, at the Crystal Ballroom. The show started with a local band, Laughing About Nothing. With their energy and stage presence, you would have assumed they were the headliners; they didn’t hold back. Chase Petra followed next; lead singer Hunter Allen gave off cool-girl energy with a fun sense of humor mixed into their set. The stage felt full even though it was just a guitar and drums on stage. Winona Fighter literally kicked things up a notch, rocking out, reminding the crowd of concert etiquette, and joked that some of the fans would need to look up who the Beastie Boys are after a Sabotage cover. Their energy was comparable to Amyl and the Sniffers. South Arcade came out with their Y2K dance vibe and had no issues performing Famous, where the night before their mics went out. Games We Play set also felt like a throwback to the soundtrack of an early 2000’s movie. They didn’t take themselves too seriously in a good way. Closing out the night was Honey Revenge, who have really settled into themselves in the past few years. The pit opened up throughout the different acts, even with some performers joining in. The security team earned their keep when the final act announced a crowd surfer contest with an attempt to beat the previous night’s record. The tour was meant to be a vehicle for young fans to discover emerging artists, although one could argue this lineup could satisfy the millennial who loves the pop-punk scene.

Photo Ladies 9/20/25 Photo Ladies 9/20/25

Linkin Park @ Moda Center - Portland

September 19th 2025: Linkin Park @ Moda Center - Portland, OR

Linkin Park | Photos Courtesy of: Christina Hall

Linkin Park visited Portland, Oregon, for the first time in over 20 years for their From Zero World Tour. This is the first tour without Chester Bennington, who lost his life to suicide in 2017 and drummer, Rob Bourdon. Emily Armstrong and Colin Brittain were invited to join the band in 2023 to take on those roles.

The stage was centred in the arena, and each band member had their own “home”. Above the band were giant screens that weren’t just for the fans in the higher seats; they were part of the creative production of graphics, lasers, and dynamic lighting. Everything presented truly complemented the songs and what was happening on stage, and sometimes stunned the crowd. The beginning of the set felt like there was some restraint. Rather than jumping in with full force, it felt like the band held space for fans who felt deeply for Emily’s predecessor, heavily letting the crowd sing along not only for the first song, Somewhere I Belong, but also for all of the songs fans hold near and dear throughout the night. Songs from their most recent album Zero World Tour, were sprinkled in throughout the night, as well as a couple of Fort Minor songs, where Mike Shinoda walked around the barricade and rapped into the crowd. Halfway through the show, the stage was flipped so those who had their backs to one side of the crowd would now face the other side. The energy spiked with One Step Closer. Mosh pits were encouraged by the band. Joe Hahn schooled the crowd with a scratching solo. A disco intro of Numb showed a playful side of the band.

The new vocalist faces an impossible task, but doesn’t attempt to replace the beloved Chester. As someone hesitant themself, I can say that Emily offers her own interpretation, and setting any of the discourse around her to the side, her voice does merit the benefit of an open mind.

Photo Ladies 5/13/25 Photo Ladies 5/13/25

Denzel Curry @ Crystal Ballroom - Portland

May 4th 2025: Denzel Curry, Kenny Mason, 454, CLIP @ Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR

Denzel Curry | Photos Courtesy of: Christina Hall

Denzel Curry stopped in Portland for his Mischievous South Tour. He brought along CLIP, 454, and Kenny Mason. The theme for the evening seemed to be opening the circle up.

CLIP had a chaotic start, bringing a fan onto the stage to open the pit. There was some confusion about where they should go, but Clip’s playful innocence made it all okay for the rest of her set. Her set had heavy beats that truly fired the crowd up. 454 came on not too long after with Ateleye Marc on the boards. A breeze could be felt from the subwoofers, and 454 rattled off his higher-pitched and polished riffs. Kenny Mason finished out the support with three rules: to pick someone up if they fall, keep your hands to yourself, and open the pit wide. His angsty sound was complemented with a light autotune. The crowd was jumping and had the highest energy yet for the night when Stick came on.

Denzel Curry came onto the stage as if he were shot out of a cannon. The energy was at a 10, and he somehow kept his cool with a winter jacket on for the first part of his set. His set had a cadence that felt like playing homage to Three Six Mafia. His sound had elements of old rap but with a refreshing and head-banging take. It made it easy to bob your head, and there were many tracks that you could chant along with. G’z up got a big crowd reaction. Security could be seen attempting to hold the barricades up as Denzel never let off the gas, and it was a cathartic release of whatever the crowd was holding on to that night.

Kenny Mason, 454, CLIP

Photo Ladies 12/24/24 Photo Ladies 12/24/24

Thievery Corporation @ Roseland Theater - Portland

December 20th, 2024: Thievery Corporation, Matthew Dear @ Roseland Theater - Portland, OR

Thievery Corporation | Photos Courtesy of: Christina Hall

It was a pop-an-edible-and-just-vibe kind of night. This coming from someone who only knew the song, "Lebanese Blonde" from the Garden State soundtrack nearly twenty years ago. Thievery Corporation made their way to their sold-out show in Portland, Oregon at the Roseland Theater after playing three nights in Seattle, Washington. The crowd was slow to fill with a mix of age demographics and an occasional sequin sprinkled throughout.

Along for the ride was Matthew Dear, who performed solo with a synthesizer and controls. His voice seemed to have a southern indie sound to Caleb Followil of Kings of Leon. His emotional delivery and down groove were complimentary to the headliner and caught the crowd's attention as they trickled in. He joked that his son misinterpreted his lyrics and then made the realization of how he was listening to a song about nitrous, alluding to his past life of partying.

After a brief intermission, the band made their way to the stage, comprised of Dan Africano on bass, Frank Orral, and Jeffrey James Franca on percussions, Rob Myers on guitar and sitar, and of course, one-half of Thievery Corporation, Rob Garza. The vocalists rotated and occasionally joined on stage, adding a nice variety. Mr. Lif's voice was upfront and full of conviction, Puma's flow was smooth and melodic, and Laura Vall's velvety sound was a complimentary feminine sound to the chill beats. Orral notably took the lead on the stage to sing "Welcome to My Starship" and swung an orb of light as the stage dimmed. The energy remained steady and the setlist meshed well together as the crowd bobbed their heads throughout the night.