Sasquatch 2017 - 3 Days of Music in the Columbia Gorge

You just don't say no to FREE tickets to Sasquatch.
No, you MAKE that happen. Even if your Jeep dies.

If you don't know, Sasquatch is a big music festival held deep in the heart of Cascadia, on the edge of the Columbia Gorge where the river cuts its way through a petrified forest, just outside Quincy, WA.

For three days on four stages, bands that could easily headline their own shows play music all day long, and most of the night. The only catch is that it takes place in a natural amphitheater with incredible acoustics and a fantastic view!

So yeah, I hit the road. My wife and I loaded up the party pod and took our free tickets out to the Gorge Amphitheater to take in the annual spectacle. It was our first visit to Sasquatch, and we were not disappointed.

I swear, I had every intention of continuing to write regular Steemit posts after my first post deconstructing the Ripple PnD. But Sasquatch called, and you don't ignore the 'squatch. My summer vacation came early this year.

At the last minute, Frank Ocean cancelled. He was the headlining act of the first night on the main stage. Thankfully, LCD Soundsystem stepped up to sub in. Some people were apparently upset by this, but not me.

LCD Soundsystem absolutely killed it. Adding them to the lineup was a definite upgrade.

But the second day was my favorite. I was more settled in, relaxed, and ready to have some fun. We had met the neighbors in the campground and made some friends. The main stage was going to have Phantogram that afternoon, followed by The Shins. The weather was perfect.

That was the scene from the top of the amphitheater while Phantogram was still getting set up. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures during the show. It was my favorite set of the weekend, and I was just too mesmerized to bother snapping pics.

Phantogram has played a few Sasquatches, but this was their first time on the main stage. If you haven't checked them out yet, do yourself a favor. Here's an oldie but a goodie:

Phantogram played an amazing set and I definitely plan to see them again next chance I get.

Next up was The Shins. Before they got started, we moved down to the area in front of the stage. We didn't get nearly as close as we had the previous night, but the view was perfect as they started the set.

Now, I'm not a big Shins fan. I mean, I first heard them on the Garden State soundtrack like a lot of people, and I thought they were OK. That mindset did not prepare me for the amazing show they put on. The crowd went nuts.

The third day was full of great acts on the main stage, but I'll be honest - my energy was dipping. I hardly took any pictures that day. Thank the sweet spaghetti monster we chose the premium camping; that meant we had an air-conditioned bus ride between the camping area and the festival grounds. It looked like a long, steep walk judging from my view out the bus window as we sped past.

(There were two more camping sections that were even more premium than the premium. If you have money to burn, they looked pretty nice. Better view, closer to the music, even exclusive stage-side entrances and viewing areas. Class distinctions were as clear in the camps as they are on an airplane. Security existed almost exclusively to make sure people had paid to be where they were.)

The closing act on the main stage was Chance the Rapper. People loved him, but exhaustion claimed us before his set ended. It wasn't really my thing anyway. We bailed before it ended.

When we woke up the next morning, half the camp was gone already. Hell, I thought I got up early! We took our time and on the way out we stopped at a scenic overlook that told us about the other side of the river that we had been staring at all weekend long.

It turns out, the land across the river from the concert site was a state park. The lines on the cliff reveal millions of years of history, carved out by the Columbia River to uncover a petrified forest of ginkgo biloba trees. That's amazing not only because petrified wood is kind of rare and cool, but also because ginkgo trees live in China! Apparently they were here in Washington Cascadia too, once upon a time.

All in all, it was a great break, and I needed it badly. I hit a few more obstacles with multiple kid birthday parties back-to-back, but now I'm looking forward to jumping back into writing. I hope you'll join me.

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What was the last great concert you went to?