Having been sold out for weeks, ALO’s highly anticipated show finally took place in Portland, OR’s Doug Fir Lounge last Friday, December 4th.
Portland’s live music faithful showed up early to make sure they didn’t miss the opening act, as hometown hero Scott Law took the stage early. Law has most recently gaining notoriety for his adventures with Phil Lesh, both in Phil and Friends, and curating week-long musical escapades at Terrapin Crossroads. With Keith Lowe on bass and Mark Griffith on drums, the trio charged through a short set that got the crowd fired up and set the pace for the night.
It had been years since ALO played in Portland, and the reunion was joyous. Their quirky playfulness, happy and uplifting themes, and top-notch musicianship set ALO apart from their musical counterparts. Rather than play music for you, they seem to play music with you, and before anyone knows exactly what’s happening, the room is a funky dance revival.
Zach Gill (keys/vocals), Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz (guitar/vocals), Steve Adams (bass/vocals) and Dave Brogan (drums/vocals) are touring in support of their recently released album Tangle Of Time, and they played several songs from the album, including an already popular “The Ticket”. Scott Law joined ALO for a couple of songs in the first set, and Lebo asked the crowd to sing “Happy Birthday” to his wife as he recorded with his phone. ALO ended the first set with a strong combo of “Life’s Been Good” (Joe Walsh) > “Maria.”
The band came out for the second set swinging for the fences with “Dead Still Dance.” A few songs in, fans got a surprise when another local guitar hero, Scott Pemberton, came out to play on “Walls of Jericho.” Many in attendance remember seeing Pemberton every Tuesday night for free at a local pub, but recently his talents have kept him on the road.
Everyone Orchestra conductor Matt Butler added some percussion during the second set, and added another layer to the Portland hometown pride.
After an exceptionally loud cheer was sustained after the set, ALO returned for an encore that consisted of “Shapeshifter” and “Storms and Hurricanes.” The interplay between the band members, and between the band and the crowd, gave reason to believe that ALO is indeed adept at the art of liberating inner animals.
Check out the full gallery of photos below, courtesy of Greg Homolka:
