Report

Sabertooth 2023 PDX - Part 3

Sabertooth Portland 2023 – Part 3 (of 3)

Before moving on to the final three bands of the evening, I need to clarify a few things from Part 1 and Part 2 of this report.

Some of my questions in those parts were answered via email. Will was booked for 2020 Sabertooth (which obviously didn’t happen) so they were given a good slot for their patience. Rhododendron draw large crowds at all-ages events. The audience probably seemed less familiar because Sabertooth was 21+. Again, both bands were great; I was just wondering why they were given better time slots and stages than Cloak and Ghost Bath.

Speaking of which, both Cloak and Ghost Bath were “along for the ride” due to their tour with UADA, who was up next as one of the last three bands on the Crystal Ballroom stage.

UADA's fourth album, Crepuscule Natura, came out less than a week after Sabertooth so I was unfamiliar with the new songs they played. The older stuff sounded better to me, but that is usually the case for my ears. I’m sure I’ll like the new material once I’ve given it a few listens.

The last time I saw UADA was at 2019 Copenhell, and that was a magical evening. I didn’t take any photos then, so it was fun to finally get to shoot them.

After UADA came the first real break in music on the day as Lola’s Room was closed by this point.

Ludicra was the surprise of Sabertooth for me. Let me back up a bit. I, somehow, had never heard of Ludicra before a few months ago. Maybe I had heard of them, but I had never listened to them. They actually played at a small club in my current hometown back in 2008. Wolves in the Throne Room was the headliner, but I didn’t hear about the show until after it happened. :(

To this day, I haven’t seen Wolves in the Throne Room, which is odd since I’ve been a fan for over 15 years, and they are from the Pacific Northwest. However, back in the 00s I rarely went to concerts as my kids were young.

Anyway, back to Ludicra. They are from the San Francisco Bay Area, which is another reason why I can’t believe I wasn’t familiar as that is my original home base. I moved to Oregon in 2000, and Ludicra didn’t really get going until after that. To this day, my Bay Area friends who turned me on to bands like Hammers of Misfortune, High on Fire, and Giant Squid still haven’t heard of Ludicra. Their exodus from the music scene in 2011 probably has a lot to do with it.

So, to make a long story somewhat shorter, I only began listening to Ludicra when I knew I was going to Sabertooth. My expectations were not that high, but even if they had been high, Ludicra exceeded them.

I can’t put my finger on what exactly it was that made their set so special. But there was magic in the air, they sounded so good, and the energy they brought was phenomenal. Were they always this good? Or does the fact that a band has announced that they are done forever in a few days give them some extra vitality for their limited time?

I don’t know the answer to these questions, and I really don’t care, but I loved, loved, loved their set at Sabertooth.

YOB finished the night off in typical fine fashion.

I think this was the sixth time I’ve seen YOB over the years. The first time was back in 2009 (at the same small club that no longer exists in Ashland, Oregon that Ludicra played at a few months prior).

This was the first time I’ve seen them with their new drummer, Dave French. This was not the first time I’ve seen Dave French, though, as he played with Steve Von Till last year (but not on drums).

Coincidentally, I saw Mike Scheidt in the audience at the Von Till show in Portland. I wonder if, at that point in time, he had any idea that Dave French would be in YOB someday. Probably not as his addition to the band was more than nine months later.

Sabertooth is an excellent festival that I hope continues in the future. There wasn’t a single band that I didn’t enjoy, which is very rare for me—even if there are only four of five bands on the ticket. Sabertooth PDX had 10!

I discovered new bands, an “old” one that no longer exists (RIP Ludicra), and experienced some long-time favorites (a couple for the first time). Was it worth 10+ hours in the car? Absolutely.