This past December, Isabel attended Phantogram’s concert here in Portland. Check out her review of the show below:
On December 10th, 2019 Phantogram came to the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, OR. The environment was super electric and it was one the best concerts I have been to here in Portland.
The show started off with Carter’s vocals which sounded captivatingly soft as he performed, “Barking Dog”. The rare and restrained solo was very different from Barthel’s gut-powered performance of “Destroyer”. She stood on a platform suited with a black cape covered in feathers, which suddenly filled with smoke while the screen behind her projected fire lit behind her.
A grungy twang of guitar chords opened for, “When I’m Small” as Barthel took to the synth once more. They closed with “You Don’t Get me High Anymore” and “Howling at The Moon” while the audience sang and danced. Barthel moved and thrashed on stage along with the fans, as they whistled and cheered as Phantogram exited the stage and promised to return to Toronto again.
Like that album, and like 2014’s Voices, “In a Spiral” highlights what makes Phantogram stand out from the rest of the synth-riffing hordes: An ability to bring imaginative structures and a welcoming, intimate warmth to a genre that all too often feels chilly and self-satisfied. Overall the concert had a really intimate feel and was an amazing experience.