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.

Matthew Dear