Lane 8’s phone-free tour captivates Portland at sold-out show (Review)

After months of anticipation, Lane 8 stopped in Portland for the Brightest Lights tour on Thursday. Portland sold out nearly two months in advance, as well as his additional Pacific Northwest stops this weekend. Check out our review of the show, and listen to the Colorado producer’s third studio album below.

https://soundcloud.com/lane8music/sets/brightest-lights-1

Venue and crowd atmosphere

You couldn’t have asked for a better venue than the Wonder Ballroom for Lane 8 to perform at. Although not the largest event space, crowds all remained in good spirits throughout the entire show. As part of his This Never Happened label, the event was strictly no photos or videos. In an effort to give the audience a greater opportunity to connect with each other through the music, the results were astonishing. The energy throughout the crowd was so much more palpable, largely due to the no phone policy, but also how captivating of a performer Lane 8 is.

Old remixes, new album features

For three hours, Lane 8 consistently impressed us with his song choice. He played familiar remixes like Odesza’s Bloom, Ghost Voices, and Innerbloom, but revitalized them in a way that sounded new.

This was a common factor in the extended set, as he played the other tracks he’s most well known for like I / Y with Yotto, Little Voices, and Visions with Rbbts. While the harmonies and buildup are easily recognizable in many of his tracks, nearly every single time the drop would be a breathtaking variation. Choosing from his absolutely massive discography must have been challenging, but every track successively built on the previous which resulted in a cloud of transformative sound.

Of course, as the Brightest Lights tour, he played nearly every song from his recently released album. As an album focused on the awareness of complex emotions, and the power to frame them as a positive opportunity for growth, Lane 8 illuminated this capacity in The Rope, and The Flood. Dry eyes were difficult to come by at several of the emotional climaxes in the show, most notably Brightest Lights.

Overall impressions

This Brightest Lights tour is a unique opportunity to listen intimately to one of the leading progressive and melodic house producers. For an extended three hour set filled with beautiful soft lights and buzzing crowd energy, you get your money’s worth. There’s something special about performing for that long, and having an entire audience still shouting for more with an encore. We left the show with the rest of Portland in a great mood, thanks to Lane 8. We can’t wait for the rest of the Pacific Northwest to experience the Brightest Lights tour.