Live music review: Portland act Portugal. The Man showed no creative bounds at ACL Live with La Luz
Alaska natives and Portland-based musical collective Portugal. The Man is an outfit that knows no creative bounds. Built by visionary John Gourley and rounded out by a laundry list of collaborators who have come and gone over the years, the Oregon vehicle has retained a creative streak that’s produced 10 full-length studio projects since forming in 2004. For the last stop on their run supporting new LP Shish, the Portugal company made their way to Austin’s premier venue ACL Live on Friday, December 12 for a headlining extravaganza that brought the new and old material, with a lot of new in rotation to celebrate the latest release.
Taking the sole opening spot came Seattle-born, Los Angeles-based surf noir quartet La Luz who made their second Austin appearance this year after Austin Psych Fest in April. With ACL Live harnessing arguably the best PA in the city, each reverberated sound punched through with clear precision.
The Pacific Northwest-founded group voiced their appreciation for their headlining contemporaries, sharing a sense of gratefulness (and relief) that the conclusion of their Fall tour was imminent. La Luz released their fifth studio effort, News of the Universe, a landmark album on the legendary Sub Pop Records label in 2024.
The attendees appeared to span a wide range of music fandom, including metalheads, psych rock vinyl crate diggers, and folks looking for a rock n roll good time. They got it in one of the city’s most preferred indoor spaces. Through Portugal. The Man’s confidently insistent social activism: tables were set up in the venue’s concourse featuring literature and charities to read about the current events, making the band’s shows worthy spaces to stay in the know about the issues that matter most to them.
The PTM catalogue has seen many sounds, iterations, and sole superhit “Feel It Still,” that, fortunately for the loyalists in attendance, did not make Friday’s setlist. Despite securing a Grammy and peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 as the lead single from the band’s eighth studio record, Woodstock, the tune has proved “old” by Gourley, instead opting to bring audiences a batch of tunes that proved even more engaging than the viral chart topper.
The multi-instrumentalist bandleader isn’t known for his expansive stage banter, and most of the words that reach the audience concern social activism and the political unrest around the world today. The pattern appeared as song-drum countoff-song and so on, demonstrating a desire to showcase their prolific discography and a shapeshifting sound that all seven stage performers propped up with herculean, spectacle-ready energy. An onstage highlight featured unique visuals that appeared across every track, with a handful of projected images relevant to each stopover. Roky Erickson, Gibby Haynes, Daniel Johnston, and Willie Nelson made the cut at the coveted Austin theater, a welcome surprise for the generations of music fans that made their way to the gig. The new record even shows some hardcore punk leanings taking shape on the second new album track, “Angoon.” A mosh-worthy number that should have started a circle pit, but sadly, spectators opted to watch the explosive offering unfold without any such interaction.
The two-hour set trekked on with Gourley offering the audience after a slew of Shish tracks, “Ok, we’ll play some old songs now.” The selections included “Creep In A T-Shirt,” “What, Me Worry?,” and “Tidal Wave,” followed by a mega-medley of “Live in the Moment / Once Was One / Someday Believers.” The setlist also included the Swedish artist collective NEIKED’s collaborative track “Glide.” The “Stick ’em up, glide” chorus made the pumped-up audience settle into the feel-good vibes, a European dance-infused endeavor that sculpted a virtuous groove. The ever-changing ensemble has a collection of entries that span many different favorites among their devotees, and this one felt like a superhit with the fans.
The encore began with “Created,” a blend of the band’s occasional progressive rock tendencies and finger-picked folk, striking a reflective chord from third album, Censored Colors. New record tracks “Tanana” and “Father Gun” acted as the last hurrah for the evening, marking yet another Austin appearance that’s not only about the music, but the active voice to encourage others to speak out about the world at large. Check out the Portugal. The Man Foundation to learn more.
Portugal. The Man wrapped up their tour in Texas this week, with a European tour planned for 2026. Tickets can be found via the band’s website.
All photos by Troy Gonzales
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