Last night I went to the most epic concert ever. One of my favorite bands of all time, Blind Pilot, played with the Oregon Symphony at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. I went to a Blind Pilot concert for the first time about a year and a half ago at the Crystal Ball Room. It was an amazing show at a great venue. But it was pretty typical for an indie folk concert: lots of young people crowded into a big room, talking and clapping and dancing to the music; the band were all dressed in their plaid shirts , rocking out to their jams, with bits of comical dialogue in between sets. The scene last night was quite different. The Schnitz is a stunning historical building with chandeliers and gold railings where hundreds of symphonies, operas and ballets are held each year. People of all ages and fashions (from sequined cocktail dresses to dreadlocks under trucker hats) gathered in the ornate concert hall to sit in velvet chairs and enjoy one another's music genres.
The first half of the evening was just the Oregon Symphony performing pieces such as Greig's In the Hall of the Mountain King, to which the audience smiled and gave golf claps. After intermission, the conductor came back on the stage followed by the members of Blind Pilot. The guys were dressed in suits and ties, had their hair (and long beards) combed, and looked quite spiffy and sophisticated. They played several pieces with just their 6-person band, and several pieces with a full orchestra accompanying their original songs. I got chills hearing the incredible collaboration. It was an amazing blend of indie rock meets symphony orchestra. It's really indescribable. I snuck a little video of their final song "We Are The Tide" (in which the audience broke out of normal symphony code by standing to clap and dance along) so you can see/hear for yourself...
(sorry if it's a little bouncy - I had a hard time containing my excitement and standing still long enough to capture this video)
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