I became a parent in September 2019. Since then, I have dreamed of taking my son to his first concert. Since he has been going absolutely BONKERS for the soundtrack to Weird: The Al Yankovic Story for months, my wife and I decided to test our luck and take young Oliver to see Middle Kids, Manchester Orchestra, and Jimmy Eat World at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater for his first show ever.
Having recently moved to Bend, neither my wife nor I had been there before and didn’t know what to expect. Was security going to suck with a diaper bag? Will the kid be overwhelmed by the loudness? I’ve attended hundreds of concerts at dozens of venues, and the Hayden Homes Amphitheater is already in my top five.
The parking: free. The lines: minimal. The box office: competent. The staff: particularly friendly. The food: everything from dumplings to charcuterie boards (seriously). The sound: damned good.
It was pretty warm, today, but we tucked ourselves into a shady corner and enjoyed the short, but sweet set from Middle Kids. The Australians (and American touring guitarist) held their own opening for the co-headlining indie juggernauts. Lead singer Hannah Joy poured herself into each and every song, elevating the already strong vibes in the air, the sun’s rays having no noticeable detraction from a great performance.
While rocking “Highlands,” an unreleased banger, the Kids proved why Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull would later tell the audience that Middle Kids was one of their favorite bands. Oliver agreed, as I came back from the photo pit to find him lounging on a towel, content with his giant earmuffs so that he can avoid the hearing loss I’ve racked up over the years.
Speaking of, hot damn I love Manchester Orchestra. I’ve been dying to see them for 15 years, and it was everything I could have dreamed of. Except maybe not in 90-degree heat. Hull and team started with “Pride” from 2009’s Mean Everything to Nothing. The rest of their 13-song set saw them meandering throughout their robust catalog.
From “I Can Barely Breathe” to “Shake It Out”, Manchester Orchestra showed off their dynamic range, going from a low, humming energy, to a wall of sound that included the thousands in attendance singing along.
Other Andy, bass player, Andy Prince, used every inch of available stage space, expressing just how intense his connection is with each and every song. Drummer Tim Very’s face expressed as much as his bandmate’s body movement, alternating between concentrated passion and outright joy. This was no sauntering shoegaze show, this was a raw and emotional enveloping of the audience that I was absolutely there for.
Oliver was there for it, too. The impassioned jams emanating from the stage drew Oliver out from lounging in the shade to wandering among the crowd, as he pleaded with us to let him on stage. There were at least three times where he tried to break into VIP areas, putting security’s moves to the test.
Unfortunately, his constant running and excitement in the heat went poorly for all of us, culminating in “Owww, tummy owie.” Just as Manchester Orchestra finished “The Silence.” Attempts at calming went poorly, culminating in us carrying a 40 lb lump three blocks to the parking lot. On the way, the air was pierced with the competing sounds of Jimmy Eat World jumping into “Congratulations” and toddler whimpers. We were getting to the car when the opening riff of “Bleed American” hit, making the kid’s head spin as he exclaimed, “What is THAT!?” “Kid, that’s you missing Jimmy Eat World.” This was met with more crying, a feeling Oliver and I shared as I drove off with the sound of “Sweetness” fading away.
