The Portland Cello Project always plays to an enthusiastic crowd when in the Twin Cities and their recent show at the Cedar Cultural Center was no different.
The opener that evening was Laura Gibson, a singer / songwriter from Oregon. Her songs were thoughtful, well-constructed and quite breathtaking. I have to admit - when a ticket simply lists "Special Guest" as the opening act, I frequently debate showing up the show a little later. That would have been a mistake for the Portland Cello Project show - Laura held the audience captive from beginning to end. The highlight was, without a doubt, her final song. She sang a capella - but gave the audience the task of providing the background vocals. It was a risky step - without enthusiastic audience participation, that song could have been a very sour note to leave the stage on. But I suspect, given the incredible performance, this is a problem Laura Gibson doesn't face too often.
Then it was time for the cellos to take the stage. The first manifestation was the core Portland Cello Project - six cellos. They opened with two beautiful songs composed by a group member (it is infuriatingly difficult to track down the names of individual cellists - they are not listed on the website, nor does the group have a wikipedia page). The second song was deeply entrenched in traditioanl Eastern European music and accompanied by haunting vocals. Dedicated to the artist's grandmother and sung in Polish, the admiration and yearning for home was clear, even if you couldn't understand the literal meaning of the word.
Then the group dug deeper into the music they are known for - beautiful, classically-played versions of contemporary music. Certainly one of the highlights of the evening was a cover of the Star Trek theme song. It was incredible to watch recognition creep through the crowd, accompanied by appreciative gasps and giggles.
Throughout the show, the stage became ever more crowded - the group was first joined by two Twin Cities cellists (although one currently is based in Chicago), then a flute and French horn, intermittently by a percussionist, and for one breathtakingly brilliant highlight - a vocalist from Chicago, who had travelled north that day for the sole purpose of performing a single song with the Portland Cello Project.
Every summer, PCP puts together an "Extreme Cello Dance Party", focused on playing smash pop hits that everyone knows - and loves to dance to. However, they haven't performed too many of these songs outside the Northwest, until their show at the Cedar. Their guest vocalist took the stage and before anyone could take a breath - the audience was knee deep in the most fun rendition of Missy Elliot's "Get Ur Freak On" I've ever heard. It was phenomenal. Coupled with the following cover of Kanye West (without vocals, but still very dance-able), it made the perfect argument for a mid-summer trip to Portland.
By the end of the night, everyone left the Cedar, bundled up again the cold, with huge smiles on their face. It was clear that seeing the Portland Cello Project is an uncommon treat - and one that is definitely worth going back for seconds.
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