10 Standout Performances From Pickathon’s Iconic Woods Stage
Nothing represents the experiential music festival better than the majestic little stage in the woods. Here’s a list of some of our favorite sets we’ve seen there
It didn’t take long for Pickathon to win us over. From our first day on the farm, we knew that it was unlike anything we’d ever attended before. Not long into the weekend, it became evident that the “experiential music festival” would be a regular occurrence for us. Still, we couldn’t have predicted it would become the primary summer activity that our family schedules our entire year around. It’s mindboggling to consider that, more than a dozen years later, we’re as excited as ever to drive down to Oregon and escape into those idyllic woods to experience art, music, and community in a way that remains unmatched in everyday life. It’s even more surprising that we still have the opportunity.
Conveying the full experience of Pickathon to someone who hasn’t been is a near-impossible task, but it’s one I’ve been attempting since 2013. Music festivals have earned the disdain so many feel for them, so the real challenge is explaining what differentiates this one from its ill-run, soulless corporate counterparts. Details like the small crowds, free fresh water, music discovery, lack of trash, and general energy of the environment don’t always break through the pushback and venting of others who’ve been done so wrong by the festival format. If there’s one thing that consistently gets their attention and helps open their minds to the possibility of something greater, it’s showing them pictures of the Woods Stage.
A lot has changed over time, but the mystical little stage of branches remains active, resting in that clearing in the woods. In recent years, organizers have introduced the concept of “neighborhoods,” embedding other stages more organically into the landscape and providing them with their own individual identities. Change can breed skepticism, but ultimately, these efforts have successfully utilized the Woods Stage as a guiding light to infuse these other stages with a similar bit of magic.
From morning light shining through the canopy during tranquil acoustic sets to haunted, ethereal lighting, doom metal, or Afro-Cuban, and post-rock dance parties, nothing represents the magic or versatility of Pickathon better than The Woods Stage. As Roller Girl so famously stated of Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights, The Woods Stage “can fuck really hard, or [it] can fuck really gently. [It’s] the best.“
The following is an example of 10 standout Woods Stage performances we experienced.
Feist [2013]
The moment I point to that officially made us Pickathon believers was seeing Feist in the woods. Midway through her first acoustic show in 7 years, a drummer and pianist joined, and she climbed onto the piano to sing “Limit To Your Love.” We sat on hay bales holding our toddler as the women next to us sobbed her eyes out. I heard from staff that Feist was so enamoured with the environment that she rejected a gator ride to walk the long trail up to the stage.
Mac DeMarco [2014]
Pickathon is known for booking artists before they blow up and, in 2014, Mac DeMarco could sit in the dirt without anyone noticing or bothering him. During his Woods set, he managed to surf from the stage all the way to the edge of the crowd and back again. Unfortunately, since Pickathon is also great for running into people you rarely see, I missed my opportunity to get the photo. Instead, here’s a pic of him behind the stage with Jonathan Rado of Foxygen.
Yo La Tengo [2016]
This was my first time seeing Yo La Tengo and still my favorite. Their acoustic set was one of the most magical concert experiences of my life. The trio has been together so long that every delicate shift felt like it was signaled telepathically between them. The next day they’d blow our ears out, but on this night the woods was caught in the trance of bioluminescent jellyfish.
Jonathan Richman [2017]
Richman is notorious for restricting photography. We’ve been asked to shoot from out of site and, at one festival, were even informed that no photography would be permitted at all. He’s no diva, but he can become distracted or uncomfortable. We got no such warning at Pickathon, so I tried my luck, subtly gesturing “this okay?” This direct photograph reflects how comfortable he was on that stage. It didn’t hurt that we were all dancing along with him.
Viagra Boys [2019]
Frontman Sabastian Murphy vomited into a bucket on the Galaxy Barn stage the night before, and, somehow, the Woods show was even more insane. Murphy stripped down to boxer briefs, bodies spilling onto the stage, beer threatening to short-circuit everything, and the band unfazed through all of it. This one was beautifully chaotic.
Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band [2019]
Phil Lesh was special and was treated accordingly. Upon arriving on the farm, we stumbled across a full soundcheck on the mainstage, before the band played a Jerry Garcia birthday show that night. The following day in the Woods consisted of a massive 20-song set with an encore. I’ll never see the Dead play an acid test or a small show on 1960s Haight Street, but seeing Phil and his band packed onto that little Ewok stage on the farm was incredible.
YOB [2019]
I have plenty of menacing pics where Eugene’s doom metal trio look as if they’re conjuring a Hellmouth from a haunted woods stage, but I like how this one resembles a crime scene. Fortunately, all spirits were good spirits as everyone let loose in a raucous, yet cathartic and respectful mosh pit to cap off the weekend. It was a remarkable blend of doom and ecstatic smiles.
Sampa The Great [2022]
The Zambian rapper/singer is a force supported by a dynamite band in matching attire, soaring backing vocals, and choreographed dance moves. I loved watching her interact with all of the children dancing up front. Tremendous international acts are always highlighted at Pickathon and, if there’s one word to describe Sampa, aside from “great,” it’s “empowering.”
They Hate Change [2023]
The Tampa duo of producers/rappers, André Gainey and Vonne Park, draw from sounds as disparate as jungle and The Flatbush Zombies to craft what they’ve referred to as “Gulf Coast Soul, Post-Punk Crunk Music.” They address social issues like anti-trans rhetoric, racism, and homophobia head on, but through engaging live shows that are euphoric celebrations of life and art featuring matching outfits and synchronized moves reminiscent of The Beastie Boys. Pickathon embraced them so fully, because they so fully embraced Pickathon.
GEESE [2024]
Two seconds into Geese’s Galaxy Barn set, an entire human fell on my head. The crowd lost their minds so badly it felt like the building was going to collapse. The Woods set didn’t change that dynamic so much as open up the space and whip cool air through it. The Brooklyn band performed their brilliant 3D Country LP in its entirety for the first time ever, as attendees crowdsurfed and bubbles filled the night air. They left their mark on Pickathon history.