FUSE TV - Sasquatch Love Stories: The XX and Divine Fits Gush About Gorge Amphitheatre

With the exception of maybe Bonnaroo, Radio City Music Hall and/or Madison Square Garden, no other festival or venue inspires as much gushing as Sasquatch and the Gorge Amphitheatre. The sheer ratio of sets that include the words "that last time I was here..." or "this place is beautiful..." or "remember when..." dramatically increases inside these gates. It's that kinda place.

On Saturday, sexy-lusty-dangerous British trio the XX and indie rock "supergroup" Divine Fits, co-fronted by Spoon's Britt Daniel and Handsome Furs/Wolf Parade's Dan Boeckner, both told fans their best Sasquatch/Gorge stories, and they're pretty damn memorable/epic.

Divine Fits: "Last time I was here I was on mushrooms," Boeckner said midway through the band's late afternoon set at the Honda Stage. Then he pointed to the river in the far distance. "I tried to walk to the water. I had a vision of a skeleton and coyotes." Heavy. It's a long and rocky road down to the Columbia, too. The band, which has been heavily promoting their debut album, A Thing Called Divine Fits, were having a blast onstage, all smiles and assuring nods on tracks like "Civilian Stripes" and a cover of Frank Ocean's "Lost."  Just four pals, rocking out. 

"I met this guy in a tiki bar last night in Quincy," Boeckner later told the crowd, referencing the two-stoplight town 20 minutes into Eastern Washington farm country. "And so I invited this kid  to come to the festival and he's like, ' Can you get my buddies in?' I'm like, 'No, I can't dude.' But hey, man, if you're in here... hi." Sounds like the making of yet another Sasquatch story.

The XX: There's a lot of space to fill on the main Sasquatch Stage, but the British trio worked it. Shrouded in purple and yellow lights, they played name-making tracks, like the hushed and sexy bedroom whisper "Crystalized," as the last light fell from the sky behind them. Then singer-guitarist Romy Madley Croft broke her stoic onstage persona to beam, "Last time we were here we watched Massive Attack from way up [on the hill]. We've dreamed of being here..." It must be an awful beautiful (and awful exclusive) view from the main stage, a stretch of smiling faces disappearing into the light.