MusicfestNW Presents Project Pabst Is Bringing 18 Bands, Lots of Beer and One Giant Unicorn to Waterfront Park

Every year, the city’s premier music festival comes around right when we need it most, allowing us to refocus on the things that make us the happiest—namely, music and beer.

By Matthew Singer

Portland, the time has come to treat yourself.

This summer has left us scorched, in more ways than one. We're sunburned, we're pissed off, and we're stuck in perpetual traffic. It's time for a timeout.

Good thing it's once again time for MusicfestNW presents Project Pabst.

Every year, the city's premier music festival comes around right when we need it most, when the temperatures rise and our patience lowers, allowing us to refocus on the things that make us the happiest—namely, music and beer. And given the state of the world at large, we could use the break now more than ever.

Since selling out Waterfront Park last year, MFNWpPP—as we like to call it—has set a high bar for itself. As you'll find in the following pages, this year's lineup lives up to those heightened expectations. It's a bill heavy with history, from the ageless fury of Iggy Pop and the eternal cool of Beck to the everlasting brilliance of Nas. But there's also plenty new to discover as well, whether it's Lizzo's fierce empowerment anthems, Father John Misty's wiseass folk rock or the elastic rhymes of Portland's own the Last Artful, Dodgr. And if you haven't seen Die Antwoord yet, prepare to have your mind—along with several other body parts—blown into the Willamette.

There's also beer, of course. And some of the city's best food. And arcade games. And a 20-foot-tall unicorn.

It's time to forget who's in the White House and remember what is was like to feel good as hell. It's time to put a pause on screaming at each other in comment sections and remember that we're all the same loser, baby. If only for a weekend, it's time to stop fearing the future and lust for life again.

So come down to the river and share a tallboy with 20,000 of your neighbors. You've earned it.

— Matthew Singer, Willamette Week Music Editor

MusicfestNW presents Project Pabst is Aug. 26-27 at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Get tickets here.

Welcome to MusicfestNW presents Project Pabst || An Annotated Guide to Iggy Pop's Body || Beck's Multiple Personalities || A Super-High Die Antwoord Videography || Nas' Greatest Beefs || Father John Misty: Genius or Troll? || How I Learned to Love Spoon || Five Facts About Lizzo || Filthy Friends Q&A || Frankie Cosmos || White Reaper || RVIVR || Noname || FIDLAR || Whitney || Pup || San Fermin ||  The Last Artful, Dodgr || Lithics || Beer, Food, Games & More

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