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It didn't take much to rile up the audience at Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside's first show since their breakup in 2013.
On Friday, March 1, the Portland band played the first of two sold-out shows at Mississippi Studios. Though Ford and her band have reunited for less than a handful of shows, the news couldn't have delighted fans more. Ford was the first to appear onstage, greeted by rowdy cheers. With white-rimmed glasses and loosely curled hair, she strummed her guitar with old-school country vigor and charisma.
She began their set with "Rock n' Roll," a catchy ditty with "ba-da-ba-ba"s to sing along to. Ford & the Sound Outside gave the audience exactly what they came for—over 20 songs and three encores. Tracks like "Against the Law," "I Swear" and "Devil" were among crowd favorites during the first half of their set, about which Ford noted: "I just realized all those songs were about jobs I hated. Now, more songs about sex."
The band played a variety of songs from their two-LP, two-EP discography, but decided to end with a cover. They've performed Blondie's "Heart of Glass" before, with its rockabilly, punk-Americana flair that's entirely different from the original. This time was no different sonically, except that the participation from the crowd cranked the cover up to 11.
Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside proved with their first reunion show that we never wanted them to leave in the first place. And let's hope we proved to them that if they decide to pop back up again, we'll be there to welcome them with open arms.