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On Feb. 27, a crowd of mostly older heads gathered at Mississippi Studios to soak up some of that California rock and roll from the Mother Hips, one of the bands most synonymous with the rock legacy of the Golden State. The Bay Area stalwarts have also been going strong for over three decades, and Portland has often functioned as a second home base. This was evident from the crowd of eager dancers parked in front of the stage, ready to sing and groove.
Following a rollicking opening set by perennial Portland rock-and-rollers Lewi Longmire & The Left Coast Roasters, the Mother Hips hit the stage and opened with the triumphant psychedelia of “White Falcon Fuzz.” Though its members may have a little more gray hair, the Hips, as they are known to die-hards, felt plenty youthful throughout their performance, dipping into songs from their 2024 album California Current while also reaching back into their lengthy catalog. The band’s swirling mix of sunny cosmic Americana and country, with occasional funk forays, shone through on songs like “Sunset Blues” and “Honeydew,” with a healthy dose of organ layered in, and the down-and-dirty “We Want What We Want.” Throughout their set, the Hips showcased their ability to shape-shift through worlds of rock music, nodding as much to the Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd as to the Flying Burrito Brothers and Dire Straits. Tender ballads like “Sarah Bellum” contrasted with the sinister groove and stomping power of “Third Floor Story.”
The beauty of the Hips has always been their ability to balance strong songwriting and two-part harmonies with the loose spirit of improvisational rock. They jam, but not enough to be pigeonholed as a jam band. This was evident in the standout “Transit Wind,” a high point of the set that found the band unleashing a slow-burning, blue-eyed soul number that blossomed into a flowing Allman Brothers-esque highway jam. As they steered into the final stretch of the set, the band threw in some older fare, like straightforward rockers “Magazine” and the rambunctious “Pet Foot.” Riding a wave of positive vibes straight to the shore, the Hips closed on a high note with blistering and energetic “White Headphones” and “Time-Sick Song of a Grizzly Bear” in the warm embrace of an adoring and exceedingly happy room of Portland fans.
