PORTUGAL. THE MAN
Portugal. The Man, The Eastern, Atlanta, GA 12/9/2025
La Luz opened the night at The Eastern with hazy surf rock, warming up the room as their reverb-heavy melodies drifted across the floor. By the time Portugal. The Man took the stage, the crowd was already moving. An opening video rolled, touching on humanity’s relationship with the natural world, before the band launched into a set that leaned heavily on their latest material while threading in familiar favorites.
Early into the set, John Gourley jumped to the edge of the stage and onto the first-row barricade, leaning into the crowd and setting a tone that carried through the rest of the performance. “Modern Jesus” marked the first big shift in the room, with fans quickly joining in. Sing-alongs returned after that point, hitting hardest during “Feel It Still” and “Live in the Moment.”
The band stayed in near-constant motion, pacing the stage and feeding off the audience as the floor continued to swell and sing back, while massive screens played immersive videos in the backdrop. Visually, there was never a dull moment.
Portugal. The Man kept the crowd engaged from start to finish, from the opening video to the final song. By the end of the night, the room felt spent but steady, held together by a set that balanced new direction with the songs that first pulled many in.
Shot and Written by Alexa Kravitz
