And that’s an understatement. Easily the best performance of Noise Pop 2009, Portugal. The Man delivered nearly a 2-hour set cruising through almost the entirety of Censored Colors and even a few previews from their upcoming album.

Lead singer John Gourley and bassist Zachary Carothers played a good portion of the show with their backs to the crowd (we can’t help but wonder if John’s slight stage fright had something to do with this). Nonetheless, the performance was somewhat reminiscent of Jim Morrison in his early days - no talking, no frills, no direct connection with the crowd, but somehow one of the most solid and touching sets that we’ve ever seen.

When it came time for an encore, a very confused Ryan Neighbors (synth, piano, Rhodes, etc) declared the show over due to a disappearing John Gourley. We located him later at the bar, where John expressed his humble thanks for attending his show. Seeming unimpressed with their performance, John was more concerned with how amazing the openers were. Typical, shy and humble John Gourley.

With so much power, passion and energy behind everything they do, we’ll be hard-pressed to find an artist that impresses us as much as Portugal. The Man did on Saturday night.

Check out our pre-show interview with the band.