Jeff Mangum @ Casa da Musica, Porto

The formerly reclusive Jeff Mangum, the singer-songwriter from Neutral Milk Hotel, attracts a devoted following, mainly because of that band´s 1998 album In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, which many regard with quasi-religious fervour. So when he was announced to play the Primavera Sound festival in Porto many of those who travelled to Portugal did so in order to see him. Only problem was, he was due to appear at the Casa da Musica - a wnoderful new edifice that any musician of any stripe would be proud to play. However, it has a limited capacity (perhaps 800 in this, its largest hall) so people had to queue up at the festival yesterday to secure tickets for the Casa da Musica shows, even though they had already bought their festival tickets. This entailed waiting in the rain for two hours or more, and getting to the venue an hour or so early to try to get a front-row seat (successful). It was well worth the effort though.
A few songs in Mangum told people to feel free to sit in the area between the first seats and the stage - so I ended up even closer than the front row. The set was wonderful - all pre-1998 songs: between 1998 and 2010 Mangum played literally a handful of shows. His reclusive liftestyle only enhanced his cult status, so I wasn't sure to expect an entirely normal individual. He was, however, and even alluded to his "lost years" by saying that playing concerts "is very good for me. I felt opaque for quite some time. I lived in a happy opaque world but it was slightly unreal."
It's a pleasure to have you back, sir.