Portland

Album: All For Nothing/Nothing For All (1997)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Portland" is the Replacements' apology for the worst show they ever played - quite a statement for a band that built its reputation on performances of disastrous debauchery.

    It happened on December 7, 1987, at the Pine Street Theatre in Portland, Oregon. Young Fresh Fellows were the opening act. Accounts are hazy and shifting depending on who tells them, but the calamitous overall effect of the event remains legendary, so much so that it's still written about over 30 years later.

    A few common details emerge from various accounts. The Replacements got uproariously drunk (a given for them, but this time it was excessive). They took the stage in absurd getups such as green spray-painted shoes with dollar signs on them and a homemade necklace with a CD on a string. They started into songs they didn't actually know how to play, then just dropped them and moved on. Eventually they began tossing their clothes into the audience, with bassist Tommy Stinson winding up in his underwear after throwing out his pants with his money still in the pockets.

    Things got worse when the theatre ownership refused to pay the band. At that point the Replacements trashed everything from a chandelier to a full-sized couch that was sent airborne out a window.

    While it's impossible to quantify, Replacements message boards and writeups across the internet memorialize this show as the band's "worst ever" (a high compliment among Replacements fans).
  • The Pine Street Theatre ran from 1986 to 2001. Because it was relatively close to the Seattle nucleus of the grunge scene, it hosted some of the '90s biggest acts, including Nirvana, Screaming Trees, Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nine Inch Nails, and Sonic Youth. It was a funky little venue with an odd character and is still remembered as an icon of Portland quirkiness to this day.
  • The Replacements recorded the song in 1988 at Bearsville Sound Studio, two miles west of Woodstock (the town, not the concert location), New York. Albert Grossman (1926-1986), onetime manager to Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Gordon Lightfoot, and other notable acts, built the studio in 1969. The song was shelved until the All for Nothing/Nothing for All 1997 compilation album.
  • Bassist Tommy Stinson asked the label to rent him a classical upright bass for the song. He played beautifully on it (better than those present expected) before smashing the $4,000 (about $10,000 in 2022 dollars) instrument to pieces.

Comments: 1

  • Kathryn Elich from Portland OregonI don't know if this song was for Portland Oregon but I will claim it for here. Thanks "The Replacements" !!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.

00s Music Quiz 1

00s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

Do you know the girl singer on Eminem's "Stan"? If so, this quiz is for you.

Alice Cooper

Alice CooperFact or Fiction

How well do you know this shock-rock harbinger who's been publicly executed hundreds of times?

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Glen Burtnik

Glen BurtnikSongwriter Interviews

On Glen's résumé: hit songwriter, Facebook dominator, and member of Styx.

Michelle Branch

Michelle BranchSongwriter Interviews

Michelle Branch talks about "Everywhere," "The Game Of Love," and her run-in with a Christian broadcasting network.