FOOD & DRINK SPECIALS

Conscious Sedation Beer Garden
Conscious Sedation, a beer garden specializing in micro- and nano-brews as well as wine and cider, will celebrate its second anniversary as well as Star Wars Day and Cinco de Mayo with a party on Saturday, featuring a selection of beer from the breweries Green Dragon and Labyrinth Forge. Labyrinth Forge will also release its new Mexican lager that day, just in time for all your Cinco-related festivities.
Vernon

The party’s not over! Billie Eilish is bringing her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour to the Moda Center this winter. Slipknot has also announced a tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut self-titled album. Plus, viral crooner Stephen Sanchez is coming to Troutdale this September. Read on for details on those and other newly announced events, plus some news you can use.

Tickets go on sale at 10 am unless otherwise noted.

ON SALE FRIDAY, MAY 3

MUSIC

2024 Americana Harvest Fest: Joy Oladokun
Topaz Farm (Tues Aug 27)

Allah-Las
Aladdin Theater (Sun Sept 22)

American Aquarium
Mississippi Studios (Sat Nov 9)
On sale at 7 am

Since it was invented on Bainbridge Island in 1965, pickleball has sought membership within the elite clique of what we consider common recreational sports. However, it wasn't until 2020 that pickleball finally moved beyond its lesser known contemporaries, like squash and curling, to join the company of good time tablemates, tennis and ping pong. If real-life activities can go viral, pickleball hit peak virality during the pandemic. Suddenly everyone was grabbing a paddle and a perforated ball and hitting the court.

According to the Association of Pickleball Players, more than 36 million people in the US played pickleball in 2023. As pickleball courts flourish across the city, it's no real surprise that someone in this rainy town thought: What if we let people play pickleball indoors?

The People’s Courts is a sprawling 48,000-square-foot recreation center, which used to be home to 82nd Avenue's finest indoor BMX track. It opened in August of last year, thanks to developers Dave Schrott, Dave Sacks, and his dad, Robert Sacks. The massive building fills not only the apparently insatiable desire for more pickleball courts, but also a city-wide need for active social space that is, you know, inside. (Sure, the weather was nice last week, but this week we got back to spring.) Also–not to kick off the Soho House debate again—but at the People’s Courts there’s no membership required, making it truly a place for the people. 

Who's ready to have some fun? Well, the Mercury is here to help with FREE TICKETS to see some of Portland's best concerts and events—our way of saying thanks to our great readers and spread the word about some fantastic upcoming performances! (Psst... if you want to say thanks to the Mercury, please consider making a small monthly contribution to keep us alive and kickin'!) And oh boy, do we have some fun events coming at ya this week! CHECK IT OUT!

• Enter to WIN FREE TICKETS to see 21 Savage on May 5 at the RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater! 

GRAMMY-winning, multi-platinum global superstar 21 Savage, one of the most sought-after rappers of this generation, landed his second solo #1 album on the Billboard 200 with the release of his third solo LP, american dream. Get your tickets now to the American Dream Tour’s stop at RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater this Sunday, or enter to win here! NOTE: Ticket winners will be notified on Friday afternoon, so enter quick!

RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater, 17200 NE Delfel Rd, Ridgefield, WA, Sun May 5,  7 pm, $78-$303, all ages

WELL HOWDY THERE, BRAINY BUTT! It's time once again to put your brainy-brain to the test with this week's edition of POP QUIZ PDX—our weekly, local, sassy-ass trivia quiz. And this week, your brain will be tested on how much you know about local runaway animals, track-jumpin' trains, and billion dollar babies! (Surprise, some are crybabies.) 😢

But first, how did you do on the previous quiz? Yayyyy! Pretty good overall! Though I have to say I was curious about your choice to have sex with an oven mitt over a human being. (Except in the case of Ronald McDonald of course!!) 🤡

OKAY, TIME FOR A NEW QUIZ! Take this week's quiz below, take our previous pop quizzes here, and come back next week for a brand spankin' new quiz! (Having a tough time answering this quiz? It's probably because you aren't getting Mercury newsletters! HINT! HINT!) Now crank up that cerebellum, because it's time to get BRAINY!

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! 

Good Morning, Portland! Once again we join you from a police perimeter. The morning news might be short today because we're monitoring the PSU library, so stayed tuned for the latest updates on this evolving situation.

IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Portland State University's campus is closed again this morning, as Portland Police Bureau announced that they had staged around the PSU library to begin "an effort to clear" it. The blocked off area is below:

The campus has been closed for two days, but the plan—as of last night had been to reopen campus today in buildings other than the library. The Mercury is on the scene and monitoring the situation.

On the scene at Portland State for @portlandmercury—where police have been making loudspeaker announcements telling the activists occupying the PSU library to leave. Police aren’t letting press close so if someone could let me into Fariborz Maseeh Hall I’d be chuffed. pic.twitter.com/SKtSx2QJKu

— Suzette Smith (@suzettesmith) May 2, 2024

Welcome to May, the homestretch of spring that brings with it a host of major local happenings, fun holidays, and chances to reap the bounties of April showers. To help guide you through all of the options, we've compiled a curated version of our top picks below—you can also browse a more comprehensive collection of this month's biggest offerings over on our May events calendar, but here, you'll just read about the things that excite us the most. Read on for options ranging from The Postal Service & Death Cab For Cutie to Miranda July, from the 3rd Annual Holi Spring Harvest Fest to the Doggie Dash, and from the Oregon AAPI Food and Wine Fest to The 9th Vanport Mosaic Festival.

COMEDY

Rip City Comedy Fest 2024
Heading to some of the city's best-loved venues this year, the Rip City Comedy Festival is an easily navigated good time—grab main stage tickets or a VIP pass and you're in for three days of laughs from nationally known comics and local faves. I recommend heading to the festival's queer comedy showcase and Stupid News Live, Julie Baker's news broadcast-eque comedy show. LINDSAY COSTELLO
Various locations (May 2–4)

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! 

GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! It's supposed to be a little warmer and drier today than it was yesterday, but I'm not going to make any promises. It's May (!) in Oregon, after all! 

What I CAN make promises about, though, is that there are some very interesting news headlines for you to peruse below. ENJOY.

1. I’m 53-year-old straight woman. I’ve been talking with a guy online for three years — text, voice, video. I am in love with him. He is my daily companion and says he loves me. He lives 269 miles away. He doesn’t want to meet me, although he isn’t married, and lives alone. I’ve tried going out with other people, but I am stuck on him. I definitely want more. Do I leave him or keep trying?

Can you leave someone you’ve never met? I’m not sure — but you can do the next best thing(s): block his number, block him on socials, block his email.

 2. I have a disgusting and embarrassing problem. I have chronic IBS, and every time my husband and I want to have PIV doggy-style, my butt smells and he loses his erection. I know: cringe. I have tried a number of things: changes to my diet; a treatment for SIBO; a colonoscopy/endoscopy; even using a bidet. Nothing has helped. The gastroenterologist proposed not having doggy-style sex, but that’s my favorite position! Please help.

You’ve tried everything — including a bidet (a sign of true desperation) — and nothing has worked. So, maybe it’s time to think outside the healthcare/health interventions box. My suggestion: get your husband a rubber hood and gas mask with a long breathing tube — hell, get his & hers full rubber gimp suits and gas masks — and your husband can fling his breathing tube over his shoulder or get a longer one that runs down to the floor. You won’t be able to have doggy-style sex spontaneously if you need to get dress in full rubber before you get started — but it’s your favorite position, so why not make it an occasion?

P.S. Insensitive response, I realize, but my way of tossing this one to the commenters. Someone out there have any relevant experience here? Any suggestions? (That said, some people do find full rubber gimp suits and gas masks hot and going on new adventures together is important, IBS or no IBS.)

Read the rest of this week's column here!

This story has been updated to note Tuesday's campus closure.

College campuses across the US are seeing sit-in style protests against the war in Gaza, and Portland is no exception.

A few hours after a rally Monday afternoon, pro-Palestinian demonstrators broke into and occupied the school’s main library. While Portland State University (PSU) officials previously refrained from calling police to disband an ongoing protest encampment, Monday night’s breach drew threats of criminal charges.

The university campus was closed Tuesday as a result of the ongoing encampment, and damage to the library the night before.

GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! We could be in for thunderstorms today, as we get pelted with rain and chilly temps. Today’s high is a chilly 53 degrees. 

We're still reeling from yesterday's Steel Bridge train derailment and bridge closure, but life moves on.

In LOCAL NEWS:

• Police called a late night press conference Monday at Central Precinct, to announce that Portland State University leadership has asked them to break up an occupation-style encampment that’s been posted up in front of the university’s main library since last Friday. PSU President Ann Cudd joined the Portland police chief, Multnomah County DA, and the mayor to condemn a library break-in and property damage at the site that took place Monday night after a peaceful rally at the South Park Blocks earlier that day.

  Hours after a Palestinian solidarity rally at Portland State University Monday afternoon, students & protesters forced entry into a school library, where an encampment has been since Friday. Police, DA & university president now say the encampment will be broken up soon. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/71FnUr5lBQ

  — Courtney Vaughn (@C__Vaughn) April 30, 2024

  Continue reading »

[UPDATE: This show has been rescheduled to January 11, 2025, so if you saw Monét in the fall, you officially saw them before they took a break from performing live. "I was so excited to go on the road and see y'all," they wrote in a note shared on social media. "I have a long and (in Jesus name) successful theater/stage/vocal career ahead of me, so for the next few weeks my doctor has ordered I take a pause on live singing." A caption to the post reads: "Delayed, but she’s still coming mama." The Mercury's editors would like to note this article is still extremely relevant to those with questions like "who is Monét X. Change?," "do they have a new single out?," and "how does this relate to ME, a Portlander?"]

In the decade since Kevin Bertin called Portland’s Alberta neighborhood their stomping grounds, life has life'd the comedian, singer, and drag artist. Originally from Brooklyn (New York, not Portland), Bertin spent time touring with Opera to Go—a program run by the Portland Opera—performing shows like The Magic Flute around Oregon in 2013-2014.

Even then, Bertin flexed their cabaret muscles as drag queen Monét X. Change on off nights—perfecting stunts that would one day gag Mother Ru, when they entered competition on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Monét didn't win on the first go, but tied for first in the All-Stars series’ fourth season. They went on to support Madonna on tour and—between countless guest star appearances—currently co-host the popular podcast Sibling Rivalry with Bob the Drag Queen.

Now, a new stage show Life Be Lifin’ is the product of Bertin condensing over twenty years of experience into a comedic, dramatic autobiography, told through song, standup, and the art of drag. The show's nationwide tour stops off at Portland's Aladdin Theater on May 1.

And it might be the last time fans can see Monét perform live for a minute.

A Union Pacific (UP) freight train derailed around 6 am Monday morning on the east end of the Steel Bridge, halting all travel across the bridge for more than four hours. While the bridge reopened to all modes of traffic after local transportation agencies conducted a safety inspection, some transportation and environmental advocates say the event should be a wake-up call about the Steel Bridge's increasing vulnerability and the risks posed by transporting oil by rail. 

According to Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R), six UP cars on a multi-modal train were involved in the derailment. One of the derailed cars ended up leaning against a bridge structural support column, raising concerns about the potential for structural damage.

PF&R Lt. Laurent Picard said the train was carrying a mix of lumber, propane and other hazardous materials, though it's unclear how much of each commodity was in the derailed cars. No injuries have been reported. 

PF&R was the first agency dispatched to the scene.

"The first thing we do is conduct a life safety assessment, to determine if there are any injuries," Picard said. "Then we want to make sure what's in the [train] cars doesn't pose any community or environmental hazards."

It's not clear what caused the derailment. 

This week is gonna be another wet one, but on the bright side, there are plenty of stellar events happening indoors. Plan your week with us with everything from 21 Savage's American Dream Tour to Ben Schwartz & Friends and from Rip City Comedy Fest to Alison Roman Gives Solicited Advice (Live).

MONDAY

LIVE MUSIC

Mannequin Pussy
You can go ahead and file Mannequin Pussy under bands I love whose name I hate (it's not out of prudishness, I promise). Besides, making the effort to overlook an off-putting band name is a telltale sign that the band is really good. The quartet originated in Philadelphia in 2010, and more than a decade later, their sound has gotten more and more refined. In my opinion, their new album I Got Heaven is their greatest accomplishment thus far with melodic post-riot grrrl riffs, cathartic lyricism, and percussion that you can feel in your bones. They will support the album alongside fellow Philly hardcore trio Soul Glo. AUDREY VANN
(Wonder Ballroom, Eliot)