On the heels of their highly-acclaimed album and the success of “Feel It Still,” Portugal. The Man has been on what seems like an endless worldwide tour — with dates currently confirmed through mid-October. While we definitely intend on catching their set at Coachella this year, we had to check out their sold-out show at The Anthem in DC first. From the opening notes of their cover of Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” to the closing notes of their track “Holy Roller [Hallelujah]” the band ripped through 19 songs, including two Beatles covers, and weaved seamlessly through the new album and 2013s Evil Friends. We were also excited to get “Feel It Still” as a mid-show surprise and not as the obvious encore.

As we heard the familiar opening riff of the track, and the crowd’s sudden uproar of cheers, we wondered what it meant for the band to have such a huge track coming out of their 8th album. For starters, they’re playing larger sold-out venues and have piqued the interest of many first-time listeners, but we can’t help but believe the band will easily and effortlessly move on from this phase when they are ready. New fans still intact. Their high-energy shows are worth seeing more than once, and whether they attempt to replicate Woodstock/FIS magic on the next album will be interesting to see. We hope they don’t, but then again most great bands like Portugal. The Man doesn’t want or need to either.

See our photos of Portugal. The Man at The Anthem