Surf Mesa Concert | RSEO 2024
Once night fell the stage lit up. From the light and smoke show on stage to the crowds packing in and even the skating in the streets just outside the venue, Surf Mesa kept the energy levels high into the evening on the opening night of the first-ever Rockstar Energy Open.
“Something like this is not like my typical show: it’s outside of the kinds of festivals and venues I would normally play,” said Powell Aguirre, aka Surf Mesa, before his concert set on Friday night. “I feel honored, honestly. I feel like the special guest. One of my goals in music, and especially this year, is to blur the lines and branch outside of music by getting involved in different aspects of culture, art, modeling, fashion, sports. So to get this opportunity to play the Rockstar Energy Open felt organic and in line with that goal. It was a unique opportunity that totally manifested.”
Even though the day of competition was over there was a full roster of rockstars in the crowd. In the section carved out for athletes there were Keegan Palmer, Cory Juneau and Clay Kreiner hanging out and unwinding after the Men’s Park Semifinal a few hours earlier. There were also pro snowboarders Jill Perkins and Sam Paxwood in the crowd alongside freestyle moto man Colby Raha.
“I'm from the Northwest, I grew up in Seattle, and I love this vibe,” Aguirre said. “ I’ve always loved skateboarding, but I realize that what I’m used to seeing—someone on the street doing a kickflip or skating a local park or whatever—and being here where I'm actually watching the best skaters in the world is something else entirely.”
Surf Mesa came to PDX with intentions to get hands in the air and from every angle it was happening. The electronic mixes rooted in dance music had the people of Portland feeling the setlist until the final moments.
“Being here this week has made me realize that skating is a lot like making music,” Aguirre said. “It’s a lot of putting in time, putting in work, finding our community, developing our style, a lot of betting on ourselves, and then ultimately putting on a really good show for the fans. I really resonate with that.”