Star Theater, Portland: The cat is the real boss

The morning started at the airport, picking up the rest of my band. Then straight to fuel at one of my favorite bikini espresso bars. It was raining, so we stood there with our hoods up, but the coffee was great and extra hot. Worth it.

At the venue we met a special resident: a cat with a little black mustache. It could not have cared less about us. This is its home territory, after all. I’m pretty sure the cat is the real boss here.

I love the colors at the Star Theater, all red and black. The backstage bathroom deserves its own review: six steps up to the throne, and the whole thing lit red.

Right before our set, I stepped out into the courtyard to snap a few photos.

Portland, you were a vibe.

THE ROOM

The Star opened in May 1911 as the Princess Theatre, a 300-seat silent-movie house run by the Saxe Amusement Company, and one of the first picture shows downtown built to the city's new fire codes. In 1939 it became the Star and turned to burlesque; Tempest Storm danced here.

Later came adult films, a stretch as storage while filmmaker Gus Van Sant owned the building, a short-lived nightclub that police and the OLCC shut down in 2009, and a free-speech case, City of Portland v. Tidyman, that went to the Oregon Supreme Court. For its 100th birthday in 2011 it was restored as a live venue. The old projection room is now a balcony and bar, and the room holds about 500.

NEXT

Seattle, El Corazon, the next night. Then Spokane, Salt Lake City, Denver, Grand Junction, Albuquerque, Phoenix, and Las Vegas. Dates and tickets are on the tour page.