Minus The Bear at Roseland Theater

Saturday, October 4th, 2025 @ Roseland Theater in Portland, OR

Minus The Bear might be one of the most important bands of my life. They were my gateway into indie music, and I caught them every time they came to my hometown from my senior year of high school onward. When the mathy rockers announced they were throwing in the towel in 2018, I was saddened but grateful for all the years of music they had given me, plus I felt that I had seen them enough times that I felt properly sated. I ranked their discography in 2020, devoured their career-spanning live album in 2021, and truly thought that would be it.

When the band announced that not only were they coming back, but that they were touring, playing Menos El Oso in full, and releasing a 20th anniversary edition of one of my all-time favorite albums, I was over the moon. This past Saturday, I caught the band at the Portland stop of their Menos El Oso tour, playing their sophomore album in full, as well as a smattering of random hits from across their discography. It felt both very full-circle and bizarre to be there “on assignment.” If only high school Taylor could see me now.