Let me just start by saying, if you've never been to Sasquatch (or seen some other show at The Gorge), you're just not going to understand how epic a venue it is. Set on a huge hill facing out into a postcard view of grandiose plateaus and a mountain surrounding a beautiful lake, The Gorge blows you away every time you look at it, all day long. Ask anyone who has been here; this isn't just my love of the outdoors talking.

Climbing over the ridge of the hill blocking the view from the rest of the stages and events, each and every Sasquatch attendee experiences the same thing: A wide-eyed and even wider-grinned breathlessness that is only ever pierced by the occasional hushed "Holy shit…"

I heard the joke made a few times throughout the day that even a shitty band couldn't help but play a great show here. Luckily nobody at Sasquatch 2010 has to test that theory, though some bands definitely stepped up their game to match their surroundings, while others fell flat trying.

Day One: Saturday

Saturday packed quite a lineup punch, with and with Broken Social Scene, Vampire Weekend, The National and My Morning Jacket playing back-to-back on the main stage, it proved difficult to find much reason to check out what else was happening for most of the night. Earlier on in the day, however, the best shows all seemed to be happening on the smallest stages, including The Middle East's fantastic but all-too-short set, and the incredibly underrated Patrick Watson winning over everyone within earshot.

On the main stage, after Brad and OK Go played for what felt like an eternity, varsity Canadian rockers Broken Social Scene really set the mood for the evening with sprawling versions of songs from their back catalogue and forthcoming album,Forgiveness Rock Record. Broken Social Scene have really brought their live show a long way since I first saw them in 2003, and it's clear they've come to feel at home on such a huge stage.

The National were next, playing a killer set of songs from Alligator, Boxer, and the fantastic newHigh Violet, including the old favorite, 'Mr. November,' of which I haven't been able to get enough for years. Frontman Matt Berninger's signature fist-pumping and seemingly barely-contained energy stirred the crowd into a frenzy, particularly during climactic set-finisher 'Fake Empire.'

Vampire Weekend's set was nearly flawless, much to the happiness of the huge mass of youngsters swarming the massive hill. Say what you want about VW's brand of indie pop, but there's no arguing their professionalism on-stage.

Saturday was filled with brilliant bands that basically all played killer shows, but all of them paled in comparison the moment My Morning Jacket kicked things off. In what turned out to be the best show of the weekend, the whole of the audience was blown away as Jim James& Co opened with the riveting 'One Big Holiday.' It wasn't until roughly an hour and a half later, after incredible renditions of 'Mahgeetah,''Golden,' 'It Beats 4 U', and a particularly amazing 'Dondante,' that the speechless crowd was able to start collecting our dropped jaws. Now THIS is what festivals should really be about.

Photography by Maomi Blackburn