DENALI Tour 11/11
on Delhi's air pollution
Artist: Portugal. The Man
John Gourley - lead, guitar
Zoe Manville - vocals, percussion
Kane Ritchotte – drums
Liv Slingerland – guitar
Dani Bell – bass
Bonnie Mcintosh - keys
Date: 11.11.2025
Location: Fox Theater, Oakland, CA, USA
Setlist: DENALI TOUR 2025
SHISH is an album that harkens back to the more traditional rock days of Portugal. The Man (PTM) before they messed around and became indie-rock darlings in the 2010s. The album is a sonic experiment that uses elements of punk, indie-rock, and metal to craft a soundscape that embodies Alaska’s (their hometown) harsh landscape and the effects of human interference on its delicate ecosystem.
I write this as if we have already crossed the “experienced this event” stage, but the fact is Delhi is still choking and will continue to choke. This is very much a “shit is getting out of hand” piece. SHISH pushes an older sound into angrier, more jaded territory. The record reflects our ability to instantly flit between emotion, a newfound power gained by constant stimulation from an infinite carousel of pixels. Of course, this is less ability and more early-stage depression but we won’t dwell on pseudoscience. The opener, Denali, contrasts Grunge-y guitar and distorted synths with John Gourley’s clear and even-keeled vocals. The lyrics describe a post-industrial earth, a world overrun by consumerism (coca cola for the honey bees is a vivid image). But Gourley is not singing from the city, he is singing from the mountains of Denali, Alaska, USA, where the air is cool and snowflakes collect on the tongue. He has sort of escaped from it all, and resides in a place free from human intervention. Or so we think, because in the Pittman Ralliers, the mountains are now burning. The earth always comes to collect. This forms the crux of SHISH’s messaging. There is no escape, no matter how far you run. Back in New Delhi, the cleaner, richer, isolated South Delhi is cloaked in the same smog as the rest of the city. The air purifiers only work until the doorstep. The schools and offices reside outside. There is rage and desperation in Gourley’s voice as he hurries down the mountain. Overdriven electric guitar over a dense bass carries the message. Angoon distils the rage of PTM into a call for action—we leave our futures behind for a shot at fixing mistakes of the past. Over a rousing hook, Fox theatre is immersed in the spirit of rebellion. Jump in the fire.
The Delhi sky hasn’t seen blue for months now. After Diwali last year, a dull grey descended over the city. In the winter, visibility is further lowered by the fog. Nature comes to collect, even if you do not have what you owe. AQI is but a mindset now. Masks are worn everywhere but it is a futile exercise—all the toxins that need to enter our lungs already have. November 2025 saw an AQI of over 450. With each breath, its citizens became chain-smokers. An AQI of 50 or under is considered ideal—a handful of Indian cities make this cut. People are angry. There is rage, but only from those that are feeling it for the first time. South Delhi is angry and so we see the streets leading to India Gate and Jantar Mantar fill up with placards containing well-intentioned English slogans.
Fox theatre is decorated to embody the spirit of PTM. Over the years, PTM have tirelessly campaigned for you to go outside and touch grass. But, simply wanting to touch grass is not enough. You must go and actually do it. And when you do, you will find that there is no grass left to touch. The concert opens with a video montage of our world burning. We uproot grass to make way for ambitions of an autonomous society. Slash and burn until we optimize our roots away. AI optimizes for ease at the cost of peace of mind. The video is sobering, and outside, you are sold the tools to dive deeper into this crisis. The merch stalls sell you outfits for the protest and the bookstore sells you a movement to tap into. It is a bit on-the-nose. I pick up a book. I do not buy a shirt.
As SHISH progresses, you begin to see the rage of revolution distil into energy to exist. As the world begins to enshittify, the enactment of daily life itself becomes harder. Then, maintaining the same standard of routine becomes an act of resistance. There is no time to revolt when you’re too busy keeping shit together. The eponymous track serves as the midpoint, with the indie-rock production tapering out to distorted guitar as Gourley takes stock at the end of his revolution, convincing himself that he has come out of it unscathed. The world spins and continues to burn. Gourley has lost a lot to the fire. And as smoke completely covers Denali, he is left with no north star. PTM takes some time to process this, exactly one song long, before taking the plunge into living in a post-revolutionary society. There is no escaping the city, all-encompassing nebulous of power and decay. Denali is no longer habitable. Citizens stay put. As smoke gets in your skin and your eyes burn, you smile.
The first of three protests was held on November 9. Over 500 people showed up. The government was wary of the negative press that would arise from pushing back on these protests. So, they let it happen. Not without incident, though. The police first tried to shift the approved venue from India Gate to Jantar Mantar at the last minute, and when that proved unsuccessful, detained 80 protesters and filed two FIRs. The fear of being detained, and the smear campaign that comes with dissent, discouraged protesters. Only 70 people showed up for the second protest on the 19th of November. The third protest, held on the 3rd of December, also featured a similar turnout. The police did not have to intervene, and the protest at Jantar Mantar was carried out without incident. Why risk being detained in a jail and breathe the same air when you can breathe the same air from the comfort of your home. The Delhi government offers only this air, you choose where to breathe it from. But in the interest of PR, change had to be shown. After all, this protest was primarily by the middle and upper middle-class. Their access and proliferation of the internet meant that their efforts were being documented online. And so, the government promised change. Change would not come overnight though, they said. It would take time to fudge the AQI readings, a couple days at least. Somehow, this did not improve the air quality, and so, Delhi was, and still is, put in a 2020-styled quarantine. After the second protest, 70 people filed RTIs (Right to Information applications) with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and the state Environment Pollution Control Committee (EPCC) for AQI data. In the meantime, Rekha Gupta, the Chief Minister(CM) purchased 15 new air purifiers for her government office, totalling five lakhs. As of this writing, the RTIs remain unanswered.
The concert is relentless. The first act consists of the first eight tracks of SHISH in order. This is by design. The background visuals document burning and destruction as PTM plays on, hyper-focused on the music. Kokhanockers, the eighth track, contends with the numbness of survival. Gourley intones in his classic baby voice,
You can stand before the people
But the people don’t see you
Just emptiness inside a paper cup
Don’t pop the pink balloon
Until that emptiness and nothingness feels like home
It is at the end of this song when PTM first engages with the crowd. Introductions of the band members follow as the crowd stares on. The second act consists almost entirely of songs from older albums and now the crowd is really into it. Seeing songs that have soundtracked memories get recreated in real-time (with extra embellishments) is a surreal feeling. The drum solo at the end of Live in the Moment will be a core memory. Feel it Still, PTM’s biggest hit, is their least elaborate performance, almost apathetic. It is cute how they bring little kids to dance around on stage with them for the song, though. Light-hearted, but in the backdrop of SHISH, it stands in stark contrast. We sing along louder to songs that are now bigger than them, beyond what they intended for it to be. They might as well be floating instruments on stage. The pink balloon colours the world pink. We’ve closed our eyes in ecstasy. Don’t pop the pink balloon.
The government has promised to install 10000 new air purifiers in schools and will prioritize long-term planning to curb pollution. Pollution peaks in the winter because the colder, denser air traps Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 and PM10 particles. The Delhi marathon will be held on Feb 2026, the end of winter. Come March, the AQI will go down from “hazardous” to “unsafe” levels. Traffic will fill the streets by May, including the big diesel trucks that are currently banned. Emissions make up 35% of the pollution. Buses will continue to dwindle in numbers and circulation. By June, Delhi will run as before. The sky will still be covered in grey, and the sun will occasionally show itself. The tankers that roam streets spraying water at AQI filters will no longer need to do so. The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) study on causes of New Delhi’s pollution shows that 65% of it comes from neighbouring cities. Come October, political discourse will revolve around how other states are ruining the capital, depending on their political affiliation of course. Nothing matters. Delhi chokes and will continue to choke. We will stay put because we have nowhere else to go. Back in Oakland, PTM summarises the situation in the closing act. Tanana is about living life, an escapist act in a world with little hope. Living is resistance. The production is airy and dreamy, reminiscent of their Woodstock days. Father Gun is one last call to push back. PTM have made up their mind—they cannot live in this manner. If nothing matters, they might as well live life on their own terms, with their beliefs intact.
Live and die by the gun
Plant me
Bury me in the ground
Plant me
Bury me in the ground
I exit the theatre right as the encore ends. An hour later, I’m home, tucked into bed, going over notes from the concert. SHISH is prescient—it is both optimistic and jaded. In an age with no hope, just feeling that there might be something is enough. Shoutout Fox theatre—the venue had fantastic acoustics and despite hosting a sold-out show, never got claustrophobic. It also had these two cool statues on either side of the stage, and the architecture of the place added to the overall concert experience.
As of this writing, the AQI has prompted a stage four action plan, with more thorough emission checks for all vehicles. All construction will also be halted until air quality improves, and workers will be compensated for lost employment. The focus is no longer on AQI, though. The government has directed its PR machine toward convincing you that the river Yamuna is clean. Rekha Gupta demonstrated its cleanliness by performing “Chhath Puja” over the river, the lifeline of Delhi’s water supply, even as stories of a fake, filtered lake being created specifically for this purpose have begun to emerge. As of mid-2025, Yamuna had 414 litres of untreated sewage. Delhi accounts for roughly two percent of the river’s total length, it contributes about 76% of the overall pollution load. As the capital’s most visible PR problem, it is Rekha Gupta’s most pressing responsibility. This issue has received over 1000 crores of funding, but as of early 2026, continues to froth in negligence. The game now turns to covering up gross failure. Perhaps that is why they do nothing as the Delhi air turns to opaque smoke each year.