Seraphina Lotkhamnga on January 19th, 2012

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“Because we are all here, we are the best people,” Kyle MacLachlan assured the audience at the Echoplex on Monday night. Of course, he wasn’t saying it as himself but rather as the mayor on the popular sketch comedy TV show, “Portlandia.” And his elitist tone dripped with comic irony, the kind that has made the IFC show starring Saturday Night Live’s Fred Armisen and Wild Flag’s Carrie Brownstein – initially a cult favorite with music fans – a big hit.

The Portlandia Tour show originally evolved from all the radio promotion they were doing for the second season. But how exactly was this going to be translated live and on stage? The answer involved two mics, a large screen and some instruments.

Although Armisen and Brownstein were initially nervous about booking a venue only to find out it was seat-less (which prompted the venue to place folding chairs down the middle of the floor), their insecurities dissolved once their first bit about contrasting text messages yielded an eruption of laughter. (Armisen revealed that a blank message was the highest form of sincerity.)

Their previews and new clips were also a hit. If you were a fan of the band who only got gigs in an acupuncture office during the first season, you’ll be sure to find nothing but ridiculous humor in their sketch titled “Catnapped” which stars a new furry friend and one of Armisen’s co-SNL actors. (Her name rhymes with Tristen Bigg.) In-the-flesh guest appearances by MacLachlan and Kumail Nanjiani also won the crowd over (with Nanajani taking on the role of an irritating rental car salesman this time who had the audacity to ask “Who are you talking to, sir? when Armisen broke the fourth wall).

But what really got the audience going was their clip for “Dream of the 1890s,” which was played right after the two did a live performance of “Dream of the ”˜90s.” Portland’s hipster sensibility may be the butt of all of their jokes on the show, but it was obvious Los Angeles also influenced the show, since both cities are generally undeniably obsessed with being healthy and trendy. In fact, when Brownstein “arrived” toward the end of the song, she had somehow donned a scarf and a beanie – which made Armisen reply with “You’re also a little Echo Park right now.”

The music didn’t stop there either. Rebecca Cole (of Wild Flag and the Minders) and Michael Benjamin Lerner (of Telekinesis) also joined them on stage for songs with quirky titles such as “The Saga of Jewelry Making.” The star-studded lineup even closed out the show by bringing out Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles for covers of “Sunday Morning” and “Manic Monday.”

But before playing “Song for Portland,” the Q&A portion of the show granted us what many of us wanted to hear. When asked if the Sleater-Kinney reunion would become a reality rather than a just possibility, Brownstein simply answered with “It will happen,” which brought cheers from the audience.

Photo by Debi Del Grande