Bumbershoot

This past weekend I spent two days at the Seattle music festival called Bumbershoot. It was fantastic, the weather was wonderful both days and the music was great.
August 30:
First day of Bumbershoot, arrived around 2/2:30ish just in time to get my bearings and head over to the Starbucks stage to catch Seattle musician Ian Moore. Recently I've started listening to more mellow music and Ian Moore was a perfect example of that. It was a perfect mix of rock and soft guitar. After the show I made a quick stop to let him know I was a fan...it was my first time ever hearing him.


Next was some wandering before a meet and greet with Anti-Flag, who as it turned out are not only a great band but really nice people. We talked for a bit and joked about the election and the candidates and had a little bonding over our home state of Pennsylvania. I got asked if I was amish after telling them where in PA I was born....Next was a set by The Walkmen. Today was my day to discover new music. I had only heard a clip from them on iTunes, so I decided to check it out. I wasn't dissapointed. After that it was off to see Anti-Flag perform and of course they didn't dissapoint. I don't think they know how to put on a bad show. Chris got everyone to throw up the peace sign and had everyone singing along "so loud that the mother-fucker Beck can hear you" (Beck's set at the mainstage started during Anti-Flag). Their set even contained a cover of "I Fought The Law."

Instead of following the crowd to the mainstage for Beck I wandered back over to the Starbucks Stage to see Nada Surf. A wonderful set with the Space Needle in the background behind the stage and a brief conversation with the band after the show provided a wonderful close to the evening.

Sept. 1:
Final day of the festival, second day for me. Started out with back to back mainstage performances by Paramore and The Offpspring. Which had a strange kind of contrast. The scene newbees Paramore put on a great show but it struck me as odd. It was only 2 years ago that I was seeing this band open for other bands at small clubs. Now they are playing for hundreds of people on a huge stage. Their performance was followed by "punk-rock" veterans The Offspring, a band which I have been listening to for years. The never seem to want to quit. Age was not slowing the band down, singer Dexter Holland's voice sounded as good as ever. To my excitement the set contained a good number of older songs and as the set concluded the band encouraged as many crowd surfers as possible to "break the record of 999."



After both sets there was a few hours of downtime before the mainstage opened back up for Death Cab for Cutie. I used this time to explore everything else at the festival I hadn't seen on Saturday. This included spending far too much money on a new pair of sunglasses and a new purse. Then I headed back over to the Starbucks stage (which in addition to having really good music all weekend, seemed to be my default if I didn't know where else to go). I heard the last half set from X Levitiation Cult who were quite good too. Then I decided instead of coninuing to wander I would stake my claim to a decent spot for Death Cab. Somehow I ended up being lucky enough to be right on the front barricade on the left when the crowd finally stood up. I was stoked. I've never seen DCFC live and I got a perfect spot. The "opening" band was Superchunk who no one had ever heard before. No joke the conversations before the show were "so what does superchunk sound like?", "who is superchunk?" After being told the name reminded someone of vomit I was aprehensive to see the band. Luckily they were good and provided good entertainment before the final act of the night.

Finally it was time for the final act....Death Cab For Cutie. The stadium was packed and everyone was antipicating a good show. They certainly didn't dissapoint. The set consisted of songs off "Narrow Stairs" including "No Sunlight" and "I Will Possess Your Heart." It would be really hard to imagine a more perfect ending to a weekend Seattle festival than a thousands of Seattle-ites gather to see a local band.


Thus concludes Summer 2008.....one for the history books....or at least my personal history book.