Seattle Subsonic

The Good, The Mediocre, The Muddy… 2 Days At Bumbershoot

September 10th, 2009

My sore legs, swamp feet, and ears have slowly recovered from two 12 hour assaults. So, here’s a rundown of what I hate-loved at Bumbershoot last Sunday and Monday. How I got past the suck and enjoyed myself.
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Muddy SUNDAY:

I stood in some of the worst rain ever and walked across crosswalk rivers, like a music-going Jesus, to secure that I got line early for limited comedy passes. Success. (Though we all thought David Cross was performing; he was actually just doing a literary reading and that didn’t need a pass, coincidentally, most people didn’t get into that.)
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After we got the comedy tix at 11:30 AM, rain was a non-issue, we were already wet, and there was a mix of sunshine,  which seemed to show up at all the appropriate times. Maybe it kept some people away (or maybe it only kept the older people away. That would explain a lot. “OMG Its Bumbershoot! Thanks for dropping us off Mom!!”)
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I tediously predetermined most of what I would attend through sound samples and the online schedule, but (damn it) most of the plans changed based on long lines and group persuasion. Nonetheless, I found it hard to go wrong on Sunday.
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Here’s what I saw:

• Handful of Luvin’ –  Decent folk rock. No complaints. Nice start to the day.

• Cold War Kids – I  really didn’t want to associate a face with the moving vocals from the albums, but they had a great act. (One of the best male vocals of the weekend.)

• The Dusty 45’s – Caught their last song, which finished with a flaming (yes, fire) trumpet. These guys were enthusiastic enough to see more of.

• Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Karen O thoroughly energized a mid-day stadium with flamboyant outfits and a huge rock sound which swayed a sweaty crowd of teenagers. (2^nd best show I saw at the Stadium)

• U.S.E.- Never fails to get the crowd moving, even in the mud. Great show as always!

• Swollen Members – Failed to see. Followed them years ago, but the line was still 200 people long, a half hour into the hour long show. Why would you wait?

• Common Market – Took to the outdoor stage with a huge act and some performance art, but the poignant lyrics were lost amid jazzier sounds from the instruments. Still a great show, but hard to top their last CD release show @ Neumos.

• Patton Oswalt (w/guests) – The first two comedians were in your face funny. Oswalt’s comedy profited off his self-deprecating setup and length storytelling, which slowly becomes hilarious and memorable. He’s back in Seattle @ the Moore Sept 18.

• Poster show- So many different artists and so many different styles. Buying such great art for 20 bucks is a steal! (I can’t wait to hang what I bought from John Vogl)

• Raphael Saadiq- Another fantastic act on the Fischer Green stage. The whole stage of singers, dancers, musicians, and even the sound guys were in perfect  B&W suits. The old school R&B style complimented the Fall night perfectly and probably attracted a crowd, like myself, that wasn’t sure what they were getting into. Raphael Saadiq sung soft and loud for over an hour and into a long encore to close our night. His male and female accompaniment sang and danced with over-the-top brilliant enthusiasm the whole time. This performance was perfect. (Not sure what happened to his shirts though…. AWKWARD….)

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I know I missed a lot of great acts, which others can reflect on, but unlike my Monday experience; I had zero complaints. I didn’t see the later two Stadium acts and I felt ok about that. I was actually impressed that the Stadium acts I had seen earlier in the day sounded so good and had none of the usual audio problems.
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Stayed tuned for how Black Eyed Peas ruined my following day and the unexpected acts that saved it…