Go to Bumbershoot

Amazing. Exhausting. Raucous (check out Monotonix…their show got stopped by security after fifteen minutes, after butt-flashing, trash-bin-throwing and much crowd-surfing…rock n’ roll!). We had gigs, theater, book-making, more gigs, posing with Little Roy, elephant ears, people gyrating on top of 15-foot poles, life drawing, poster shows and yet more gigs, and it was, all in all, the most fun you could have with your clothes on (or in the case of Israeli grunge bands, off).

My first Bumbershoot, but definitely not my last by a long shot.

I’m going on Saturday, and definitely hitting Flatstock ((Daniel Danger, you’d better be there!)). As far as music goes, I want to see Beck, Band of Horses, PWRFL Power, Fall of Troy, and possibly Neko Case. In an ideal world Beck’s set wouldn’t conflict with !!! and Nada Surf, but you can’t have everything, can you?

This’ll be my fourth year attending. I’m psyched. :]

Apparently, as a UK citizen I can’t order a 3-day Bumbershoot pass online. You have to be American or Canadian. They ‘can’t take foreign currency’, said the lady on the phone. (This is despite the fact that we managed to pre-book a gig at Neumo’s on our credit card before we went over last time. They’re a gig venue. You’re an arts festival. It can’t be rocket science.)

‘Is there some electronic way you can transfer money?’ she asks. Then it turns out they don’t take PayPal either. Oh please…

Anyway. I either have to find some way to wire them $$$, or wait till July to get my tickets from TicketMaster. What part of ‘I’m in the UK and I’m on the point of booking a vacation to go to this festival’ do they not understand?

I’m asking around my US friends (fortunately I have a few) to find a way round this, but really, I don’t feel I should have to.

Grrr. Seriously, guys, this needs fixing. We can’t possibly be the only two attendees from outside North America. Other landmasses are available.

(Sorry. Rant over. It’s late.)

....either side of Labor Day weekend. We were going to go to Seattle for the Fremont Solstice Parade, but we had a bit of a planning hiccup.

But!....we’re sorted now. Well, still have to get flights, hotel, insurance, 3-day passes, all that good stuff, but hey – we’re going.

we were there and saw michelle shocked and john lee hooker and alejandro escovedo (I think). all were great. Cool scene – but that was back in the day…

Bumbershoot is amazing. Get ther early, see everthing you can. It’s cheap, it’s fun and there’s always a cool new find. 2005 it was Marc Broussard, 2006 it was Jamie Lydell.

And it’s fun seeing people in thier Bumbershoot tshirts from 20 years ago.

Go you won’t regret it.

Oh and bring layers. The rain doesnt’ suck so much if your prepared.

l&l
PS

A great focus on hip-hop this year, but still exceptional talent showcased in other genres. I couldn’t go on Saturday due to being injured, but Mr. Jaq made the Lady Sovereign show. Sunday was an all-day thing for us, from 11:30 am until the Kanye West show (though I totally collapsed around 8 pm and spent the final hours chilling in the car). We dove back in on Monday, listening to Greil Marcus read, then Bettye LaVette, and the subdudes. We left the grounds for dinner at Roti (which is terrific for indian food, always), realized we were exhausted and, shamed by our lack of stamina, crept back to our hotel for the night, missing out on Atmosphere and A Tribe Called Quest. Still, a great great weekend – lots of music, food, fun, and time with friends and family.

On Sunday? Oh my! My my my!

I’ve been every year since 2000. We got married during the 2003 festival and gave everyone at our wedding tickets instead of having a reception. In 2005, it was exceptionally lackluster, so we considered not going in 2006. HOWEVER: Kanye West is playing, and they’ve dropped Friday so it’s only 3 days instead of 4.

After living my whole life in Seattle I finally went to Bumbershoot this year. I loved it! Its kinda expensive but so worth it. I saw a couple of my favorite bands, plus others that I didn’t know but were just really good.