Crowd at the Bumbershoot Main Stage

We arrived a little bit late on Sunday morning so we weren’t able to get a spot anywhere near the stage, so we decided to take a break and sit in the stands where there was plenty of shade. Being outside in the sun all day Saturday had worn me out quite a bit. I would have liked to be closer but it was a decent trade off being able to sit for a show. :D

The New Pornographers (Main Stage)

I’d been wanting to see The New Pornographers for a long time. Their energetic, catchy indie pop has caused me to put their albums on repeat on numerous occasions (“July Jones” and “The Bones of an Idol” are really high on my most-played list) so this was a real treat. I’ve been kicking myself for a year now because they played a CD release show at Sonic Boom Records in Ballard when Twin Cinema came out and I was too sick to go. ;_; In any case, they were really great and satisfied me by playing all my beloved favorites (including the two previously mentioned.) They had a different girl (Kathryn Calder?) singing in place of Neko Case, who I’m sure is far too busy promoting her solo work to tour with TNP at the moment. Her voice was about the same quality and strength as Neko’s but she didn’t have the right amount of stamina. During “Mass Romantic” she attempted to hit and hold a note (“This street turns ooooooooonnnnn”) that gets repeated three times in the song and only nailed it on the third attempt. The crowd was pretty forgiving as everyone was pretty aware that it’s well-nigh impossible to hold a candle to Ms. Case. Carl Newman sang up a storm and by the end was completely drenched in sweat. We were pretty far back but it was really clear that he was dripping. :D

Spoon (Main Stage)

Spoon played the Main Stage after The New Pornographers and by this time the crowd was just massive. I didn’t go to any of the later shows at the Main Stage but I can only imagine how insane they must have been considering the lines I saw outside. I heard lots of people were actually selling their passes to the Kanye West show even though they didn’t pay for them originally (the demand was that high!) Spoon played a rocking set, and I was happy to hear “I Turn My Camera On” which is about the only song of theirs I like a lot. During one of the songs, they had David Cross come out to perform a “sign language interpretation for the hard-of-hearing.” This amounted to him running around, doing pushups, falling off the stage, climbing back up, and mooning the audience. A guy I talked to later said he was right up front when he revealed his crack and it wasn’t pretty. I spent most of the time watching the other people walk around; after all, being in a crowded atmosphere like that is ideal for people-watching. It’s a curious show when the concert attendees are on par with the performers for interest. :D I was really sleepy by this time so I confess I drifted through Spoon in a bit of a haze.

I grabbed a Starbucks latte after Spoon. Okay, “grabbed” is not the right descriptor. More like stood in line for a half hour. It was okay (not a fan of Starbucks, but I needed caffeine in a pretty bad way) and we sat on a hill to listen to Matt Costa. I hadn’t heard of him so I wasn’t all that interested in fighting my way up to a position where I could see (so thus, no photos) but the music was nice.

Mates of State (Backyard)

I got up pretty close to see Mates of State at the Backyard Stage, which by this point I was very familiar with and I knew just about where I needed to stand to be able to see, and luckily there was a section of stage right where there was only short people! Score! I was really keen on seeing MOS as I’d heard their interview after their live in-studio performance on KEXP back in February and was really impressed by their sincerity and love of music. They seemed like really down-to-earth people and I was happy to discover they are a married couple. They play so well off each other and create such stunningly energetic music with only a keyboard/synthesizer and drums. The sound is so full. Apparently they had been on a plane with Ice Cube on the way over so they made a bunch of jokes about that. They also capitalized on a growing theme of the festival by seguing into their own version of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” during their song “Like U Crazy.” Heh. Brilliant show.

Zero 7 (Backyard)

It’s really difficult to decide which band I was most excited about seeing but I think I’m safe to say it was Zero 7. Their music has been very special to me as they are one of the bands Jules introduced me to a few years ago and their music reminds me so much of being near him. Their new album, The Garden, is very special to me because it not only features the much-adored vocalist Sia Furler but also Swedish musician José González. Ever since I heard the first tracks of Sia’s “Colour the Small One” and José González’s “Veneer”, I’ve been in love with them both as solo artists (outside of Zero 7) so when I discovered they’d both be performing with Zero 7 I was thrilled beyond belief! This was the show I absolutely had to be near the front for no matter what, so I got up to stage right, which was the only opening I could squeeze into. People were pressing in so closely almost immediately so I nearly lost my place. I fought for it for an hour but in the end I let the girl next to me fill in the first row and I stepped back so I could see a bit better. My feet were completely boxed into place so I had no room to move or adjust position. Oh well! I heard it was so packed that people were climbing the sculptures to get a better view! (Not that I could see over people’s heads, so I can’t confirm!)

Zero 7 featuring Sia (Backyard)

Sia was so incredibly cute and charming and easily captivated the whole crowd. She danced around energetically whenever she wasn’t singing; she looked like she was having the time of her life! Her vocals were stunning and caused many loud cheers from the audience. I was so glad they did “Destiny” as that is one of the best showcases of her talent, not to mention being a crowd favorite.

Zero 7 featuring José González (Backyard)

José González was seated directly in front of me, so I got a terrific view of him while he was on stage. He’d just performed a solo set which I missed due to Mates of State, who were on at the same time, so it was awesome that he was willing to do a second performance. They let him sit for his bit, so that was a bit easier on him I’m sure. His gentle vocals and soothing acoustic guitar charmed the audience and after his last song people cheered for him to come back on.

I’d say this was probably the most excited and sincere audience I’ve ever been part of. People were there to enjoy the music and it really showed. During the instrumental sections the musicians got their groove on, busting out some funky moves as they turned what are normally 30 second segments into five minutes or more. Everyone on stage was clearly having a blast.

The best part of the show was the encore. Sia came back out and announced she had a special guest with her to dance during the solo portion of “Somersault.” It was Matt of wherethehellismatt.com, the Seattle programmer who quit his job to travel the world and dance in as many locations as possible. If you haven’t seen his video compilation, you must. It is really charming and actually gave me goosebumps while I watched it!

I took this video of him dancing, because I knew I had to share it with anyone who had seen his compilation video. What an incredible opportunity for him, to dance on stage with an internationally renowned band! He seemed a little nervous up there as he sat in the same seat José González had just vacated, waiting for his chance to do a little dance! The crowd loved him, and it seemed like many people there were familiar with him, which isn’t too unusual considering this is his home town when he’s not trekking all over the known world!

Other images of interest from the day: A guy in a toga watching the Spoon concert and a really, really happy hippy waving gauze scarves.

What an incredible, amazing weekend of music! Bumbershoot 2006. I managed to see no fewer than 13 acts in those three days, which makes the admission price of $50 well worth every penny! I did my best to get as close to the stage as possible for each show so I could get a good view, which meant rushing to the stage before the previous act cleared off and standing in place for up to an hour and a half just to save my spot. My poor, poor feet took a beating over the weekend, but it was so worth it. And now you can enjoy the photos I was able to get with my craptacular camera! :D

The Lonely Forest (EMP Skychurch)

The first act I saw was The Lonely Forest, playing in the EMP Skychurch. They were the winners of the EMP Sound Off for underage bands this year, and they’re pretty impressive for a group of young guys. A buddy I met on craigslist works with this band, and he’d previously invited me out to see them perform at the Sunset Tavern in Ballard, so I was already pretty familiar with their music. They were far more composed and prepared this time, and the setting was really ethereal, which made it seem more dramatic this time around. The space was rather enclosed so I had to break out the ear plugs, but this was the only band that warranted it (as all the others were outside.)

Halou (Backyard)

I was really excited to see Halou, a group out of San Francisco. I’d missed them the last time they were in Seattle a few months ago and was really bummed about that. The sound was fantastic and they did a wonderful job recreating the quality of the sound on their album. Lead vocalist Rebecca Coseboom was beautiful and full of smiles. She seemed really appreciative for the audience. The day was incredibly bright and sunny, so the atmosphere sort of clashed with the moody, lounge-like sound of their music. It was a bit of a shame they couldn’t have been in a smaller, more intimate venue in the evening, as that would definitely have enhanced their performance, but nevertheless they were absolutely amazing.

Rogue Wave (Backyard)

I was quite delighted to get rather close to Rogue Wave this time, as the previous time I’d seen them (at Sasquatch) I was what seemed like miles away and the only way I could tell it was really them up there was by watching the huge screens! Zach was really bright and full of energy and played all my favorites, so I was very pleased. It was amazing to watch the band members change roles; on certain songs the drummer would change places with the guitarist. Multi-instrumentalist musicians really impress me. :D

Of Montreal (Backyard)

Prior to this performance I was only vaguely familar with Of Montreal’s music, so I didn’t have any expectations going into the show. This was one of the few I didn’t push my way up to the front for, and boy did I regret it as soon as I saw the performers! I was really far back and because I’m so short, the only way I could see anything was to raise my camera up over my head and take a photo. A friend next to me asked if the guitarist was wearing an orange jumper and red boots and I was able to confirm it! :D With the exception of the bassist, the men were all dressed as women and the female wore pants. Very amusing. Lead singer Kevin Barnes ended up changing clothes no fewer than four times (maybe more?!) and ended up in some white pants with a giant hole in the left thigh which gradually got larger as the show went on. He had such incredible energy in his performance, and he emanated this effeminate yet masculine aura that worked in his favor. I was simply blown away by the performance, but it wasn’t until their encore when they played a cover of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” that they’d won my heart. Hilarious! :D

Badly Drawn Boy (Backyard)

As Of Montreal was on their encore, my friends and I headed down towards the front of the stage so we could get close for Badly Drawn Boy. We ended up on the far left side of the stage where it was basically at armpit level for me so I could rest my arms on the stage. Damon was never satisfied with the sound mix and asked the sound guy to adjust it to different levels on at least three occasions and even restarted a tune when it wasn’t to his liking. He was pretty casual about the whole thing and lit up a cigarette between just about every song for a puff or two before he began again. He’s a rather charming bloke with a lovely accent, which I found quite delightful. He did a signing afterwards, so my friends and I waited in line and got his autograph. After I shook his hand he kissed it, then gave me a really sloppy, wet kiss on the cheek as I left. My buddy took a photo of me with Damon, and we called it a night.

I giggled with delight as I walked away, totally exhausted and sore, yet riding the adrenaline wave from the excitement of the day. A perfect opening day to a fantastic festival.

Other things I captured throughout the day include the Utilikilts booth. The guys working were really friendly and outgoing and this guy even posed for me without me even needing to ask. :D This dancing hippy hung out at the Backyard Stage most of the day and danced himself into a sweat. He was nearly as entertaining to watch as the musicians, and often inspired other people to get up there and shake it with him. Seattle music crowds are a rather stiff bunch, mostly just head bobbing and the like, so someone who lets loose like that really stands out. The Backyard Stage had a fantastic view of the Space Needle, so close that I had to lay down on the ground to get that much of it in the shot! I was pretty surprised to see plenty of people bringing their dogs to the concerts. I would imagine that dogs would go crazy with that amount of noise assaulting their sensitive ears, but for the most part they all seemed really docile.

Steve Irwin killed by stingray

This is a pretty tragic way to go, but far more appropriate for Mr. Irwin than dying peacefully at home in bed. You will be missed, Steve, you insane but charming bloke.

Foo Fighters frontman to go drinking with trapped miners

American rock star Dave Grohl says he’ll make good on his promise to go for beer with two Australian miners who listened to the Foo Fighters while trapped underground for two weeks.

If I didn’t already think Dave Grohl was the coolest dude in rock n’ roll, this would be the clincher.