Bumbershoot 2010 photograph slideshow by Natasha Davidson

Bumbershoot 2010, Day 3

Monday September 6th

For two days prior, Bumbershoot’s offerings were a blur. Exhibits, comedy, theatre, film, artwork, and of course music… Trying to get your bearings and explore everything was a task in itself. Something pointless to complain about.

As the Labor Day Monday began, entering the venue and observing carnival like performances on top of the opening lawn area, despite the mists of rain you couldn’t help but feel intrigued as to the day’s music performances.

Our first experience was Seattle’s BOAT annihilating their set in the EMP. They noted that the length of their performance was longer than their typical set, but despite some minor technical adjustments with the equipment, the group managed to continue on in style, with luminous light schemes flooding their stage.

The Whigs took over the Center Stage in the early afternoon, rain drizzling the crowds that stood before them. I had the good fortune of watching the set behind the hundreds alongside the beer garden. Which was where the fun commenced…

Asking one of the Budweiser drinkers what the damage would be if I were to go in there and get myself a beer, he noticed my accent and offered to buy me a drink. I’m not used to being offered drinks from other men, but after being convinced by my girlfriend to go ahead because it was free, I went on in. Little did I know that this man that’d offered me a drink was in fact a gang member complete with stereotypical tattooed hands, stories which he found amusing about how his brother had casually lopped off his now immovable finger (but had gotten him back to hospital with enough time for it to be sewn back on and of course) and how his son who’d had a scholarship to study music at the EMP was now incarcerated. I don’t think I should have asked what his son was up to now… Needless to say as The Whigs set continued on, we humoured the drunken criminal and made our excuses to go check out the KEXP performance by The Thermals.

The gang member, which lets call him “Dave,” insisted we take down his number. Politely we did so and managed to avoid him from there on end.

The Broad Stage remained strong and consistent with Meat Puppets and Surfer Blood both putting on stellar shows. Surfer Blood seemed a little on the fence with the crowd as they dabbled in performing unheard material, ignoring what their audience may have wanted. They did supply what was on demand, just not before they had exposed people to their newer music.

Booker T came out to the Starbucks stage to perform some classics as the night drew on. It seemed that the older soul demographic was well catered to at that stage on the grounds. Complete with his band, including his talented saxophone player, Booker T glazed over his hits and even performed his own version of “Ain’t No Sunshine.”

The State Farm Stage played host to Angelique Kidjo. Kidjo showcased her signature sweet soulful voice, dancing in a uniquely beautiful jittering fashion with her limbs taking a life of their own.

The Monday was definitely rap and rn’b's day with the mainstage playing host to Jay-Z’s protege J. Cole, Toronto’s musical monster Drake and the one and only Mary J. Blige.

J. Cole, despite not having an album out yet (rap’s new trend is generate a huge buzz with mixtapes and hundreds of guest verses then finally put out an album) got top billing. His audience was significant and although most of his material people had only head by downloading it, the lyrics had their fans with some songs like “Who Dat?” being recited word for word. His stage presence and crowd command showed a lot of promise for future shows. Signed to Jay-Z, he’s definitely in good company.

Drake came on early, much to many fan’s excitement. Festivals typically have people showing up on time, but oddly not in this case. The singer/rapper was 15 minutes prior to his announced start time. His set was performed smoothly, and clearly Drake knows how to engage crowd participation. However, my issue came in the confusion between being suave and vulgar. His romantic and sexual songs, which were soft spoken and sweet sometimes came in between excessive cursing before the songs began.

Mary J. Blige was definitely the third day’s highlight though. Having been listening to her since the early 90′s, finally watching her live was fantastic. Not to be offensive, but the way that woman moves and sings at her age is unbelievable. Mary moves with such pace and dances with such passion that it’s no surprise in between songs you could hear her gasp. The thousands that watched were taken aback as Miss Blige performed her many hits from “Real Love” to “No More Drama,” “I’m Goin’ Down” to “Family Affair.” The night’s worst and heaviest rain came during her set, but it didn’t matter. She surpassed how well she sounds on her records alongside adoring fans who joined her song’s every word.

The English Beat wrapped up Bumbershoot in a perculiar, but fan way. The group, which is quite racially diverse, has a middle aged white English front man speaking in a clear British accent but sings and ad-libs in a rastafarian tongue, even throwing out phrases like, “Rude boy.” Puzzling to see, but great to listen to and enjoy. The group definitely finished the festival on a high note.

As my first Bumbershoot, 40 years into the festival, I’m looking forward to next year. Thus far, it’s the most enjoyable and hard to absorb (based on the sheer amount of culture and music) three day showcase I’ve attended.

Bumbershoot 2010, Seattle, Washington

September 4th, 2010

It is impossible to see all that Bumbershoot has to offer. Point blank. Now this is both a great and awful problem. With so many pieces of art on display, hundreds of food and market stalls, comedy stages, film showcases and several stages of concerts (usually with four going or more occurring simultaneously), it just isn’t reasonable to believe you can view everything. And so, you prioritize.

You take a look at the schedule of performances and highlight who you cannot avoid seeing, who you’re interested in and who you can reluctantly go without watching perform. The task is actually harder than you’d expect to narrow down.

The MVRemix agenda for Bumbershoot began with Plants and Animals performing at the Broad Street stage. The group performed to a covered lawn ranging in viewer’s ages. The audience was half stood and half seated as they saw what the emerging group had to offer. Plants and Animals belted out “New Kind Of Love” and “I Want To Dance” so for those unfamiliar with their material, the names were noted.

HEALTH came up next on the Center Square Stage, and after a clearly frustrating sound check for the lead singer at their scheduled time the group’s set kicked off. The Los Angeles band mesmerized the audience, especially a group of teenagers who couldn’t control their head banging, seeming constricted by the “no-moshing” signage. Of course the group had to perform “Triceratops” and “Die Slow.” The stage was located opposite a female trapeze artist riding on a trapeze beneath a female motorcycle rider along a wire. Quite an entertaining display.

Atlas Sound performed later in the afternoon on the Broad Stage. Pushing his vocal chords to the limits and appearing a little intimidated to his audience, the thin man performed his melancholy songs. A huge crowd by the sat watching beneath the view of the Seattle Space Needle with the age old outdoor festival ignorance as people seated on blankets or just spread out on the grass extended their fingers enough to be stood upon and “accidentally” crushed. Clever. Definitely a wise move when thousands are constantly moving.

KEXP put on a special Raveonettes performance that we were lucky enough to attend as the Danish group performed in a small hall live on the radio. It was entertaining to view the KEXP DJ’s getting into the group’s set and the girls’ passion for the music they were selecting beforehand to air.

The State Farm stage was consistently crowded with an eclectic range of performers and an audience that included many middle aged hippies. The Budos Band had a great clique of them swaying, as did the extremely engaging and energetic Balkan Beat Box’ set. The grass was almost eclipsed by dancers whilst both groups performed, and this was definitely the case later in the night when Ozomatli’s Latin Hip Hop fused energy took over.

The 1 Reel Film Festival was also a sight which you had to try and take in. MVRemix caught Love, Marriage and More, a collection of short films on that subject matter. “Dear Roommate” kicked off the short films, a tale about opposite sex roommate rivalry. It was followed by “Fancy,” an unspectacular and short dance number film and then the awkward “Non-Love Song,” a suggestive black and white film about a friendship that to one friend meant quite a lot more than to the other.

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros stole the festival as far as I’m concerned. The group took the stage about ten minutes late, but from the second they entered, the crowd (which went on further than the eye could see) were mesmerized. The band’s energy and performance was phenomenal. Lead singer Alex Ebert began the set by jumping into the front of the crowd to sing. He then proceeded to sit at the front and almost serenade the audience with his material. But the man couldn’t stay still, from seated, to running and dancing, the group’s passion was extremely strong. One of the most impressive portions of the set was the fact that Alex had to ask how long they had left to perform, suggesting the setlist wasn’t set in stone. I’d seen them perform earlier and the group seemed quite adaptable and ready to perform any of their songs on request.

With the sun set and the first day wrapping, we aimed to watch Bob Dylan’s mainstage performance. As the sold out area waited for the rock legend to emerge, line ups formed to get in. We were unable to pass a section because apparently [Bob] Dylan was walking around the area. The delay, which made the VIP and press entrances remove all pavement visibility (the lines went back quite far) shows Dylan’s celebrity power. What he says goes. Personally, I’m not a huge Bob Dylan fan, but seeing the old man perform his hits was fantastic. The crowd didn’t seem overly responsive though.

Unlike most people’s Bumbershoot experience, I managed to be fortunate enough to find an acquaintance being dragged out of Bob Dylan’s set. A paramedic under one arm, and someone I assumed was his friend under the other, he was brought outside of the Mainstage area. Now, believing that this was his friend accompanying him, I asked the guy what had happened. He laughed, and quipped “Od’ed on LSD.” He then proceeded to use his iPhone to take a couple of photos of my inebriated acquaintance before the paramedic placed him against a tree. The next hour would involve trying to get this person that I’d only been introduced to in passing earlier in the day home to safety.

It’s hard to believe that this has been a 40 year running tradition in Seattle, but after experiencing the first day, it’s clear why. Onto Bumbershoot Day 2!

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT WWW.MONOLITHFESTIVAL.COM

MONOLITH FESTIVAL presented by Esurance returns to Red Rocks Amphitheatre on September 12th and 13th with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs headlining Saturday night, and The Mars Volta topping the bill on Sunday. The festival debuted in 2007 as the first multi-day, multi-stage festival ever held at Red Rocks – Colorado’s beloved outdoor venue. Monolith was instantly adopted as an indie fan favorite and a staple of the summer festival season.

Each year, MONOLITH hand picks a line-up consisting of fan requests, indie favorites and blog darlings. This year’s line-up, revealed one-band-at-a-time over the past several weeks via Twitter and Facebook, has already generated plenty of buzz. We are thrilled to unveil the line-up in its entirety, which includes everyone’s favorite art-punk trio the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and progressive rockers The Mars Volta! Joining the 2009 headliners is a deep and diverse roster including Girl Talk, Of Montreal, M. Ward, The Walkmen, Phoenix, DOOM, The Thermals, Health, Ida Maria, WALE, Passion Pit, The Dandy Warhols and many, many more. A complete list of confirmed acts is included below, with additional artists still to be announced. Visit www.monolithfestival.com for ongoing updates.

2009 Monolith Festival VIP Kick-Off Party Announced: Monolith will host two kick-off parties in Denver on September 11. Events will be held at adjacent venues, The Gothic Theater and Moes BBQ. Performing artists include The Cool Kids, Chromeo (DJ), Hot Tub, Boyhollow and more. Kick-Off Party is open to VIP Ticketholders, media and winners of the Southern Comfort ticket promotion.

MONOLITH fills a niche in Colorado’s already vibrant indie music scene, even within a seemingly saturated U.S. festival market. With five stages and premium facility amenities, MONOLITH builds on the natural splendor of Red Rocks and has quickly become a requisite for festival goers and indie hipsters. As Billboard Magazine reviewed, “The outrageously beautiful Red Rocks has been screaming out for an underground/indie-style music festival for many years. Thanks to the tireless work of an elite group of Colorado scenesters, the dream is now a reality.”

Tickets on sale now at www.monolithfestival.com.

Single Day tickets are on sale now for $52 (until August 14)

2-day Passes are on sale now for $95 (until August 14)

VIP Passes are on sale now for $210 (until august 14)

For those looking to enhance their MONOLITH experience, MONOLITH will offer upgraded VIP packages which include premium festival amenities such as reserved soundboard seating, VIP parking, kick-off and after-party access, festival T-shirt and more. Visit www.monolithfestival.com for details.

Complete confirmed lineup below, with other acts still to be announced:

Saturday, September 12

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Girl Talk

Of Montreal

M. Ward

DOOM

The Walkmen

OK Go

Ida Maria

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Frightened Rabbit

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down

Hollywood Holt + Million $ Mano

Starf*cker

Thunderheist

Woodhands

These United States

Cymbals Eat Guitars

The Antlers

Cotton Jones

Gregory Alan Isakov

Lydia

Generationals

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

The Answering Machine

Roadside Graves

Danielle Ate the Sandwich

Speakeasy Tiger

Autovaughn

Avi Buffalo

Wendy Darling

Boulder Acoustic Society

Caitlin Rose

Sunday, September 13

The Mars Volta

MSTRKRFT

Method Man & Redman

Phoenix

The Dandy Warhols

Chromeo

The Glitch Mob

Passion Pit

WALE

The Thermals

Harlem Shakes

Monotonix

The Grates

HEALTH

Deer Tick

The Twilight Sad

The Features

Spindrift

Savoy

Bad Veins

We Were Promised Jetpacks

Beats Antique

Tigercity

French Horn Rebellion

The Pirate Signal

Neon Indian

The Knew

A Shoreline Dream

The Royal Bangs

Red Wire Black Wire

Jim McTurnan & the Kids That Killed the Man

Rachel Goodrich

2009 MONOLITH partners are Esurance, Southern Comfort, Southwest Airlines, Madeloud.com, and Jakprints.

MONOLITH is produced by Monolith Festivals, LLC