Despite Snafus Bumbershoot 2019 Festival Delivers A Fun Labor Day

Despite Snafus, Bumbershoot 2019 Delivers Another Fun Labor Day Festival – Recap

The Bumbershoot 2019 festival has come and gone and overall, we can’t issue a true complaint. This festival is undeniably a part of Seattle’s fabric and to not acknowledge it would be a crime. With the weather stereotypically toeing the line between perfectly sunny and potentially rainy, Seattle Center came to life this past weekend.

Let’s just get this out of the way. Did a barrier fall over during Jai Wolf’s set? Yes. Were there a few people banged up? Yeah, but nothing close to life-threatening. Did most of the festival attendees have a curfew? Probably, the median age looked to be about 17. Was Bumbershoot still awesome? Of course it was—it’s a staple of Seattle that has almost been around for fifty years.

B-Eats Food Court

Waiting in long lines for food sucks, especially when the food is whack and overpriced. However, the B-Eats tent above the Fisher Green stage remedied this dilemma by letting some of the best chefs in the city hold down the grills. I found this to give a good look behind the curtain at what makes kitchen work fun. This mostly consists of roasting your co-workers and talking shit to help make the long hours fly by.

Whether I was waiting for food or eating it, listening to everyone talking ample shit to each other about long waits for potatoes or to fellow cooks was everything. It was obvious how a little gleeful verbal abuse between friends can snuff out the tension created from thousands of hungry festival-goers. I often found myself walking by this tent hoping to hear a funny jab or quip even if I wasn’t trying to get something to eat.

H.E.R.

Of all the headlining acts at Bumbershoot 2019, H.E.R. put on an especially mesmerizing performance. In the realm of singer/songwriters, there aren’t many left in the mainstream that are playing multiple instruments. H.E.R. had the guitar in hand on multiple occasions melting faces, or plucking along to her smash hit with Daniel Caesar, “Best Part.” She also went over to some drum pads at various points. In short, H.E.R. displayed a truly professional level of musicianship that left an indelible impression on me.

i///u

i///u is the neo-soul outfit comprized of some seven young cats that bring nothing but vibes. This is the group that rang in a resounding victory at this year’s Sound Off! Their set at MoPop was filled with what was obviously true fans of the group. The crowd was whooping and hollering as each member took turns soloing, often switching instruments. The vocalist took turns pouring out her soul to shred the flute or even tenor saxophone. As this was my first time catching a set from i///u, I will surely be back again. These kids have a bright future.

Sol Runs Seattle

Sol came on to the Fisher Green stage with a serious presence at this year’s Bumbershoot 2019 festival. With a full band, and even back-up dancers he worked the crowd up into a complete frenzy. Between Laza coming up to cameo, Sol riding an inflatable raft on top of the audience, and Otieno Terry’s beautiful voice, this set was a reminder.

Despite Snafus Bumbershoot 2019 Festival Delivers A Fun Labor Day

It reminded me how much Sol has given to the Seattle hip-hop scene, and how much he continues to purvey that same love and positive energy. He played through cuts old and new, and I even caught myself singing along to a few of his hits I ran up heavily in high school.

Electronic Helpings

I don’t want to attend any music festival that doesn’t include a healthy dose of electronic music. Bumbershoot brought the wobbles and the bass to a few different quadrants of the Seattle Center. USC’s silent disco took over the Chihuly glass garden Friday and Saturday, but the real ravers saved their strength for Sunday when a host of electronic acts like Manatee Commune, Jai Wolf, Louis The Child and Rezz closed out the festival with bass ridden farewells.

Rezz closed down the festival with a haunted drum and bass electronica that mesmerized me from the jump. Her signature hypnotizing glasses pulling you in while the trippy visuals, melodic spooky sounds, and distorted bass make it sound like the Glitch Mob was trapped in a horror movie. The Cult of Rezz is very real, consider me a member. Beam me up Space Mom and let’s do that again as soon as possible.

*Festival recap co-written by Collin Lee Johnson

Bumbershoot 2019 Festival Photo Gallery