BUMBERSHOOT 2016
Labor Day Weekend approached with a last-minute media pass granted from Bumbershoot! You apply for these things months in advance, sometimes have to include a website ranking, and samples of your work. I had a photo pass for 5 minutes, then it became a media pass the day before I left, gah! I sadly unpacked my camera equipment, but was still excited to see some great music in Seattle.
Downtown hotels, even the scary ones, were going for over $400. I opted for Air Bnb, a basement apartment way north of downtown was in my budget. The price was great, but included cats that screamed like they were on fire when they were hungry, or fighting. Blood-curdling, Halloween cat screams.
In the past, I’d spent $20 to catch a hotel shuttle into town from the Airport. This time, I chose the Light Rail, a train pass is only $3! It took a bit longer, but gave me time to study the bus system. Saturday night, the bus driver was late and mentioned that many drivers had called in sick to avoid the Bumbershoot rush home.
So, August was one of my worst months in a while. I lost my best dog friend of 16 years, and had some other disappointments at this same time. Having Boise in my rear view mirror couldn’t look better, and I made a challenge to myself to talk to many strangers on this trip.
Some drunk frat boys on the bus were saying they’d spent $80 for a cab ride from the airport. I told them there is a train, they asked in a slur, “Will it save enough money for a day of drinking?” I assured them that it would.
I watched an older man studying and highlighting his Bumbershoot schedule, and asked who he was most excited about. For him, it was Deep Sea Diver. He mentioned how he prefers NW Folklife Festival earlier in the year. A younger man riding the bus mentioned that these festivals are fun, but get a little harder to do every year as you get older. Word.
The first show after grabbing credentials, was Burlesque. There were films, theater, and comedy shows as well.
Andrew Bird
The press room was in the Bagley Wright Theater rotunda. There were cliques of professional photographers with tons of equipment and laptops. They all seemed to know each other. People were there from many different sites and publications. Seattle Times, Guitar Player, Guitar World, Mix Magazine were just a few represented. I heard people talking more in terms of image, than music. It had a kind of TMZ feel to it, people rushed to shoot the Beautiful People. In the photo pits, I only noticed 2 photographers really into the music that was going on. They only allowed 20 in at a time. My pass let me into VIP, which is close and to the side. I grabbed a few shots with my phone, but longed for my camera.
Michael Franti
It was great to see Zella Day again, I’d rushed back to catch her set after checking into my room. Franti shared his usual love. Andrew Bird still does some magical looping. The energy of Macklemore was amazing. He had many dancers and costume changes. He said, “I really miss Seattle. That smelll of mold in the morning when you open your car door?” The crowd loved it. Some Seahawks players later joined him on stage. Blind Boys of Alabama were legendary. Margo Price represented country. Melanie Martinez popped out of a creepy dollhouse, much to the delight of her fans. People were tripping out when they noticed the Billy Idol show projected into the huge water fountain. Death Cab was the finale.
Melanie Martinez
One columnist asked his intern to finish writing his article, stating that his program wouldn’t let him list more than one byline. I wondered if this is true, or he was just taking credit for all the stories she was about to insert in his blog? He said not to cover everybody, whispered, “Radiation City sucked!” She quickly agreed, and said, “Such a terrible name, too.”
The press room was so great to have for band interviews. They did not have green rooms, so everyone would try and find a quiet spot. I grabbed some time with the Madrid group, Hinds, and also Bishop Briggs. Hinds admitted to being hung over, and lit up when I said we loved them at Treefort. “They treat us SO well! Why are so many people here from Boise? We are seeing them everywhere.” It was fun to watch big artists come and go, while I typed notes and charged my phone.
Billy Freaking Idol
Barns Courtney
Bishop Briggs will be in Boise in October, one of the openers for Kaleo. I can’t say enough about this artist, her voice, and energy. She had hundreds of people bouncing with her, most of her show was airborne. You can feel her passion in her music, and people literally seemed stunned and blown away when her short set was done.
Security varied on how they reacted to a media pass. There always seem to be two kinds, the ones who get what you’re trying to do and want to help, and the ones who don’t want to be there and like saying no, because they can. The first couple of days were great, a volunteer named Colleen was so sweet and let me fall into line behind the photographers for closer entry. If you want to do Bumbershoot and get the best experience, spring for the extra VIP charge. These areas were largely empty, and take you right up front with a no-wait bar.
By the final day, something had changed. I heard that people were picking up unclaimed press passes that weren’t theirs. I stood next to a young kid with a photo pass, and no camera. I kind of wanted to beat him up, because he was too busy talking and texting to even watch the music. We were offered a Dropbox link to share some stock photos, but those are not my experiences. A few of those are in the slideshow above.
The crowds were huge on Saturday, and some people actually jumped a fence to get in. This freaked security out, and created some hostility. They started using megaphones and ropes to keep people organized, and making people keep their hands in the air so they could see wristbands.
There are dozens of groups scheduled at 5 different stages. In between stages, you can find street performers of all kinds. People snacked on pizza, ethnic food, and deep-fried peanut butter sandwiches. You’ll find a constant smell ethnic fair food, and ganja. Seattle cops seemed way more chill than in Boise. They were there if needed, and stood to the side to observe. Bumbershoot has so much going on and is very spread out, be prepared for much walking. It’s great to know you can catch a bus up until nearly midnight.
Bumbershoot is a great festival, get tickets and hotel months in advance if you can. It was a fabulous time. It also gave me great appreciation for our own Treefort Festival. The Treefort app is brilliant, and the most detailed festival app I’ve encountered yet.
Have questions or comments? Email me.
