The word “Bumbershoot” is apparently defined as a combination of umbrella and parachute and in the early 1970s it was used to describe a Seattle festival that celebrated northwest arts – performing arts, visual arts, musical arts. Today the same holds true as the 2013 Bumbershoot, in its 43rd year, is already covering a vast array of music. Just in the first day of the weekend, we were able to enjoy some country, some rap and some classic indie pop with ZZ Ward, Nacho Picasso and Beat Connection.
The first day of Bumbershoot 2013 was stacked with local rap artists from the 1990s classics, The Physics, to relative newcomers like Nacho Picasso. The last time we caught Nacho Picasso it was in a small, dark club. So, the outdoor venue in the sunny summer daytime was definitely a change of pace. Accompanied again by Jarv D (who has recently been working to establish his own pretty great local reputation), Nacho rapped a celebratory set.
In the more pop direction, Beat Connection played an easy-going and danceable set. They played the “TuneIn Stage” which is set on a big lawn central to the whole festival, which gave them a big crowd of both dedicated fans and perchance walkers-by who were drawn in by their hypnotic beats. The crowd seemed a bit more enthused than this chilled out Seattle trio, but their calm demeanor was in no way indicative of any diminished energy. The group was occasionally joined by an exuberant horn section. With or without the horns, Beat Connection wove a wonderfully diverse set.
Around the same time and across the festival, ZZ Ward took Seattle Center’s Mural stage (which for all intents and Bumbershoot purposes is being called the Starbucks stage right now). She drew a significant crowd of country-lovers and passer-by’s alike. This was Ward’s second set of the day – she played a show in the exclusive KEXP lounge earlier in the day – and she seemed to thrive under the sun and in front of the crowd. The energy of her set bounced off the energy of the crowd and simply radiated.
This festival has taken over Seattle Center, home of the iconic Space Needle, and transformed it into an artistic village for this Labor Day Weekend. The weekend’s just begun and we have more acts to look forward to including The Men and FIDLAR. Color me excited!
Photos By Brigit Anderson
