Bumbershoot tips

Kellan asked if I had any tips for the rest of the Bumbershoot weekend. My response kept getting longer and longer, so I figured I might as well toss it up as a post of its own, rather than hiding it in the comment thread.

First off, some general tips and approaches I use for getting through the weekend:

I carry as little as possible, so I don’t wear myself down with a big bag or anything. Camera, wallet, a book to scribble down what I’m doing and seeing so the pictures make sense, and that’s about it.

The Bumbershoot guides published in the Seattle Weekly and the Stranger are godsends. Before each day starts, I browse through to find anything that sounds like it might be interesting, whether or not I’ve heard of the artist, and mark it on the schedule (this year I found that the Seattle Weekly’s guide has better rundowns on the acts, but the Stranger’s single-sheet 4-page schedule is easier to keep in my pocket). Then, when I’m wandering around, I just see what I’ve marked off, and randomly choose one for whatever time it is to check out. If I like them, great, if they don’t quite hold my interest, then there’s plenty of other choices.

Don’t be afraid to deviate from your plan, though. There’s so much good stuff out there that it’s impossible to see it all, so you shouldn’t stress about missing an act — and there’s likely to be something worth seeing that you wouldn’t have picked up on just from reading about it. Not being a big reggae fan, I never would have planned to stop by Jumbalassy yesterday, but hearing them as I walked by sucked me right in.

Take the time to just wander around and explore all the nooks and crannies. I almost completely missed the Jazz stage yesterday — it’s up some stairs, kind of tucked away in a corner. I keep forgetting how big Seattle Center is, and how easy it is to lose bits and pieces of it when you’re focusing on getting from a specific point A to point B. Follow your nose. :)

Don’t forget to peoplewatch! This goes beyond just trying to navigate through the crowds — see who all is around you, pay attention to them, keep an ear out on what they’re saying. I’ve discovered some good shows that I might have missed just by hearing some random stranger get all excited about whatever band they’re heading off to see. A small crowd of people gathered somewhere might be nothing more than a momentary traffic jam, but it might also be a street performer worth watching — I discovered one of my favorite local artists this way the first year I was at Bumbershoot. Saw a crowd and decided to see what was up, ended up picking up a couple CDs and have been a fan ever since.

And most importantly — have fun! Enjoy the music and the sun, browse through the craft booths, go play in the fountain, or wade in the pool. We’re blessed with a huge festival with a ton of things to do on a gorgeous weekend — don’t let it go to waste!

Now, for a quick list in no particular order of acts that I’m looking forward to trying to catch. Obviously I won’t catch them all, I’ll probably end up seeing quite a few people not on this list, and my tastes may not completely jibe with anyone else’s, but here’s where I’m starting from:

Saturday: Solmon Burke, Macy Gray, Rhythm and Blues tribute (Bonnie Raitt, Maxi Priest, Shemekia Copeland and more), Planet Beat Sound System, Dusty 45s, Blind Boys of Alabama, The Catheters, The Dandy Warhols.

Sunday: Black Eyed Peas, De La Soul, Cold, Evanescence, Chuck Prophet, American Hi-Fi.

Monday: Leftover Salmon, Nickel Creek, R.E.M., Daniel Lanois, Carissa’s Wierd, The New Pornographers, DJ Donald Glaude.