Bumbershoot 2016
Seattle Center // Seattle, WA // September 2-4, 2016
Review & photos by Rachael Dowd
The annual Bumbershoot Music Festival in Seattle, Washington, took place over Labor Day Weekend and festivalgoers got the opportunity to experience great performances from musicians, dancers, comedians and more and also snack on a wide variety of food from local vendors.
Night one proved to be the most popular night of the weekend. When gates opened at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, the Seattle Center was flooded with people as they took their positions in front of the numerous stages that were set up for the weekend. Friday’s festival lineup included a variety of acts across all different genres including three of the most talked about musicians of the day – Fetty Wap, Tyler The Creator, and Halsey.
While the rain held off for most of the day, festival attendees flocked to the Key Arena in the evening to see Fetty Wap and escape the rain. Entertaining nearly seventeen thousand people, Fetty Wap took the stage, singing a number of hits including “Trap Queen,” which Fetty Wap played with Taylor Swift earlier this summer at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.
Over at Memorial Stadium, Tyler, The Creator brought one of the most energy-filled performances of the weekend. Opening up with “What The Fuck Right Now,” fans ran into the stadium, filling up nearly the entire floor by the end of his performance. Playing hits including “Tron Cat,” “48”, and “Tamale,” Tyler shared that he was unsure what the turnout for his set would be, but was surprised by how energetic and into the set fans were from start to finish.
Halsey, one of the most talked about acts of the weekend, entranced the thousands of people who showed up for her evening set at Memorial Stadium. Opening up with “Gasoline,” she performed twelve songs, covering almost all of the material from her latest album, Badlands. Singing “Closer,” a Chainsmokers track that she’s featured on, she teased about bringing them out onstage, causing a circus to ensue in the crowd before she began laughing, saying it was all a joke.
Closing with “New Americana” and “Colors,” two songs that received the loudest response from the crowd, pink and blue confetti shot out into the audience as the last few notes of “Colors” hit, allowing Halsey’s set to end on a high note.
As the weather began to take a turn for the better over Labor Day Weekend, festivalgoers were treated to a number of great performances on Saturday. On the Fisher Green stage, indie band The Front Bottoms performed in front of a loyal audience who had been waiting some time to see them. While technical difficulties caused their set time to be delayed, they managed to play a number of hits including “Au Revoir (Adios),” “Twin Size Mattress,” and “Swimming Pool,” receiving an incredibly warm response from those watching.
One of the most talked about performances of Bumbershoot this year came from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. Playing a hefty two hour set to their hometown crowd, they closed out Memorial Stadium with songs such as “Ten Thousand Hours,” “Thrift Shop” and “Same Love.” With a two hour set, it was clear that Macklemore & Ryan Lewis had a few surprises up their sleeves. To prove that Macklemore is, in fact, the King of Seattle, he brought out the 2016 Seattle Seahawks team during “Can’t Hold Us,” causing mass hysteria throughout the whole stadium. Featuring appearances from G-Eazy and Eric Nally, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’s performance was nothing short of spectacular, ending the night with bursting fireworks to the tune of James Brown’s “I Feel Good.”
Even though Sunday was the last day of the festival, the lineup was still strong and people were still carrying on as the weekend was coming to an end. The Pink Slips, a grunge rock band from Los Angeles, played on the Fisher Green stage, offering several guitar heavy tracks accompanied by the vocals of Grace McKagan, a frontwoman who captivated the crowd the second the band appeared onstage. With messy blonde locks and a voice fit for grunge music, McKagan had a Courtney Love-like quality that allowed the band to fit right in with the Seattle crowd.
Melanie Martinez entertained Memorial Stadium with a theatrical performance equipped with baby cribs and all. Playing tracks such as “Cry Baby,” “Dollhouse,” “Pity Party” and “Soap,” loyal fans hugged the barricade in Melanie Martinez merch as they sang every word to her songs. Martinez’s unique style and captivating presence on stage made for one of the most captivating performances of the day.
Following Melanie Martinez at Memorial Stadium that day was G-Eazy, who played to a rowdy audience of mainly young adults while spraying water into the crowd and even getting down into the photo pit to say hello to those enjoying the performance at the barricade. One of the most electrifying moments of his performance came with “FDT,” a track he is featured on with rapper YG that, well, basically calls out everything that is wrong with Donald Trump.
Tame Impala followed with nothing sort of a magical performance that featured twelve songs. Opening with “Nangs” and “Let It Happen,” the band sounded as good live as they do on their recorded tracks; their stage lighting and the overall feel of their set satisfying the crowd that night.
Over at the Key Arena, rapper Logic greeted eager fans who had been waiting all day for his set. Reminding each and every person in the crowd that night of his motto – peace, love and positivity – Logic brought a refreshing performance with tracks such as “I Am The Greatest” and “Wrist,” allowing him to stand out from many of other rappers performing over the festival weekend.
Closing out the main stage was Death Cab For Cutie, another Seattle-grown group of musicians. “Marching Bands of Manhattan” opened up their set, reminding fans in the crowd of why they fell in love with Death Cab in the first place. The audience was treated to nineteen songs from Death Cab that night including favorites such as “I Will Follow You Into The Dark,” “Soul Meets Body” and “Crooked Teeth.” Showing true musicianship and recreating the sounds that are featured on the albums we love, Death Cab For Cutie will always have a place at Bumbershoot and in the hearts of so many Seattleites. Ending their set with the emotional “Transatlanticism,” there was no better way to end the weekend than with a band who got their start in that very city so long ago.
Bumbershoot offers a diverse and eclectic variety of music and entertainment every year. From rappers to DJs, songbirds to rock bands, Bumbershoot has a little bit of everything. As long as the weather holds up in rainy Seattle, you can guarantee an endless supply of music, booze and food every time you show up to Bumbershoot.
