Perhaps due to my lack of prior research, or maybe it was the little argument that wife and I got into, but the first half of this day was pretty lackluster. She went ahead and saw Andrew Bird at KEXP's "secret location," while I sat home waiting for Daisy to finish a much-needed nap. I arrived in time to check out the last couple songs of....

Joss Stone | Main Stage

Entertaining. Crazy to hear the voice of a 300-pound black woman come out of a 20-year-old white British woman. That's really all I have to say.

We wanted to experiment and wandered over to see....

Ohmega Watts | Esurance Stage

...where we ate some corn and met up with some friends. There was some socially conscious hippity hop in the background for a few minutes, but it was over by the time we were ready to pay attention. We debated going to see John Legend, but we wanted to see something we didn't know, so we headed over to....

Allison Moorer | Starbucks Stage

...only to realize we wandered over to exactly what we were afraid of running into - a female folkie! She toyed with making disparaging comments about Bush, which is far from revolutionary in left-leaning Seattle. We happened to be sitting near these two cantankerous graybeard guys who yelled at her to "just sing," while Daisy and her toddler friend appeared to annoy these two guys further by being a little too close to their space.

Meanwhile, a mysterious beeping seemed to come from our general area, prompting one of the security guys to ask the graybeards if they had cell phones; they both reacted a little aggressively to the question. One of them muttered for minutes afterward about how annoying the "infernal contraptions" are, and that he doesn't even carry "one of those damn things." Amusing now, but at the time, we just needed to get the children away...quickly and quietly.

Side comment #3: Washington State Liquor Board breaks up families

Probably for legitimate reasons regarding logistics and safety, drinking is only allowed in beer gardens. However, if you want to have a beer and see a band, you can't bring your kid into the beer garden. When you are at a festival all day long, it is nice to have a beer and see some music; it is all part of the relaxation for many people, it is not about getting crazy drunk. Unless you were one of the dotcom millionaires, you wouldn't really want to shell out $6 for a beer anyhow. Washington is a very annoying state when it comes to drinking. Being from Chicago and St. Louis, I just don't understand the bug that the Northwest has up its butt about drinking. Periodically, one of us would have to stay outside the beer garden with our daughter while the other would go into it with a friend, or alone, and down a beer. Hello, wristbands, people!!

Viva Voce | Sound Transit Stage

This attractive Portland-based husband/wife team plays an eclectic mix of tunes ranging from indie punk to downbeat electronica. There is something fascinating about watching two people create a big noise. I have been circling this band for a while, but different circumstances have made it impossible for me to see their live show -- so I was really excited to finally see them. The first half of their set tended toward mellow, and then things picked up a bit. Just what you would expect from a band that goes all over the map with their sound.

Lyrics Born | Esurance Stage

This was one of the people who I have been excited about seeing for months. Apparently, I wasn't alone. The crowd went crazy, pumping their hands in the air and waving them around like they just didn't care throughout the set for this hip-hopper who lives to have a party and send a message at the same time. His wife/backup singer worked the crowd from his side, and the tight backing band laid the funk down over his rhymes. LB chatted with the crowd and razzed them here and there. I'll admit, I do tend to get a little annoyed when a hip-hop artist keeps saying "Where my people at?!" or something like that; I'm usually like, "Um, still here, dancing and putting my hands in the air..." However, for some people it really seems to work; the crowd responds and it doesn't get annoying. LB makes it work on every level.

Soulive | Esurance Stage

I have a friend (give it up for Seth Hayden!) who literally got in my face when I said I was only considering checking these guys out—he is that passionate about this jazz/funk band with their soulful and rocking jams. He is not alone; throughout the set, people shouted "SOULIVE" as often as you would see devil horns at an Ozzy show.  

I have heard some of their album music, and I kind of wrote them off as an above-average jam band (I was on the jambandwagon in the mid '90s, but then tired of it). They started their set as an instrumental trio—drums, guitar and keys. Musically flawless. The most expressive was the keyboard player (Neal Evans), shimmying a little in his musical reverie. The drummer (Alan Evans) was very cool with his shades, motionless except for his arms and legs. Guitar player Eric Krasno was on his own planet, communicating with the band and through a guitar satellite. He made some incredible facial contortions as the notes resonated in his bones.

Soon, Toussaint joined them onstage on lead vocals. He's a Boston-based reggae singer, but you wouldn't know that from hearing him, except that he had dreads. He riled up the crowd into jamalicious frenzy as darkness fell on Bumbershoot. My friend Seth, along with many of the true fans in the crowd, was literally shaking with excitement at the end of the show.

Steve Earle | Starbucks Stage

This guy has gone all over the map with his albums. Bluegrass, country, rock—each album is pretty different, but always good. I was interested to see what he would be doing live.

He was proving that you only need a guitar and harmonica to communicate with music. Just one guy on the stage doing his thing. He was generally pretty mellow with the part of the show that I saw, and he was not talking too much—which was a little surprising, since he is known for his left-leaning politics, past drug addiction and prison term (I love to hear good stories). However, it didn't really matter. Talent is talent regardless of how you dress it up. His songs were mesmerizing and the big crowd was quiet while he plucked, strummed and blew on his harmonica...

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists | Sound Transit Stage

A few years back, I saw these guys play at one of the indoor stages at Bumbershoot. I had heard that this live show is a force to be reckoned with since then, and I had listened to their music a ton more, too. These guys played in front of a fairly small crowd to close out Bumbershoot (many people were "Entering the Wu," watching Wu Tang close it out). There were some knuckleheads in the crowd, too: stupid teenagers who didn't seem to get it, and a dumb guy who kept yelling things in between songs.

Ted took it all in stride and laughed it off. After someone threw a bread crust onstage, he commented, "This is the weirdest show I have ever played, and I don't necessarily mean that as a compliment." He joked with the new bass player who joked with the photographers (there were only three of them). I think he fired and re-hired the bass player a couple times during the show, too.

Leo and his band put out an incredible intensity with their punky power-pop. They jumped around while Ted attacked his guitar and mic with flawless professionalism. My favorite part of the show was during "Little Dawn," which he dedicated to Seattle, the Emerald City, they threw in a mash up of sorts. At the end of the song, they worked in "Emerald City" from the Seattle-based disco/electronica band called United States of Electronica. I didn't notice anyone react to the changeup; it seemed like people were like, "Oh cool, he is talking about Seattle," rather than, "HA! Cool curveball, Ted!"

I wasn't sure if he was messing with the crowd, being ironic, or serious...which makes it even better.

BUMBERSHOOT SUMMARY

Total: 28 shows attended

Overall Favorite: Gogol Bordello

Most Surprisingly Entertaining: The Apples in Stereo, Zap Mama

Most Like Listening to Album Loudly: The Shins

Majority of Crowd Dancing: Gogol Bordello, Zap Mama, Soulive, Lyrics Born

Biggest Departure From Recorded Material: Andrew Bird

Disappointed I Missed: Avett Brothers, John Legend, Wu Tang Clan, My Brightest Diamond, The Holmes Brothers

Glad I Missed: Panic! at the Disco, Fergie

Wish I Had Skipped: Gym Class Heroes, Allison Moorer | Tony Van Zeyl

Photos by Lorie Betelyoun