Day 3

Again, we took our time getting to Bumbershoot today, missing the first several hours. We arrived in time to see Langhorne Slim and the War Eagles. This bluesy folk trio put out a bigger sound than their instrumentation should allow. There were brushes on the drums, the standup bass was being bowed, and the guitar work seemed to be standard (initially). However, the songs told some amazing stories with humor that would sneak up on you (for example, the song "Mary" about having the hots for Jesus' mother). Occasionally, a quiet country tinged song would break into a full on sonic assault. This whole show was an unexpected treat.

Next, we went inside to see electronic genius Dan Deacon, who has been getting a great deal of positive attention for his legendary and unique live shows. There were far fewer people in the crowd than I would have expected, but I figured it would fill out as the show progressed.

Deacon decided that, since we were playing in the daytime, he wanted the house lights on. He stood in the middle of the floor, off the stage, with the crowd packed in tightly around him. As soon as he launched into the first song, several rows of people encircling him went crazy, jumping up and down to the aggressive electronic beats that he crafted. This went on for several songs, with his purposely distorted vocals shouted over all of the songs.

Those who were not immediately around him, though, did not seem to be affected by the energy. Daisy took several books and sat against the wall, ignoring the crowd and jumping people in the center of the room. Amazingly, Deacon sensed the distance that existed in the room and directed people to move back. Then he facilitated a competition between two sides of the room, the "triangles" on one side and the "circles" on the other. There was a dance competition and a race down the length of the room, with his music as the background. Since the room was a hall, it was impossible to see unless the action was directly in front of you. This resulted in a disappointing show for most. After trying it out for about 30 minutes, we decided to get some culture by heading over to check out the ballet.

We spent over an hour trying to figure out where it was playing, thanks to a misread map, a crowded festival, unhelpful festival staff and our own indecision. By the time we got there there were no seats, and my wife needed to nurse, which is a little challenging to do while standing.

Instead, we headed over to grab some food and get a good spot to see the Old 97's. This band is a strange one for me. When I listen to one of their albums in its entirety, their alt-country rock runs together a bit. However, as it comes up in the shuffle on the iPod, I always sing along and never get tired of hearing it.

Musically, their live show was equally unremarkable. The songs began to run together by the end of their set. Lead singer Rhett Miller, sporting blonde highlights in longish brown hair, looks a little too "Hollywood" for what is intended to be a working-class band from Austin. However, onstage, he provides the energy and charisma that really carries this band. It turned out to be a great ending to our Bumbershoot experience: a danceable band whose songs we knew well enough to sing.

It was with a heavy heart that this was our last band, since there were many other acts we wanted to see, most notably Death Cab for Cutie. However, the responsibility of being a parent kept rearing its ugly head. We talked ourselves into being OK with the three other times we had seen Death Cab. It was 8 p.m., and we needed to get the kids in bed before things took a turn for the frustrating. When I was putting Daisy to bed, I let it slip that I was sad we didn't see Death Cab for Cutie or Mike Doughty (former lead singer of Soul Coughing, and another of Daisy's favorites). She thought for a minute and said "That's OK, we can listen to their songs before bed on the ‘nigh nigh CD'" (a CD of mellow tunes we rock her to sleep with before bed each night).

Overall, this was a positive experience. We were able to provide our toddler with exciting musical memories. Since we went, she has taken note of Neko Case whenever she is mentioned. Now, when she sees a picture of the Space Needle, she talks about Bumbershoot. She will randomly (and often incorrectly) say that a song on the radio was someone that we saw at Bumbershoot. The point is, she connects recorded music with live music and is excited about future concert experiences. We saw lots of kids with their parents over the weekend, and it is exciting to think that the odds are good that someday a few of them will return to the festival as an artist, as is the case with Neko Case.

As far as my wife and I, since Bumbershoot, getting things together to go to the park or visit friends seem really simple. The logistics of keeping the kids and us happy for three days at a festival was pretty complicated, but we pulled it off. We will try and do it again next year, and I highly recommend it to any music fan. The way to make it perfect, though? Get a babysitter for the evening shows. | Tony Van Zeyl

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