Bumbershoot, Day 2
Much shorter line for Spoon than Blondie. Actually, it was more of a swiftly moving stream than a line, so I got into Memorial Stadium just a couple minutes after reaching the queueing area. I hadn't realized just quite how gigantic the mainstage was, but apparently Kanye claimed 23,000 for his show last night. Not quite that full for Spoon, but still an impressive crowd for an indie rock show.
They played everything I wanted to hear, but confirmed that for some reason I always enjoy the band at a slight remove. It could be because they rely on a more lean, spare sound and I tend to only truly adore rock bands with a full, enveloping sound. But there are enough exceptions to that rule for me to be dubious. Anyhow, I'm very happy I got to see Spoon, especially in such a grand setting.
After that I wandered around trying to avoid the crowds for a while. Eventually I found myself at the Northwest Court Lounge for Vashti Bunyan. This sucked, mostly because the performance was very quiet, almost at a whisper-like level, being played outdoors in an area full of activity. I attempted to focus my attention for about half an hour and wound up leaving to see the start of Synthclub.
The EMP Skychurch is simply stunning. I'd read the description (70 ft. ceilings, 48,000 watt soundsystem, etc.), but didn't quite grasp just how awesome the space is. The space is ovoid, spread wide and not very deep, which keeps everyone closer to the stage. They've got "clouds" at maybe 40 ft, off which the lights bounced impressively. There's also an absolutely gigantic videoscreen maybe 10-20 ft. behind the performers, which was used to especially good effect during Deadbeat's set. Even during Synthclub, when the space was fairly packed, it didn't feel cramped because attention was focused upward and not near crowd-level. Maybe it wouldn't feel as right for a rock show, but it's thrilling for electronic music.
Synthclub basically did a wide-ranging house set, with Reggie Watts on vocals, joined by three other local guys on various synths. I'd only previously seen Watts at the Capitol Hill Block Party, where he did some bizarre MCing, but here he was a great magnanimous presence who really seemed to unite the crowd. In fact, it would have been a great introductory sort of show for anybody who's put off by the lack of personality onstage at most house and techno shows.
Lusine was pretty good, though I took a break outside in the middle of his set, so I can't assess it as masterfully as the other two. The cool thing about this set was that I actually took in about 15 minutes of it from outside, since there was a big videoboard outside simulcasting a feed of the stage with speakers, and just enough bass was bleeding through to complete the experience. That meant I got to observe the carnival rides for a while, which was fun.
Deadbeat played a very wide-ranging dub set, with all kinds of techno beats, along with dancehall, reggae, and other things as well. He probably made the best use of the sound system, in the sense that I not only liked the music, but enjoyed the physical vibrations as well. The visuals were great and he kept things moving swiftly through the entire set, which was nice, though I imagine that might indulge a little bit more when playing on a night that doesn't end at 11. I may have enjoyed the Thermals a little more, but I'm definitely happiest that I saw this.
They played everything I wanted to hear, but confirmed that for some reason I always enjoy the band at a slight remove. It could be because they rely on a more lean, spare sound and I tend to only truly adore rock bands with a full, enveloping sound. But there are enough exceptions to that rule for me to be dubious. Anyhow, I'm very happy I got to see Spoon, especially in such a grand setting.
After that I wandered around trying to avoid the crowds for a while. Eventually I found myself at the Northwest Court Lounge for Vashti Bunyan. This sucked, mostly because the performance was very quiet, almost at a whisper-like level, being played outdoors in an area full of activity. I attempted to focus my attention for about half an hour and wound up leaving to see the start of Synthclub.
The EMP Skychurch is simply stunning. I'd read the description (70 ft. ceilings, 48,000 watt soundsystem, etc.), but didn't quite grasp just how awesome the space is. The space is ovoid, spread wide and not very deep, which keeps everyone closer to the stage. They've got "clouds" at maybe 40 ft, off which the lights bounced impressively. There's also an absolutely gigantic videoscreen maybe 10-20 ft. behind the performers, which was used to especially good effect during Deadbeat's set. Even during Synthclub, when the space was fairly packed, it didn't feel cramped because attention was focused upward and not near crowd-level. Maybe it wouldn't feel as right for a rock show, but it's thrilling for electronic music.
Synthclub basically did a wide-ranging house set, with Reggie Watts on vocals, joined by three other local guys on various synths. I'd only previously seen Watts at the Capitol Hill Block Party, where he did some bizarre MCing, but here he was a great magnanimous presence who really seemed to unite the crowd. In fact, it would have been a great introductory sort of show for anybody who's put off by the lack of personality onstage at most house and techno shows.
Lusine was pretty good, though I took a break outside in the middle of his set, so I can't assess it as masterfully as the other two. The cool thing about this set was that I actually took in about 15 minutes of it from outside, since there was a big videoboard outside simulcasting a feed of the stage with speakers, and just enough bass was bleeding through to complete the experience. That meant I got to observe the carnival rides for a while, which was fun.
Deadbeat played a very wide-ranging dub set, with all kinds of techno beats, along with dancehall, reggae, and other things as well. He probably made the best use of the sound system, in the sense that I not only liked the music, but enjoyed the physical vibrations as well. The visuals were great and he kept things moving swiftly through the entire set, which was nice, though I imagine that might indulge a little bit more when playing on a night that doesn't end at 11. I may have enjoyed the Thermals a little more, but I'm definitely happiest that I saw this.
Labels: Music
Posted on Monday, September 04, 2006
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