Despite rumors earlier this year of Bumbershoot shutting down due to financial issues within its production company, OneReel, the festival will go on thanks to a new partnership with the City of Seattle and ShowBox Presents/AEG Live… And the lineup looks terrific. The most popular musical groups and performers include The Weeknd, Chance the Rapper, Jhene Aiko, and Flying Lotus on Saturday, Faith No More on Sunday, and Ellie Goulding, Hozier, Big Data, and Bassnectar on Monday.
SEE YOU GUYS TOMORROW! ☝ pic.twitter.com/VLinkj89dZ
— Bumbershoot Arts & Music Festival (@_BUMBERSHOOT_) September 4, 2015
As usual, Bumbershoot is also hosting many local artists as well as less known artists gaining popularity around the country. Wandering around the Seattle Center without specific artists in mind can be surprisingly valuable, so come equipped with an open mind.
This coming week’s rain should end just in time for the festival. Tickets can be purchased on the Bumbershoot website and will be increasing in price as the event approaches.
Conor Courtney’s Hot Picks
The Weeknd
The Weeknd, the stage name of the Toronto singer Abel Tesfaye, is the headlining act on Saturday and, honestly, the overall headliner for Bumbershoot. Tesfaye was once a mysterious internet presence, but his three mixtapes (later combined into The Trilogy) crafted from the themes of his drug-addled nights with partying and sex, all with soaring falsetto melodies, atmospheric, minimal background instrumentation, and one great “Dirty Diana” cover, brought him a large underground following. More recently, The Weeknd’s experimental, dark, and forward-thinking R&B has catapulted him into the mainstream. He recently held the top 3 spots on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs chart, the first artist ever to do so. He released his second studio album, Beauty Behind the Madness, on August 28th. Imagine a mix of Prince’s provocative subjects, Michael Jackson’s timeless voice, and R. Kelly’s unabashed lyrics and you get The Beauty Behind the Madness. What’s not to love? The expectations are high for the Weeknd’s showcase at Bumbershoot, but be confident that he’ll deliver.
Chance the Rapper
Chance’s most recent album, Surf, developed with The Social Experiment, was released on iTunes for free. Taking the top spot in the Chicago rap scene (aside from his own idol, Kanye West), his lyrics are fun (“Your Grandma ain’t my Grandma”), soul-searching (“Everybody’s somebody’s everything”), and profess self-love. Imagine a happier Kendrick Lamar and you get Chance the Rapper. Expect an energetic, action packed show with a killer cover of the Arthur theme song (The PBS show we all grew up watching), a blaring horn section, and a band leader whose charisma and charm will win over the entire crowd.
Hi! Do you realize that there are only 5 stages now, when in the past we had 9? And 2 stages, the large, indoor venues, have fewer shows than the 3 outdoor stages. Also, shows start now at 1:30 PM instead of 11 AM. do you realize how many less shows that adds up to? Five venues starting at 1:30 PM instead of nine starting at 11 AM.
There are two art exhibits in the Visual Arts pavilion instead of the normal number. There are a relative handful of food booths this year, in an out-of-the-way location east of the Armory. Gone are many, many arts and crafts booths. The indie craft mart is completely gone, with no explanation.
I wonder if we are talking about the same Bumbershoot? I went yesterday and was appalled. I saw black fences everywhere, beergardens everywhere, fewer stages, fewer bands and less art.