I love Yoshitomo Nara! I'm so feeling this.

Last night I read some reviews of Bumbershoot online, and apparently Emily and I are the only ones who had a good time. Everyone else griped about the lines, crowds, crappy food, music line-ups, and not getting to see who they wanted to see. I was surprised. Except for Jose Gonzalez's show running off schedule, I saw everything I had planned to, and comfortably. Maybe the fact that the bands on my list played at outdoor venues made it easier, so no lines and usually a nice grassy place to sit, but we didn't even wait in line to see the indoor comedy show. We had plenty of time to get from one place to another, so I always felt really relaxed, not frantic. In fact, when we stayed at the same stage for a couple of bands, the gap in between performances seemed too long (an hour and half break was excessive), but we used that time to grab a bite to eat, or have a coffee/drink, or read.

There was only a brief period on Sunday when making our way through the crowds from one stage to another got really tiring and frustrating. Also, we felt like part of a herd of very slow moving cattle when filing out of Memorial Stadium after Blondie and Spoon. But, what do people expect? This is a big festival. You know this kind of stuff is part of the deal when you sign on to go. For the most part, it was great. I was a little disappointed by the booths. Nothing unique, and multiple places selling duplicate stuff, but it's not like I went there to shop. The one observation someone made that I noticed, too, was that there were few people in our age group (late 20's to mid-30's) around. We were constantly surrounded by teenagers, and there was definitely an older crowd present, but the people we saw within our age range were usually members of a band or something. That was bizarre.

Now that Bumbershoot is over, you may think that finally I am music-ed out and will take a nice little break. Well, you are wrong! My concert calendar over the next couple of months is filling up rapidly. So far, the line-up includes:

*Updated*

Mountain Con
The Village Green
Joseph Arthur
Silversun Pickups (loving them!)
Band of Horses
Transmissionary Six (maybe)
Can't forget Oktoberfest (Aqueduct and others) & Audioasis

I know there are a couple more that I'm forgetting, but don't worry. I'll keep you posted. I often wonder if/when I'll get tired of going to shows. I talk about it with my friends and all that, but I don't see it happening any time soon. Just so you know.