Seattle Washington’s staple music festival, Bumbershoot, comes to a close. On the final festival day of labor day weekend, the sun was shining and it was a perfect day everyone could enjoy. From the young rising pop act of Carlie Hanson to the stunning SZA, the acts closing out the festival was nothing short of incredible.
Beyond the Stage Magazine’s Issue 23 cover stars, Lovelytheband, brought out the largest crowd for a mid-day set at their stage (link here to Beyond the Stage’s issue). Coming off a recent release of their debut album, finding it hard to smile, the band was excited to play a majority of their songs to the Seattle crowd. They’re sets are always full of life and authenticity, and a band that clearly enjoys playing music and has fun onstage. Their energy is contagious, and the Seattle audience loved every second of it.
Whatever technical difficulties that were occurring during the second day were fixed, for the most part. The third largest stage, Bumbershoot’s Mural Amphitheatre, had some acts slightly delayed. This didn’t bother the artists or fans at all, however. Fans gathered and patiently waited sitting on the lawn for Sasha Sloan, and remained seated and entranced while Sloan performed. Tinashe caused everyone to forget there even was a delay. Her backup dances took the stage first, and through an incredibly high energy set she stormed the stage playing hits new and old. Olivia O’Brien had some tech issues on her stage as well, but made the best of it. Through smiles and giggles, she stalled for time as she waited for the crew behind her to resolve her interrupted set. All weekend Bumbershoot has surprisingly had the most tame and patient attendees. That is, until the final act of the day came on. That is when Bumbershoot festival goers let it all out.
The highlight of the night, and possibly the entire festival, was SZA’s performance. Though her time in the music scene has been short, seeing the artist perform live makes sense of the buzz around her. SZA takes Ctrl (sorry) of not only the stage and surroundings, but of the entire festival. At a festival where J. Cole was thought to be the most desired act to see, SZA blew all expectations and prior thoughts away. Fans arrived the moment the doors were opened, and stayed at the main stage grounds all day to ensure a spot up front for their idol. SZA is an idol and queen to her fanbase and many of the pop and R&B music scenes. She is loved and adored by her fans, and the ability to turn anyone in her audience that wasn’t already a fan into one. Her unique and booming voice carries through the Seattle Center beautifully, and her charming persona and stage presence strikes awe in her audience. Combined with her vulnerable and raw lyrics, she truly is an authentic artist that has become a voice of today’s music generation.
The photos and review for Day One of Bumbershoot can be found here, and that of Day Two of Bumbershoot can be found here.
For information about Bumbershoot, visit their website.
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