After a delayed lineup reveal, a bill distinctively light on heavy-hitting talent (compared to years past), a decline in attendance balanced with a noticeably young crowd, a steel barricade collapse, and several cancelled sets later, Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival somehow survived and flourished through adversity for its home town so fond of live music.
Seattle has long been recognized for its diversity and involvement in the live music scene, making Bumbershoot one of the most revered music festivals in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Labor Day weekend in Seattle belongs to Bumbershoot, as the festival has long been known to bring world-class acts for these three weekend days over the national holiday. Mix that in with a diverse lineup spanning across multiple genres and music tastes, concert goers of all ages assemble under the Space Needle once a year to enjoy a weekend of music, arts, and entertainment.
2019’s installment was no breeze, for organizers or the fans, as the festival was faced with several artist cancellations, most noticeably Seattle fan-favorite Lizzo, and ended up with its name across national news headlines, all for the wrong reasons; Electronic artist Jai Wolf’s set only lasted a couple minutes before the overflow of young fans caused a barricade collapse and also multiple injuries.
Friday night belonged to the one and only Tyler, the Creator. Providing the most anticipated and easily the best performance of the weekend, eager fans were treated to his headlining slot being the first performance off his 2019 IGOR Tour. Grammy award-winning H.E.R. dazzled on the main stage Saturday, fresh off her release of her 2019 album “I Used to Know Her” hitting the public just the day prior. The overwhelmingly young crowds were gifted on Sunday, as the final day of the festival wrapped up with an EDM-heavy schedule on the main stage, starting with Jai Wolf’s rescheduled set, followed by Louis the Child and REZZ.
After witnessing this year’s highs and lows, we’re only left with more intrigue to see how AEG or Bumbershoot respond, to bounce back in 2020 and make Seattle’s Labor Day weekend one to look forward to.
Photos and words by Javier Plascencia for Pursuit Of Dopeness.
