Bumbershoot also has art, food, dancing, vendors of all kinds and, of course, fun stuff for all ages.  There is almost always a drum circle that starts up and lasts most of the three days.  You can walk in, pick up a drum, dance a little, and move on to the next show….  Come and go through most of the shows or just walk around and people watch.

In 1996, I was excited to see Ani DiFranco because I was just falling in love with her music and the “strong woman” music of the time.  As we watched her show, which was amazing, the sun was shining and we were surrounded by beautiful, strong and fabulous women.  We laid back in the grass, looking up where there were acrobats scaling down the Space Needle.
In the spirit of the festival, I also looked forward to seeing Sex Pistols ~ being a fashion Punk of the 90’s.  They were in one of the larger venues, but worth wading through the waves of punks young and old trying to get a view of the great band.   The music was ok ~ but not as I remember in “Sid and Nancy,” with Gary Oldman.

The bands at Bumbershoot in '96

I honestly can’t remember the rest of the bands/shows I saw that day….  But it was a wonderful weekend to be sure!  I saved all this stuff in one of my photo albums with pictures of my friends Ada, Charla and Erik ~ pretty sure they were with me that day.

I have memories of waiting for Indigo Girls the next day, Sept. 1st, but they were in one of the larger venues, and by the time the music started it was just too much, too many people, and too long a day…  I regret that now, because here, all these many years later, I still have not seen them live.  Must put that on a “to do” list.

Bumbershoot Ticket

Bumbershoot is a must do if you are ever in Seattle for Labor Day weekend.  The tickets are more and more expensive every year, but it is worth it if you love and appreciate the incredible variety of music and art!  Now, there is also the “Experience Music Project,” also pretty expensive, but if you have a day it is worth it.  And if you love the history and memorabilia of music, bands and shows ~ The EMP is the mecca.