The Best of Bumbershoot: Monday
Our top picks in music, arts, and culture for the Labor Day weekend fest.
Posted by: Laura Dannen on Sep 02, 2010 at 10:00AM
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Most of these events have been going all weekend, but we decided to save them for last. Here’s your must-see list for the third and final day of Bumbershoot:
Visual Art: Counterculture Comix
Ever since the early ‘80s, when Lynda Barry first gave a voice to lonely, freckled preteen girls with her comic strip Girls and Boys, Seattle’s been a hotbed of alternative comics ("comix")—and this massive retrospective pays tribute to 30 years’ worth of the city’s angsty sketches. More than 250 artworks by everyone from Barry to Jim Woodring to David Lasky are on display, all curated by Fantagraphics’ Larry Reid. 11-8, Northwest Rooms, Seattle Center. Special Friday opening noon-7.
Dance and Performance: Squonk Opera
Best to call this “performance art,” because genres don’t really apply here. Originally conceived in a Pittsburgh junkyard, Squonk Opera features musicians playing a hypnotic soundtrack (minimalist and rock) among camera jibs and cranes, as acid trip-styled projections flash in the background. It may sound insane, but it’s won over The New York Times, and I have high hopes for their latest show Mayhem and Majesty. 1-2pm, Bagley Wright Theatre, Seattle Rep.
Music: Japandroids
This Vancouver duo is nothing more than Brian King on electric guitar and David Prowse on drums, but they made it out of their garage with their unpretentious, high-energy, hard-driving rock—the kind that makes you want to pick up a guitar yourself. 5:45-6:45pm, Broad Street Stage.
Spectacle: Circus Una Motorcycle Thrill Show
Like a slice of Cirque du Soleil, Circus Una is an all-female aerialist high-wire motorcycle act. All of those things. At once. They balance, hang, extend, and spin with their giant hunk of metal way above your head in a thrilling display of poise and insanity. We’re glad there are acts like this out there, and that we’re not in them. 1, 2:45, 4:30, 6:15, & 7:30pm, Center Square.
Comedy: Patton Oswalt and Friends
Patton Oswalt may be a nationally touring stand-up comedian, hilarious sidekick Neil on The United States of Tara and the voice of Remy in Ratatouille, but according to his Twitter page, he’s just a former wedding deejay from Northern Virginia. One of my favorite tweets: “The Muzak version of ‘Careless Whisper’ in this lobby has turned a bad song into a sonic hate crime.” Awesome. He’s joined here by Eddie Pepitone and Tig Notero. 8-9pm, Comedy Stage South, Charlotte Martin Theatre
Mainstage (always a safe bet): 6pm J. Cole, 7:30pm Drake, 9pm Mary J. Blige
