Top Things to See and Do in Seattle: August 2015

Stopover Festival

Even if you don’t like Mumford and Sons’ music, it’s impossible to hate the band’s commitment to playing places off the beaten path. This summer, the group brings its Stopover Festival, which only stops places other artists would blow right past, to Walla Walla. Boasting an insane lineup—Mumford and Sons (obviously), Foo Fighters, the Flaming Lips, Jenny Lewis, Tune-Yards, and more—it’s well worth the drive.
Aug 14 & 15  Whitman College, Walla Walla, gentlemenoftheroad.com

Pippin

Stephen Schwartz’s Pippin has long been an unusual musical: a story of a prince’s existential journey to find meaning in his life set against a fantastical performance troupe. When the show saw a Tony-winning Broadway revival in 2013, the troupe was reimagined as a spectacular, Cirque du Soleil–inspired ensemble. Catch the high-flying acrobatic antics and soaring songs as Pippin’s national touring company swings through town.  
Aug 16–23 Paramount Theatre, stgpresents.org

Joe Mande

Everyone on earth is a foodie. You have to be a foodie or you die of not being a foodie…. I think most of all I’m a breathe-ie, right? Breathing? Air? …It’s gonna sound like exaggeration—I don’t think I could go two minutes without breathing.”  —Joe Mande

The Parks and Recreation writer has perfected his brand of agitated comedy as Twitter’s premier ignorance troll and showcased his standup by opening for friends like Aziz Ansari.
Aug 2  El Corazón, joemande.com 

Bedtime Stories at Three Dollar Bill Cinema

While other outdoor movie series feature heavy crossover, screening all the same classics and new favorites (do we really need six chances to see Guardians of the Galaxy outdoors this summer?), Three Dollar Bill Cinema perennially delivers a unique and amusingly campy lineup. This year’s theme is “Bedtime Stories” and features The Princess Bride, Adventures in Babysitting, Edward Scissorhands, and The NeverEnding Story.
Aug 7–28  Cal Anderson Park, threedollarbillcinema.org

Alabama Shakes

Even in an age of diminished music sales, it’s heartening to see an outlier break pop’s stranglehold on the top of the charts. Despite lacking any Billboard Top 100 singles, roots rock band Alabama Shakes’s latest album—Sound and Color—debuted at No. 1 in April. The power in Brittany Howard’s booming voice could derail a freight train, and it helps make Alabama Shakes one of the best live acts around.
Aug 8 Marymoor Park, alabamashakes.com

Published in the Columbia River issue of Seattle Met.