Bumbershoot, Never Again

Yesterday we went to Day 1 of Seattle's 3-day music festival, Bumbershoot, to see Neko Case, Lucinda Williams, and Beck. Two words: Never Again. Bumbershoot has increased their prices each year and this year it was a painful $35 for one day. Perhaps that doesn't sound like a lot to those of you having never attended the event before, but know that a short year or two ago the tickets were only $20, and before that they were only $12. For the increased ticket prices you get an enjoyable day spent in lines and maneuvering through crowds.

But, because there were at least 3 acts that we were excited about, we felt the $35 was a good price and we would just strategize to avoid the crowds as much as possible. However, in addition to being crowded, this year the festival was also poorly planned and designed. It took 20 minutes to get in when bags weren't even being searched and another 20 minutes to get to Neko Case's stage. Luckily, Lucinda Williams was playing on the same stage as Neko Case so we didn't have to do any navigating. Another positive was that free water was available in two different locations at this stage so we could fill up our water bottle at no cost, which was incredibly thoughtful and generous because other festivals typically charge at least $2 for water. But, that was the last good thing about the festival.

After Lucinda Williams and before Joe Bonamassa we wanted to grab a drink. In Seattle, beer and wine are only available in designated "beer gardens." We hit the beer garden a bit past the Joe Bonamassa stage but were surprised to find a line that reminded us of Disneyland and that wasn't moving since the beer garden had hit capacity. We wandered to the garden closest to our preferred stage and saw the same situation. Then we decided to bail on Joe Bonamassa and hit the garden next to the Estelle stage, who we wanted to see after Joe Bonamassa, but saw the same situation as twice previously.

By this time we were both so frustrated by the crowds that we decided to just bail on the entire festival and grab a cheaper drink off-grounds. Since we were still planning on returning for the Beck show that evening, we needed to get our hands stamped in order to re-enter. We quickly got our hands stamped but then found that we had to stand in line in order to exit. When we got to the front of the line we were told that we had to get our tickets stamped in addition to our hands, something the hand stamper didn't mention. So, we had to leave the line, get our tickets stamped, and get back into line.

By this time Desi was on the ledge. She was pushed off the ledge when one of the volunteers shouted to the crowd, "thanks for your patience." Desi turned on her and screamed, "NO patience!" At that point we both knew we would not be returning for the Beck concert. Bumbershoot has only gotten more crowded, more expensive, and less fun over the years. We will not be returning again.