The Adnostic

Day 3 - Monday

Day three seemed surprisingly quiet. I think it was because the big show with Kanye West was the previous night so the throngs of people that made the second day such a nightmare had no reason to come back. It was because of this lack of crowds that we decided to try seeing one of the comedy shows which are usually impossible to get into.

We killed some time before the show by going to the flatstock exhibit. Flatstock is silk-screened posters usually made for rock shows or tours but are also sometimes used as stand alone art pieces and if you ever have the opportunity to see a flatstock exhibit, go. Don't make excuses, just make the time and go. You won't be disappointed. The art ranges for the simple to the complex and no matter what you're into, there will be one artist there who will blow you away. PushMePullYou, Tiny Media Empire, BirdMachine, and The Small Stakes were our favorites.

Then went back to wait in line for the comedy. I was really excited to see the headliner, Paul F. Tompkins, but actually ended up laughing the hardest at the opener, Arj Barker. His set was mostly pot jokes and one liners, but he had good timing, stage presence, and the five minutes spent riffing off some guy in the audience proved he was quick. The two after Arj were such a let down, especially Tompkins, who has such a great reputation here in LA.

After getting out of the comedy stage, finding some more disappointing food, and meeting back up with Keith and Staci at the beer garden it was time for the Great Band Block. This was a point when three great bands that I really wanted to see were playing one right after the other but on different stages. First was Bettye Lavette an old school soul singer who must be in her fifties and will never stop having "it." Next up were The BellRays who ROCKED. They were like hearing the love child of Tina Turner and the SuperSuckers all grown up and ready to rip your head off. I loved them. Then we had to run to the other side of the park for Bitter:Sweet a mellow acid jazz band from LA. We didn't get a chance to hear them play "The Mating Game," but we really liked them and Dave wants to try and catch one of their shows next time he's in town.

Then it was off to the Main stage to wait for Atmosphere. I had never heard of them, but Dave was really excited about seeing them live and the guide from The Stranger said something about emo rap. I was intrigued. I wasn't totally happy about being at the Main stage so close to the day’s headliner, because I'm not a big fan of massive crowds, but we found some seats in the bleachers that had a good view of the stage and kept us away from the heaving masses below.

At first it was just two guys rapping, which was okay, but not particularly interesting. Then one of the guys left and they brought out a band which made things much better, but we didn't get a chance to really enjoy it because we had to hoof it over to the More Music stage for Feist.

If any of you know me and have gotten one of my emails, you know that I use a quote from "Mushaboom" as part of my signature. So you know how much I needed to see this performance. Lucky for me she didn't disappoint. She had a great rapport with the audience, asking us what we wanted to hear, telling us about their plans to go home, rest, and make a new album after the festival, and just seeming to have a good time. We got to hear "Mushaboom" and an a cappella version of "Inside and Out" that allowed her band members to take center stage and show what they could do.

Then, the festival was over and it was time to head back to house we were staying at so I could get some sleep before a 6am conference call with a client in Nashville. Oh, lucky me.

Day 4 - Tuesday

5:45am. I wake up, pull on a pair of old boxer shorts, and set up a place in my host's office for the call. Dave wakes up with me to be sure I don't have any computer problems and when he's assured that I'll be okay he goes back to bed. I love having a sweet geek like him around.

Three and a half hours later the conference call was over and I summoned the dogs to wake up Dave. Roxie eagerly obliged by jumping up on the bed and licking his ear. Dave eyed me with half-hearted contempt and told me that he used to like me. I couldn't let that pass so I jumped on the bed and licked his ear myself. He seemed to like that much better.

We had brunch in Pioneer Square and walked around the art galleries and antique stores before heading up to Queen Anne to hang out with Mike and tour the super fantastic amazing office of Newsvine. We talked, the subject of moving to Seattle came up, the necessary placates were returned, and before we knew it, it was time to head off to the airport for my flight home. The weekend was officially over and it was time to go back to the real world.

We’re already talking about going back next year.

[all photos courtesy of Dave Shea]