Live at Bumbershoot 2014, Day 1: Wu-Tang Clan, Polica, Mac DeMarco, Dude York, and more

Capitol Hill garage rock favorites Dude York jumped on the Pavilion stage early in the day to get the party started right. After an entertaining soundcheck (conversation topics included a battle between Twix and Nutrageous and 30 second cover songs abounded, including Kanye's "Bound 2"), the band said hello to their sizable crowd and proceeded to rip mercilessly through a 40 minute set. Much of the band's fantastic Dehumanize made it into the setlist, including "Cannibal" and "Eighth Grade". For a young band, it's amazing how well the Capitol Hill three piece has their stage presence down. Peter rips through one guitar line after another before dueling instruments with Claire, both with mock glam rock expressions on their faces before cracking up and trying to get it together again. Meanwhile, Andrew just blasts through one caveman battering after another, always with a smile (and at this particular show, wearing official Disney 101 Dalmatians jeans - did you even know that was a thing?). Altogether, Dude York got Bumbershoot started off right. The Capitol Hill band continue to prove themselves as one of the most exciting and refreshing acts Seattle has.Dude York:

The rain paused and the sun even peaked through the clouds at the Starbucks Stage in the mid-afternoon for an excellent set with Seattle's Donnie & Joe Emerson. The band has enjoyed a recent return to the spotlight thanks to Seattle's Light in the Attic label. After discovering and reissuing the Emersons' lost classic Dreamin' Wild to a warm fan reception, this year, the label released Still Dreamin' Wild, a collection of lost recordings from 1979-1981 that show off even more excellent material from a lost gem of a band. Today, the Emersons showed off Dreamin' Wild material in wonderful fashion. "Good Time" had the lawn chilling out and singing along with smiles all around and the cool and timeless "Baby" got people on their feet to slow dance. Donnie Emerson's voice doesn't seem like its aged a day since the record dropped more than 30 years ago, and with the help of backup vocalist Nancy, the brothers brought their timeless music to life today for both new fans and old.

Donnie & Joe Emerson:

After playing a rousing session in the KEXP Music Lounge (rousing being that he and his band played a metal rendition of "Blackbird" among other things), eccentric Canadian singer-songwriter Mac DeMarco took the fountain lawn stage to a massive crowd. Entering with cigarettes and paper cups all around, Mac and his band came onstage with smiles and proceeded to rip through one of the grooviest and most interactive sets of the day. Much of DeMarco's fantastic new record Salad Days made it into the set, as well as material from both his first records Rock & Roll Night Club and 2. In case you are unfamiliar, Mac is famously hard to keep track of on stage. He can play through a serious, heartfelt coming of age cut like "Salad Days" or "Let Her Go" and then burst head long into the druggy, manic "Cooking Up Something Good", complete with crackhead impressions mid-song. Never one to be pinned down to one style, Mac and his band through it all at the wall in their excellent set. At one point, almost as if just on Mac's whim, the band broke into a skank beat and brought a member of the audience on stage to help sing a loose interpretation of Bob Marley's "Jammin'". Then for "Rock & Roll Night Club", the album version's reserved groove was totally upended by Mac's bassist ending the song screaming through the whole chorus. But fans loved every minute, and Mac exited the stage leaving an unforgettable impression on every member of the audience. Truly one-of-a-kind, we continue to love every minute of Mac DeMarco's time in the spotlight.

Mac DeMarco:

Minneapolis synthpop band left a devastated stage in the KEXP music lounge and moved on to do the same at the Fountain Lawn stage later in the evening. The band's tripped out, atmospheric records are given live incarnation with their now famous setup of two drummers and a bass. While Chris keeps the grooves tight stage left, Drew and Ben work off each other in perfect sync, compounding layers to make for a near infinite percussive foundation for each track. Meanwhile, Channy Leaneagh did her thing floating around the stage and hitting every note with perfect execution. The group's fantastic 2013 record Shulamith brings new, brutal vibrancy to their live setup, while the Give You The Ghost classics had the crowd freaking out. Polica are one of those bands where regardless of the conditions, surroundings, crowd, or weather, the mood is set when they go on stage. The four work in perfect form together to make for a solitarily impactful and sweeping performance. Nothing about that changed here - Polica made a solid contribution to Bumbershoot 2014 Day 1's magic.

Polica:

As the stadium packed out for Wu-Tang at the main stage, Seattle hip-hop veteran RA Scion got the action started early at the End Zone stage. Long time Seattle hip-hop fans know RA Scion as one half of Common Market, but in recent years, his solo material has taken his message and his music's impact to new levels. Here today, RA brought along plenty of guests, including Seattle producer Vox Mod, who worked with RA Scion on recent release Sharper Tool; Bigger Weapon. Complete with Americana caricatures, dancers, and an explosion of on stage energy, RA Scion deserved his own headlining spot Saturday night.

RA Scion:

This Bumbershoot weekend, we get to see a lot of truly awe-inspiring acts that have made huge impacts on the music scene over the last 30-40 years. There are few groups as influential and iconic as the Wu-Tang Clan, and yet still, half way through the group's set, the RZA took a second to name drop a couple of the others that it was amazing to headline alongside, including Elvis Costello. It's a crazy thing to take in so much history and legacy in one three-day weekend, and we here in Seattle are totally spoiled this year in that respect.

All that being said, the classic strategy of putting nine dudes on a stage at the same time all hyping the same track simultaneously is still a surefire way to make for the biggest party of the weekend. The Wu-Tang Clan played a hits set for the ages Saturday night, as light rain and wind poured down over stories of Shaolin sword style, tiger style, and chess-boxing (pretty epic stuff). Less only Method Man tonight, the group showed up in full force and fashion, with the RZA and Ghostface Killah dominating the crowd interaction. The group blasted through most of their classic group debut Enter The 36 Chambers, as well hits from individual albums. GZA blasted through the infectious title track from his 1995 masterpiece Liquid Swords. With the help of long time collaborator Cappadonna, the group blasted through ODB's "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" to the crowd's delight. "Reunited" popped up from the Wu's massive double CD endeavor from 1997 Wu-Tang Forever. All around, the set was a crowd pleaser full of energy and fun. The Wu-Tang Clan brought the ruckus Saturday night with a set that old school fans could have hand picked - an excellent celebration of the group's most cherished work.

Wu-Tang Clan:

Check out more photos from Saturday's action here, and keep checking back to the KEXP blog for more Bumbershoot coverage in and out of the music lounge throughout the weekend.