Despite the talk of a monsoon this weekend, I ain't care. If fewer people venture to Bumbershoot this year, that is fine by me. It just makes for more music, comedy, and performances for the rest of us.
This year I am all about Monday. The music lineup is solid. Ignore the Black Eyed Peas (please--maybe that will make them go away), and take your pick from The Lonely Forest (3:15-4:15pm, EMP), Champagne Champagne (4:45-5:45pm, EMP), Trucksaurus (7:45-8:45pm, EMP), Portland Cello Project (6:45-7:45pm, Northwest Court), Say Hi (2:30-3:30pm, Broad Street), Mirah (4:15-5:15pm, Broad Street), Metric (9:30-10:45pm, Broad Street), The Cave Singers (6:45-7:45pm, Mural Amphitheatre), Janelle Monae (5:45-6:45pm, Fisher Green), and Franz Ferdinand (7:45-9:00pm, Memorial Stadium). Any or all of the above is sure to please.
While the overall Bumbershoot music lineup seems to be flailing at best (above company excluded), their comedy offerings only get better, and on Monday you've got tons of great laugh options, including Wyatt Cynac and Eugene Mirman (2-3pm, Intiman), Aziz Ansari (replacing Nick Swarsdon, 3:45-4:45pm, Intiman), Charlene Yi and Patton Oswalt (8-9pm, Charlotte Martin), and a set by erstwhile Seattleite Reggie Watts (7:15-8:15pm, Intiman).
But seriously, the thing that I'm really excited for on Monday is the panel of writers for Lost, moderated by Jeff Jensen (3:30-4:45pm, Leo K. Theatre). Yes, I am fully aware that makes me a nerd. But going into the sixth and final season of the sci-fi time travel mindfuckery drama, there's a lot of questions left to be answered, and I'd love to hear what Carlton Cuse, Eddy Kitsis, and Adam Horowitz have to say about it. Even the moderator for this panel is great: Jeff Jensen writes the most crazy intensive recaps of Lost ever (pages and pages and pages of well-researched examinations of every single episode) for Entertainment Weekly under the name "Doc Jensen." The man is basically a Lost god. It will be an honor to be in the presence of a master. Plus it beats being out in the rain.
