Bumbershoot 2009! Braunger, Benson, Barry, more!

[pg13]

Well, not "every" comic, Doug...

pg--Someday, I'll get INTERRUPTED...I will...I know it...--seattle






PS--Every show at the VERA stage (aka "the other stage that's doing comedy at Bumbershoot") has been absolutely packed, with disappointed people wandering away from the stand-by line as the each show's last performer has gone up.

But, maybe it's the weather...maybe it's the increase in ticket prices...maybe it's the frustration of not getting in to see the "real" comedy shows at the other two venues with "people they've heard of" performing...but there's a different vibe to the crowds this year...

Dampened is the word I'll use.

In my set, yesterday, I looked out at a room of bundled up in Gore-Tex, gray-skinned, unhappy people...where normally, the crowd is summery and buoyant. It felt more like taking the stage at a union hall with a room full of teachers who are deciding whether or not to go out on strike--rather than a festive group of people who have been having a great time all day and want to keep that great time going with a fun show of comedy.

Don't get me wrong...it was still a blast to go up to a packed house early in the evening on a Sunday. And, as far as my set went, I felt it went well...got that nice "whoosh" from about a minute in to my set, building all the way up to a strong closing run, that a festival audience will give you...

...but, at least in this corner of the festival grounds, the vibe felt a lot like the weather looked...

Of course, if you got in to see all of the wonderful shows that Bumbershoot has offered this year that you really, really, wanted to see...I can't imagine a little rain made a damn bit of difference to you.

[dougbenson]

the crowds at all of my shows, and the shows where i made surprise appearances, were the best i've ever encountered at bumbershoot. and i've always found the crowds to be good.

(but the overall festival is more fun when it doesn't rain)

[Itslikeimsayin]

Who was "mystery guest"?

[sparkiepop]

REDEMINT: "Mystery Guest Sarah Silverman (told a funny story about falling on her face in her previous show that day)"

[ResilientRabbit]

I'm with Doug on this one. I thought that the crowds were very appreciative and receptive. And Sarah wasn't just a surprise guest at the Interruption; she did multiple sets through the weekend and the crowds ADORED her.

My recap, honestly, was eventually too long to repost here. But if anyone is interested in hearing one rabbit's adventures in spending three days basking in Bumbershoot's comedy glory, you can find the full story on my site.

Highlights from Day One (includes my only write up of the Interruption, which I thought was very well received); Day Two (in which Benson and Sarah Silverman advise me to get a divorce); and Day Three (in which I sadly miss the big Comedy All Star Jam, but finally catch the ridiculous and delightful Red Wine Boys).

Said it on Twitter, but I'll repeat it here: sincere thanks to every comedian who came up to Seattle for this festival. The family and I had a delightful and very memorable weekend.

[darrylduffy]

thanks rabbit! everyone should check out those recaps!

really helped paint a fuller picture that i only got sporadic 140 character glimpses of on twitter.

[Matt Braunger]

I had an incredible time. Patton was telling Tommy and I backstage that festivals like this spoil you for the road (because nothing else compares), and he was right. Amazing, amazing audiences for every show. Thanks to everybody who came.

Also, I got to perform for a couple people I grew up with who'd never seen me do comedy, so that was just icing on the ice cream.

[aenemaTron]

I didn't get to get into any shows, but I liked wandering around in the rain? Eh, it was mostly people I'd seen / NY people anyway! Grapes!

[ronfunc]

I had a wonderful time highlighted by meeting the King of Kong's Steve Weibe, seeing Patton live for the first time, and Matt Braunger stopping me to say hi, and seeming to be genuinely interested in seeing me perform.

You made my day Matt.

[rdemint]

This pretty much sums up my Bumbershoot weekend:




(I'll post my real recap later)

[dougbenson]

Highlights from Day One (includes my only write up of the Interruption, which I thought was very well received)

thanks for that!

the picture of david and wyatt was from david's show on the literary stage, which also featured me and maria bamford.

(the bammer!)

[pg13]

I am more convinced than ever that the local comedy ghetto at Bumbershoot needs to change or die.

(Spoilered below due to incessant whining that could derail a positive thread about a positive event and the positive experiences of those who were there...)

Spoiler:  

It seems odd to be angry about playing to standing room only festival crowds, but I read this thread, I read Rabbit's recaps, I read recaps in The Stranger...and other places that cover "the comedy at Bumbershoot" and its as if none of those shows actually happened or that those performers actually exist...because the VERA stage shows aren't even mentioned in passing in any reportage of the event.

It's getting to the point where I'd rather have the creme of the local scene get a taste of the main comedy stage...rather than get three days worth of shows featuring almost every local performer and formerly local performer that nobody ends up noticing.

Getting the chance to rock ONE set on ONE show on the main comedy stage at Bumbershoot four years ago happened to be the thing that earned Hari Kondabolu his Kimmel shot, got him a ticket to Aspen...and that's lead to his getting Gotham... This weekend, he's headlining at the Comedy Underground...

So much of progressing in comedy is about how you interact with others in the same pursuit. It's about seeing other comedians (and being inspired) and being seen (and making connections that lead to opportunities). It's not just about taking the stage, but it's about hanging in the green room...it's about the chance that someone further along on the journey sees what you do and likes it enough to include you in future adventures...

That can't happen in isolation.

Maybe the local scene has slipped. Maybe the best local performers have moved to New York or LA...and we'll see them again when they build up their national rep a bit (like Reggie Watts and Nick Thune have done.) Maybe we haven't earned even a taste of the REAL comedy at Bumbershoot.

Well, maybe it'd be better to KNOW that and inspire us to raise our game up...than to be mollified with a stage of our own that makes us think that we're part of something that we're really not?

pg--will be played by Rachel Dratch in the tv version of this post--seattle

[Embiggen]

I think PG's right on the money, but I'm not sure what the solution is, either. It's hard to say you wouldn't want stage time of any sort at a festival like Bumbershoot, but playing to the crowd at the Vera stage, big though it was, was far from the high point of my weekend. Short of mixing up all the acts among all the stages, though, I'm not sure how to get around the stratification of the venues. I think this year was an anomaly in a lot of ways, though (weather, crappiness of the music lineup), and that may have brought people into the audience at the Vera stage that wouldn't have gone in other years.

[Embiggen]

Really fun weekend overall, though. I shouldn't be negative either. I could watch Reggie Watts perform every night and never get sick of it. He's one of the most talented performers in any medium I've ever seen. It was also great to see Tommy Johnagin and Tony Camin perform for the first time, and everyone on the Benson Interruption kicked ass.

I'll second Ron's excitement at getting to meet Steve Wiebe of "King of Kong". On top of being as nice as he appeared in the movie, he was a great sport, and his bits with the Famous Mysterious Actor were hilarious.

[sparkiepop]

TELL ME MORE ABOUT STEVE WIEBE. What bits with the Famous Mysterious Actor?

[ResilientRabbit]

Thanks Doug. Sounds like one of the liveliest shows that literary arts has seen in some time!

I'll update the caption/description of the photo.

[sparkiepop]

MORE WIEBE MORE WIEBE MORE MORE MORE TELL ME TELL ME

[Embiggen]

MORE WIEBE MORE WIEBE MORE MORE MORE TELL ME TELL ME

I really can't tell if that's sarcasm.

[Jouster]

It's not. Just tell her, already.

[ResilientRabbit]

thanks rabbit! everyone should check out those recaps!

really helped paint a fuller picture that i only got sporadic 140 character glimpses of on twitter.

Hey Darryl -- thanks for the kind words about my recaps. It was such a fun weekend that it was really a joy to write about it.