popwreckoning

Somehow Seattle managed to make it through Bumbershoot without a drop of rain, so it just goes to show you that you shouldn’t assume something is going to happen. At that, I missed several of the acts I planned on seeing this weekend, but that’s okay. I saw plenty of small acts that blew my expectations away, and they were all local. Imagine that!

Literally, on Saturday I only saw one band (with the exception of STRFKR, who is from Portland) that wasn’t a Seattle band.

It began with Brite Futures at the main stage, which in my mind was ridiculous, since the first time I ever saw them they were still Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head and they played on the now dearly-departed Broad Street Stage (more of this later). Not that I didn’t enjoy their set. I really did. All the new songs they played made me that much more excited for the new album, but the main stage at 1:30 in the afternoon was just not the right venue for them.

Back to that whole venue thing. This year shall go down in my Bumbershoot history as a “building” year. A.) They moved the main stage from the awesome Memorial Stadium to the less-than-spectacular Key Arena. B.) The Fountain Lawn and Fisher Green stage were way too close together. And C.) the new EMP Level 3 stage was not nearly big enough for some of the bands that played there.

Which brings me to my next band – Kris Orlowski and the Passenger String Quartet. I love this band. I love Kris Orlowski’s music, and he’s a super cool guy. And it was great to see him in such an intimate venue. But even as relatively unknown as he is in the larger scheme of Bumbershoot, there was a line outside the EMP. Thankfully they were regulating the number of people going in and out of the venue, but it made it that much harder for people to see those local bands who were well worth a larger venue for a festival. Usually, the great thing about Bumbershoot is that there aren’t any lines for people to stand in. That changed this year.

Next up was Champagne Champagne on the Fisher Green Stage – one of my favourite hip-hop acts of Seattle. The duo is incredibly fun, down to earth, and not the least bit cocky, which is something that I’ve found with Seattle artists. They rocked the lawn with the huge group of teenagers and 20-somethings alike, and it made for a great afternoon set.

KEXP, Seattle’s local independent radio station had a couple stages up for grabs this year – the Music Lounge and the Toyota Free Yr Radio Stage housed some of Seattle’s brightest up-and-comers. At the Free Yr Radio stage I finally got to see Campfire OK, who released their first album Strange Like We Are last year, and they were just as amazing live (even better) than they were on record. Plus they made some great jokes about their band name. Frontman Mychal Goodweather said, “We’ve come up with Bonfire So-So,” and the crowd snickered.

Finally branching outside of the Emerald City, San Francisco’s Vetiver hit the new Fountain Lawn Stage (which was perhaps my favourite stage all weekend). As much as they had a jam band vibe, they still had a very tight sound, and it made me glad that I listened to several recommendations to see them this weekend.

After Vetiver’s set, I made my way to the Words and Ideas stage to sit in at a panel with Colin Meloy and his wife Carson Ellis. This panel was all about the new book the two of them collaborated on – “Wildwood” – an illustrated novel about Portland, Or. But not only was it about Portland, it was about if Forest Park was a secret civilization where coyotes walked around in Napoleon-era military outfits, and badgers walked around with rickshaws. The panel was led by former Harvey Danger frontman and current music writer Shawn Nelson, and discussed everything from the beginnings of Meloy’s collaboration with Ellis to the extent of the mythical map of Forest Park. I walked into this not knowing that Ellis and Meloy were married, but it slowly occurred to me as they kept getting more and more adorable. I almost wanted to stand in line to get a book, but I figured I’d be in Portland the next weekend and I can just pick it up at Powell’s when I’m there.

As the sun set, I was back at the Fountain Lawn stage for STRFKR, who went on quite late, and it made all the rowdy teenagers behind me incredibly anxious, and thus, more annoying. I hadn’t seen STRFKR before, and had no idea what to expect, but they were as they are on record – very loud and very fun. The vocals were virtually indistinguishable, which I’m not sure if it was intentional, but that’s just about the only bad thing I can say about their performance.

To finish out the night, I did as I planned, and checked out Minus the Bear at the Fisher Green stage. And oh boy am I glad I did. The band was celebrating ten years together, and it showed with how seasoned the guys were on stage. Playing to a hometown crowd probably didn’t hurt much either, but the pioneers of math rock hit it hard that night, with me, and with the energetic crowd that stood behind me.

Since I was completely satisfied with my Saturday, I headed home shortly after that to get some rest for Sunday. Little did I know what was to come. Stay tuned!

For more pictures from Saturday at Bumbershoot, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/abbigshmail/sets/72157627592015416/

As Annastasia and I will be attending this year’s Bumbershoot Festival, we’ll be your trusty PopWreckers bringing you all the details about Seattle’s biggest festival of the year.

For now, here is my preview of Saturday’s lineup.

As much as people rave about festival headliners, this year’s mainstage lineup for Bumbershoot is kind of a bust, save Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on Sunday and Hall & Oates on Monday (but really, Hall & Oates is just for the nostalgia factor).

The best part of this year’s lineup is the overwhelming number of local bands playing the festival. For example…

12 Noon: Campfire Ok on the Fountain Lawn Stage. These adorable KEXP darlings released their first full-length this year, and I have yet to see them live. And I call myself a Seattle music geek. Pshh.

12:45: Yuni in Taxco on the Fisher Green Stage. I saw these guys open for the Builders and the Butchers earlier this year, and I’m interested to see where they’ve gone with their live show since then. Very interested.

1:15: Brite Futures on the… MAINSTAGE? What?! How did I not know they were playing the mainstage? Sure it’s at 1:15, but that’s pretty awesome for Seattle’s little band full of art students formerly known as Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head.

1:30: Kris Orlowski & the Passenger String Quartet at the EMP Level 3 Stage Presented by Mission Foods Artisan. One of many local musicians who has gone the grassroots route for building a fanbase – Kris Orlowski is friends with like every other music to grace small stages throughout the city. And he’s the one sending out all his releases, not a publicist.

2:15: Champagne Champagne at the Fisher Green Stage. This is my kind of hip-hop – fun and full of life, easy to dance to, and lyrics about Molly Ringwald. Tyler the Creator can eat his heart out.

2:45: Presidents of the United States of America on the Mainstage. Okay, so Presidents play Seattle quite often, since they do live here. They’re oldies but goodies. And if you haven’t seen them play live yet, it’s kind of like a right of passage in the Seattle music scene. So why not do it at Bumbershoot?

6:00: Pickwick at the EMP Level 3 Stage Presented by Mission Foods Artisan. This band is awesome. Amazing. Soulful. The next big thing. I’ll tell you more later (see my next edition of Fantastically Local…tomorrow).

8:30: STRFKR at the Fountain Lawn Stage. Enough with the name changes already! Thankfully, the whole Pyramiddd/Starfucker fiasco has ended and now we can just focus on dancing our skinny-jean-covered little asses off.

9:15: Minus the Bear at the Fisher Green Stage. For me, this time slot was a decision between Ray Lamontagne and Minus the Bear. For a closing act, I want something to keep my energy up, and Minus the Bear will do that for me over at Fisher Green. I don’t need sleepy folk soul at the main stage, because frankly it’s a bit boring at that point (i.e. Jason Mraz headlining at 10 PM two years ago, why? I don’t know.)

So you can either take my word for it or go build your Bumbershoot schedule over here at http://sched.bumbershoot.org/ But I suggest you take my word for it. More picks coming soon!

Even though I’m a relatively young person, sometimes I do feel quite old. When I went to go see Matt & Kim on Tuesday, I felt old.

Why?

Well, there was no way I could match the energy of the couple duo, and the constant pushing by the teenagers behind me could not have annoyed me more. It was like we were at a Jay-Z show.

The odd, but intriguing lineup started with one of Seattle’s best hip-hop acts Champagne Champagne. Matt actually proclaimed that Champagne Champagne was his “favorite Seattle band, even more than Nirvana!”

I don’t know if I’d go as far as saying that, but Champagne Champagne are surely one of the best Seattle has to currently offer.

Mixing hip-hop and electro, Champagne Champagne is what Seattle is all about these days, and the sweaters also add to the local vibe. Quite literally, the band shed a total of 5 layers of clothing, and 3 of which were Pearl Dragon’s denim jacket, his sweater, and button-up shirt. Underneath all those layers actually, he was sporting his own band merchandise.

As the trio rhymed their way through an enjoyable setlist, they engaged the crowd with their familiar two-way chant.

“Champagne Champagne!” The guys would shout.

And the crowd would reply wildly, “Champagne Champagne!”

After Champagne Champagne finished their set, the positively unstoppable math rock band Fang Island took the stage, adorned with a plethora of Halloween paraphernalia, even though it was over a month early for the holiday decor.

Fang Island played through most of the songs off their critically-acclaimed debut, but honestly it seemed to drag on, as the crowd was waiting (not-so-patiently) for Matt & Kim. And most of Fang Island’s songs contain little lyrics and were at least 5 minutes long of pure, loud jamming.

Fang Island’s raw energy made for a really good live set, they just didn’t have a lot of range within the songs.

With one more intermission to go, the roadies came out and literally took everything off the stage. All the amps and mics and guitar stands – gone. Instead they wheeled out a platform with Kim Schifino’s drumkit stocked with an arsenal of drum sticks and Matt Johnson’s keyboard and microphone.

With such an easy set-up, Matt & Kim stepped out on stage frantically, both giving rounds of high-fives to people in the front row. Starting off with the ecstatic “I Wanna” off their second album Grand, Matt & Kim put on a fantastic show – one that seriously made Tuesday not seem like a Tuesday.

Matt & Kim’s happiness and energy was infectious, and it was impossible not to smile a long with Kim’s constant megawatt grin.

She was so excited that she was breaking drum sticks at an alarming rate. She beat the symbols so hard that you could see the bits of wood flying off them before she’d toss the broken stick behind her and grab another one from the bag hanging off her floor tom.

“Lessons Learned” was one of my favorite moments of the night, when the band first instructed the crowd, “you just have to sing da da da da. That’s it!”

“Ladies, you never want to see your ass bouncing from behind,” Kim advised us all, in reference to the music video for “Lessons Learned,” where the two of them walked through Time Square and stripped down to their skivvies. And then, because he’s a guy, Matt said guys, we always want to see their ass bouncing from behind, or something like that.

Along with the broken drum sticks, as I stood off to the side, I could see the speakers stacked adjacent to the stage shaking back and forth, and the floor had easily turned into something close to a trampoline.

“Okay, so I want all of you to take these balloons and blow them up. Then throw them way into the air, along with your dignity!” Matt shouted as Kim tossed balloons around the full room. Later on, since so many of the balloons ended up on Kim’s drums, Matt instructed us to pop the balloons. It was like a giant firecracker exploded by dozens of people.

The set was half songs off Grand, half songs off their self-titled debut, a couple of covers (I’ll get to that in a minute), and the nice addition of “Silver Tiles” off the upcoming Sidewalks out November 2. In fact, right when the doors opened, we got to hear the entirety of Sidewalks over the loudspeaker as part of the tour-long listening party.

The pre-show listening party definitely added to the whole experience, seeing that people obviously wanted to hear a lot of their old favorites, like “Good Ol’ Fashioned Nightmare,” “Cinders” and of course “Daylight” as the closing song.

Now about those covers. When I saw Matt & Kim play just over a year ago, I remember them playing a cover of “Just A Friend” by Biz Markie, and sure enough they played it again as a hilarious sing-along. Even though I’m pretty sure a lot of the room wasn’t nearly old enough to know the original song. What was even funnier still, we got a cover of “Better Off Alone” by Dutch dance pop group Alice Deejay (now that I looked up the song again, I realize that it’s only about 12 years old, but still), and again I’m almost positive all the people in the bar were the ones who sang along to that one.

Way to get the crowd going, Matt & Kim – pull out some obscure 90s Europop song! I’m not being facetious, because only a band with as much blistering excitement on stage as Matt & Kim could pull that off.

Surely I will be hard up to have a more fun Tuesday night for awhile.

We all love a good Columbia River backdrop or acres and acres of open field at our music festivals, but what makes MusicFest Northwest different than most festivals is that it takes places within the city – at all the Portland venues you know and love. It’s not just a celebration of music but also a celebration of Portland in general.

In just under two weeks’ time, Portland’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning alt-weekly newspaper Willamette Week will be hosting its 10th annual MusicFest Northwest, which has grown to be the third-largest indoor music festival in the country.

At no other festival else can you park for free in suburbia, take a light rail downtown, then pick up an orange Tang doughnut (yes, I said Tang), and walk a block down at 1 a.m. to catch The Builders and the Butchers at Berbati’s Pan.

Voodoo Doughnuts and Berbati’s Pan are very conveniently placed literally 125 away from each other. Just a tip.

Because of this indoor, inner city set-up, you won’t have to empty your bank account for festival food, or use smelly port-a-potties. But I’d never expect anything different coming from Portland, with the casual, low-key vibe that I love about it so much.

Here’s what I’m planning on doing, but trust me – with the MAX light rail running at full capacity over the 5-day festival, you’ll have the opportunity to see so much more, whether it be a 21+ show, or an all-ages (AA) show.

Wednesday, September 8^th:

Act: Panda Bear
Time: 10 p.m.
Location: Comcast and opbmusic stage at the Crystal Ballroom

Ever since seeing Animal Collective play live over a year ago, I’ve been holding out for another chance to see any of the guys in a live capacity. To coincide with the release of his highly awaited album Tomboy, Noah “Panda Bear” Lennox will be gracing Portland with his mesmerizing presence on the first night of the festival at the Crystal Ballroom (which has floors with a bit of bounce in them). AA

Thursday, September 9^th:

Act: Ra Ra Riot
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Nike Sportswear Stage at the Wonder Ballroom

In the past, Ra Ra Riot has opened for such amazing acts as Editors, Art Brut, and Tokyo Police Club, but now as part of their headlining tour for their new album The Orchard, Ra Ra Riot will be taking the stage at the Wonder Ballroom. I’m intrigued to see their unique brand of baroque pop live. Plus if you have time afterward, circle the block to get some pizza at Sparky’s or if you feel more adventurous, Ethiopian at Queen of Sheba.  AA

Act: Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Time: 9 p.m.
Location: Comcast and KNRK Stage at the Crystal Ballroom

For something with a bit more attitude, you can head back over to the bouncy floors of the Crystal Ballroom for Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. You’re sure to have a good time with these old school punks, and you’ll still have enough energy to go for the rest of the night afterwards. Heck, walk a few blocks down Burnside and you can still browse around Powell’s Books until 11 p.m. AA

Act: The Thermals
Time: 10:30 p.m.
Location: Comcast and KNRK Stage at the Crystal Ballroom
Local darlings The Thermals will have literally released their fifth album two days before when it comes time for their show at the Crystal Ballroom. They’ve been working with Chris Walla again on Personal Life, so I’m anxious to hear what these pioneers of Portland rock of the ‘00s have put together with Mr. Walla. AA

Act: Major Lazer
Time: 11 p.m.
Location: The Roseland Theater

For the most part, I probably won’t be heading to the Roseland too much just because there are so many great bands playing everyone, and it’s already hard to choose. But I’m going to make it a priority to see Major Lazer’s reggae/hip-hop hybrid. You’ll be sure that you won’t see any other act like them at the festival, and as far as I know, there won’t be another chance to see them in the northwest for a while. AA

Act: Justin Townes Earles
Times: 11:55 p.m.
Location: Jack Daniels and opbmusic stage at Berbati’s Pan

Four blocks away, you’ll find yourself back at Berbati’s Pan (and maybe after another round of Voodoo Doughnuts) for the considerably less hyphy Justin Townes Earle. It’ll be the nice way to end the night after burning all your energy at the last show. Maybe you could get a drink and relax to Earle’s mandolin-laden country folk. Earle’s blend of deep-south vintage country is so far from today’s mainstream country that you almost expect someone to be playing a water jug and a washboard.  21+

Friday, September 10^th:

Act: Surfer Blood
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Nike Sportswear Stage at the Wonder Ballroom

As the start of a ridiculously full two-month tour, Surfer Blood will get to bring their beachy indie rock to the Wonder Ballroom. A friend of mine put their song “Swim” on a mix tape for me earlier this year, and ever since I saw Pitchfork give the song spot number 37 on the lost of the 100 Best Songs of 2009, I’ve been wanting to see them play live. Now you have that chance too.  AA

Act: Black Lips
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Nike Sportswear Stage at the Wonder Ballroom

When going through the list of bands playing at this year’s festival, I immediately put Black Lips on my “list to see,” because of their extensive history, guitarist Cole Alexander’s work with Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox, as well as what I’ve heard of their chaotic stage antics (including nudity, fireworks, band members kissing, and vomiting). AA

Act: Sara Jackson-Holman
Time: 8 p.m.
Location: Ash St. Saloon

Mixing classically-influenced piano, soft and longing strings, and winsome vocals, Portland native Sara Jackson-Holman falls into the ever-growing “melancholy piano songstress” genre, but her smoky voice and strange bent harmonies make her worth seeing. Within a couple blocks of the saloon you could also hit up Esan Thai or Kells Irish Pub for dinner if you like. 21+

Act: People Eating People
Time: 9 p.m.
Location: Mississippi Studios

After the disbanding of her band Mon Frere in 2007, Seattle native Nouela Johnston decided to record some of her own stuff under the moniker People Eating People. Her powerful piano pop will be perfect for one of my favorite venues ever – Mississippi Studios, which was built for musicians, by musicians. It’s located in a residential neighborhood and you can literally park in front of someone’s house. The floor is small, but the wraparound balcony provides just as good a view. 21+

Act: Morning Teleportation
Time: 10 p.m.
Location: Hawthorne Theater

I saw Morning Teleportation in June, and they had the most inexplicably enjoyable set that it’s impossible to explain. Psychedelic, rootsy jam-band, electro-indie rock is one way I could describe it. If you’re still confused, I recommend that you make time to go see them at the Hawthorne Theater. Lead vocalist Tiger uses a Talk Box. That’s worth it enough just to see that. AA

Act: Okkervil River
Time: 11 p.m.
Location: Comcast and KNRK Stage at the Crystal Ballroom

I’m not sure whether or not Roky Erickson will be gracing the stage with Okkervil River in this instance, since they just released True Love Cast Out All Evil with Erickson, but either way, the critically acclaimed Austin band is surely not one to miss. AA

Act: The Tallest Man On Earth
Time: 11:55 p.m.
Location: Toyota Antics and KEXP stage at the Doug Fir

Performing at the most comfortable venue I’ve ever been to, The Tallest Man On Earth will be bringing his bluesy brand of acoustic folk to the Doug Fir. When I first heard Kristian Matsson’s music, I didn’t realize that he was Swedish for awhile, until I eventually got how clever Matsson’s moniker is (people of Scandinavia are predominantly over 6 feet tall). 21+

Saturday, September 11^th:

Act: The Builders and the Butchers
Time: 1 a.m. (yes I just said 1 a.m.)
Location: Jack Daniels and opbmusic stage at Berbati’s Pan

Seeing the instruments that the Builders and the Butchers play, you wouldn’t expect to essentially rock out at one of their shows, but they defy all stereotypes and bring massive amounts of energy to their acoustic guitars, mandolins, and banjos. Seeing that the Builders and the Butchers are from Portland, I’m expecting this particular show to be crazy awesome. Having seen then 2 short months ago, I can back up that claim. 21+

Act: Laura Veirs
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Levi’s Pioneer Stage at Pioneer Courthouse Square

Laura Veirs will be the first of a few shows that you should absolutely check out on the main stage at Pioneer Courthouse Square. The neo-folk songstress returned to her roots with July Flame this year, her 6^th studio album, putting out hauntingly beautiful songs full of odd instrumentation and Veirs understated vocals. AA

Act: The Decemberists
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Levi’s Pioneer Stage at Pioneer Courthouse Square

I’ll just be sticking around at Pioneer Courthouse Square for The Decemberists after Laura Veirs, because it will surely be one of the best shows of the weekend. Even when they aren’t playing for hometown crowd, The Decemberists are awesome live, but in this instance I can only imagine. The last time I saw them, it was on the Hazards of Love tour, so this time we’ll get to hear songs from all throughout their catalogue. AA

Act: The Globes
Time: 9 p.m.
Location: Backspace

Playing at one of best coffee houses in Portland, Seattle’s own The Globes will be bringing their experimential ambient indie rock to the tiny venue. I saw them play a show in Seattle back in November with Telekinesis and The Lonely Forest, and with how much they downplay the energy, The Globes put on a great show. Think My Bloody Valentine with harder riffs and a rainy-day ready wall of sound. AA

Act: The Head and the Heart
Time: 9 p.m.
Location: Jack Daniels and opbmusic stage at Berbati’s Pan

Bluesy folk with soft harmonies and bubbly beats permeate through Seattle’s own The Head and the Heart’s music, and it should be quite delightful to see them in Berbati’s Pan’s small room. Plus if you haven’t had dinner yet, you can get yourself some Greek cuisine while you’re there. 21+

Act: The Smashing Pumpkins
Time: 10:15 p.m.
Location: MusicFest Northwest and KUFO stage at The Wonder Ballroom

I honestly had no idea that the Smashing Pumpkins were playing until about five days ago, and I’m surprised that they’re playing The Wonder Ballroom, because it’s not that big. So if you want to get in at all, I suggest getting there relatively early, even if you have a wristband, because this will undoubtedly be one of the most attended shows of the festival. I can’t remember the last time they toured, so I’m pumped. AA

Act: Suckers
Time: 11 p.m.
Location: Jack Daniels and opbmusic stage at Berbati’s Pan

What’s funny is that right after playing up against each other at separate venues at MusicFest Northwest, Suckers will be going on a month-long national tour with Menomena. Employing Talking Heads-esque multi-layered vocals with the passion of former tourmates Local Natives, Suckers will definitely fill the small room with fervor. 21+

Act: Menomena
Time: 11 p.m.
Location: Comcast and KNRK Stage at the Crystal Ballroom

I have to be honest, I haven’t listened to Menomena’s new record yet, but Friend And Foe was one of my favorite records of 2007, and it’ll be interesting to see how the band’s eerie experimental indie rock will play out to their hometown crowd. Also, the band members always shuffle around who sings and who plays certain instruments, so that always makes for a more intriguing show. AA

Act: Champagne Champagne
Time: 11 p.m.
Location: Jimmy Mak’s

Seattle hip-hop favorites Champagne Champagne mixes traditional hip-hop with peppier electro-pop, and I love it. Again, I’ll reiterate my normal dislike for hip-hop, but when locals sing and rap about Molly Ringwald, I’m sold. But again, I’ll have a hard time deciding which show to hit up at 11 p.m. 21+

Act: The Dodos
Time: 11:55 p.m.
Location: Jack Daniels and opbmusic stage at Berbati’s Pan

Even though The Dodos are probably best known for having two of their songs in two separate television commercials, their albums are rich with offbeat instrumentation like toy piano and pulsating drums. And you can’t deny that if a band has their songs on television, the songs are undeniably catchy. 21+

Act: Japandroids
Time: 11:55 p.m.
Location: Toyota Antics and KEXP stage at the Doug Fir

Having two guys on stage, you wouldn’t expect them to create the sound that Japandroids manage, but the raw and fuzzy guitars will be a great way to end out the penultimate night of the festival. And while you’re there, definitely check out the restaurant upstairs. Also there’s free parking around the corner, so that’s another plus. 21+

Sunday, September 12^th:

Act: The Walkmen
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Levi’s Pioneer Stage at Pioneer Courthouse Square

It seems like it’s been way longer than 2 years since The Walkmen put out new music, but this performance will be two days before their new album Lisbon is released, so I’m happy. One of only a select few shows on the last day of the festival, The Walkmen’s drowsy surf rock should carry well through the outdoor amphitheater. AA

Act: The National
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Levi’s Pioneer Stage at Pioneer Courthouse Square

After having seen The National play at the Columbia River Gorge back in May, I was anxious to see them again. Although I think The National is one of those bands that you may or may not like live. Lead singer Matt Berninger has an oddly intense stage presence, but the energy might turn some people off. If you haven’t seen them play live though, I strongly recommend giving them a shot, because they sound fantastic live. AA

However long this preview is, it’s still just a taste of what’s coming to the tenth annual MusicFest Northwest. I mean, I’m going to try to see all these bands, but who knows how full the venues will get or how quick the public transportation will run that weekend? To see the full lineup or purchase tickets, go to http://www.musicfestnw.com. General admission wristbands are still available for purchase that will guarantee entry to all club shows and all shows at Pioneer Square (however you must choose to see either The Decemberists or The National with this ticket). All show wristbands are also still available, which guarantees you entry to all shows, no exceptions. If you don’t wish to purchase a wristband, you can buy tickets at the individual venues the night of the show.