Recovering from Bumbershoot

After a loaded 3 full days at Bumbershoot, I spent yesterday morning/afternoon catching up on internet things and letting my feet rest before work.

I'll try to get into more reviews of the other shows in the next few days, but for the moment I'll just mention one of my favorites of the weekend, which was Raphael Saadiq's performance.

I snagged this beautiful photo from the Three Imaginary Girls blog, who got it from photographer Jason Tang.

If I'd had any misgivings Sunday night about choosing this closing show at the Fisher Green Stage over Jason Mraz at the Mainstage, they were completely vaporized as soon as Raphael walked out, in his suit and horn-rimmed glasses. The band was tight, the singers energetic and sexy, and I experienced an hour and a half of live music-induced euphoria. The crowd loved them so much that we got him to come out for 2 encores! I had just left after the first encore, assuming it was finished, when I heard the crowd start cheering again. I turned around, saw members of the band onstage again with their instruments, and ran back to join the audience, both surprised and elated.

Their set consisted of about 70% songs from their album and 30% covers/jam sessions. It flowed beautifully, and Raphael was a fantastic stage presence. I'm not sure how much of the audience were fans before the show (judging by the lack of singing along to the songs), but I don't think there was a single person who left without having thoroughly enjoyed him/herself.

And there probably wasn't a single man-lover (of the straight or gay variety) who left without silently acquiescing to Raphael's dialogue in the song "Let's Take a Walk". (Which, incidentally, begins with the lines "This place is crowded/Don't know about you/I need some sex/Some sex with you".)