Ice Cream Man

Yuppies, hipsters, and urbanites alike congregated on Capitol Hill for its annual block party; complete with three days of sunshine, chill vibes, and good times. Located in the heart of Seattle’s epicenter on 11th and Pike Street, some of the city’s most frequented bars and restaurants were barricaded for its attendees. The theme of this year’s block party seemed to be community as the mazes of diverse Seattleites were drawn together to enjoy music from bands like Les Savy Fav and The Cave Singers.
Two entrances funneled the masses inside and instantly a party atmosphere emerged amongst vendors and radio table tents. The merchandise table and bathroom line proved to be over stimulating as the sounds of all four stages droned in and out due to its confined space of just a few city blocks. While some roamed from stage to stage and the teens and shy bystanders sat on the sidelines and waited for their favorites to perform, lucky locals enjoyed views from their windows. The main stage crowd proved to get rowdier as each day progressed into night. By sundown, shouting and drunken chatter ensued. The only time most 21 and uppers submerged from their respective were to see headliners perform but quickly returned for loud and fast techno beats that lasted past last call.
It was obvious that last year’s lineup was more impressive at a much better price though local hip hop acts Champagne Champagne and Fresh Espresso got early crowds moving with heavy bass beats.  Thurston Moore and Handsome Furs, repetitive and seemingly devoid of energy, caused mazes of rat tails, worn sneakers, and tote bags to disperse among different stages to see bands like Ravenna Woods whose finger style folk and in your face angst captivated the audience. Fences also seemed to cause a dip in numbers as festival goers while the intergalactic smooth dance rhythms of Lovers lulled people towards the Vera stage and got heads bobbing.
Overall, the intensity stayed steady without getting too out of hand. By the end of TV on the Radio’s 90-minute set on Saturday night, energy was at its peak and lasted into the wee hours of Sunday morning. After Explosions in the Sky’s performance the block party seemed to end as abruptly as it came.