It’s been a long time since the days of waking up in excitement for a festival or concert. The days of putting together a dope outfit and scouting the lineup, choosing the artist you were most excited to see. The Day In Day Out festival gave a comfortable amount of people a small taste of that experience over Labor Day weekend.
Not only was it an emotional experience because it was my first major show since the pandemic began, but also being at the Seattle Center with half the lineup being local acts filled my heart with joy. I grew up going to the Seattle Center with my parents and staring up at the Space Needle. I know I wasn’t the only one who felt a bit emotional from it all. With no Capitol Hill Block Party or Bumbershoot this year, it was truly something special to be experiencing live music again while under such an iconic structure.
Photo by Salvador Barragan III
Before the festival could even begin, COVID did its thing to the lineup and unfortunately Aminé had to cancel just days before he was supposed to perform. Parisalexa also had to drop out of day one as a non-COVID related illness hid her voice from her. Thankfully some homegrown Seattle talent was able to fill those spots with Sol and LIVt joining Saturday’s lineup.
Day One of Day In Day Out Festival
It turned out to be a gorgeous weekend for an outdoor festival. Both days were classic late summer in Seattle. It was warm, but not hot. There was sunshine, but it wasn’t blinding, and a cool breeze kept you from sweating too much. I pulled up to the box office, grabbed my wristband, and waited in line to get in. The entire entry process was super quick and easy for me and only took a few minutes each day. I’m no stranger to the entry process, so I had everything ready to go. My ID and COVID card were out, wrists ready for stamps and bracelets, and bag open and ready for searching.
I showed up right as DAISY was starting their set. It only took two songs to make me cry. I knew I would at some point during the day but I was immediately overwhelmed and started to bawl. They mentioned how they hadn’t played a live show in a year and a half and I felt that. I hadn’t seen a set like theirs in the same amount of time. Axe man extraordinaire, Rat, hit a guitar solo that made my knees buckle. I missed those kinds of physical reactions from live music, the shivers and the goosebumps. I could feel the chemicals flooding my brain and trying to heal 18 months of continuous trauma.
DAISY Performing for the First Time In 18 Months
Photo by Travis Trautt
After a soulful, jazzy, and exuberant start to the festival, I got some energy from Yerbana with their delightful Peach Apricot Yerba Mate drink. They had a cute lil’ lounge space set up off to the side of the stage and were incredibly friendly. Usually a festival like this would be jam packed, but because of the circumstances I was able to find a nice spot in the grass to sit and enjoy my drink without being too close to anybody. Many people were wearing masks, but being outside, a large portion of people weren’t. So, the extra space was greatly appreciated.
LIVt slid into the second spot on the lineup flawlessly, delivering a passionate performance. Her powerful voice carried all the way to the mic that was hanging out a foot away from her mouth. She celebrated and represented for all the strong, Black, queer, queens of the world. She rapped and sang about the ups and downs of love directly to her partner who was standing center stage up against the barricades in the crowd. Multiple times over the weekend I overheard festival-goers who were surprised and impressed by the local talent on the bill. LIVt was one of those moments. You could collectively hear the crowd learn who she was and by the end of her set, they were fans.
LIVt Showcased Her Dynamic Vocals
Photo by Mat Hayward
After LIVt, I took a quick smoke break before Sol hit the stage. During his set he spoke on how incredible it was to have live music again, and how special it was to be performing under the Space Needle in the area he grew up in. Live music has the power to make you connect with an artist, and feel what they are feeling. When you can connect like that with another person it reminds you of the magnitude of life, making you feel a part of something bigger than yourself.
This pandemic has given us such a narrow perspective on life since we can’t experience and explore a lot of new things. Moments like, Day In Day Out, give us that sense of community, reminding you how diverse and beautiful our world is. It was a special moment for Seattleites after a grueling year and a half to be able to come together and celebrate what this city does so well, live music.
Sol Glided Across the Stage for His First Show Back
Photo by Sam Fu
One of Seattle’s most recent celebrations is Travis Thompson, who managed to sign a deal with Epic Records. The Burien native is now on the cusp of spilling over into the mainstream media. He even had his song “Dead Prezis” with G-Eazy trend on TikTok with its own dance. During his explosive set, he touched on how amazing it was for his new album, “BLVD BOY,” to get the reception that it has. We even got to hear some unreleased music from Travis. Which I think it will solidify his spot as an emerging artist in the music industry.
As the sun was setting, I took a moment to soak in my surroundings. I definitely saw my fair share of drunk people. But, overall I think the reduction in capacity was a smart choice. There was plenty of room to maneuver around the obnoxious people. I was also genuinely surprised, yet delighted, that I smelled more weed and cologne than I did alcohol and b.o.
Travis Thompson Had An Explosive Set At Day In Day Out Festival
Photo by Zach Fajardo
To finish out day one, Kaytranada gave Seattle the perfect atmosphere to groove in. His songs blended together as the lights emphasized the basslines. The enthusiasm was felt watching the crowd pack in towards the stage. When you haven’t seen a major production of live music in over a year, it can be quite mesmerizing. With his set ending promptly at 10pm, I left the grounds, strapped on my headphones, sparked a blunt, and floated down the sidewalk on my way home.
Day Two of Day In Day Out Festival
I woke up the next morning still on a high from the day before. I was ready to hit the pavilion again. Sadly, Big Wild found out the night before that someone in their team had tested positive for COVID. They had to pull out of the festival at the last minute. Tomo Nakayama got a phone call in the morning asking for him to perform that afternoon. He showed up and delivered an inspiring set full of positive energy. In 2020, he switched up his sound a bit from indie-folk to this vibrant synthy-vaporwave pop sound. His sound combined with his entrancing dance moves set a happy tone for day two.
Photo by Joshua Lewis
Unfortunately, I had responsibilities to attend to that made me have to leave early on day two. I was, however, able to catch the first couple of sets. I left on an extremely high note as Chong the Nomad was the last performer I watched for my Day In Day Out experience. For starters, before she came out I heard Olivia Newton-John pop on singing “Hopelessly Devoted To You,” which was promptly flipped upside down with a remix that was insanely cool.
Chong came bouncing out onto the stage barefoot as usual. She instantly riled up the crowd, calling out the beer garden and VIP section for not going hard enough. This was another one of those moments where I overheard people in the crowd going bonkers over what they were hearing for the first time. If there’s one takeaway from the festival, it’s that there’s a lot of unique and talented artists here who are always ready to put on a stellar show.
Chong The Nomad Has An Energy That Can’t Be Matched
Photo by Eric Tra
At the end of the weekend, I felt like I had gotten a part of my soul back. It still feels surreal to me that I got to attend a two-day music festival after 18 months of basically no live music. I have absolutely no problem being vaccinated yet still rockin’ a mask at a concert for everyone’s safety. It’s a small ask to continue being able have experiences like Day In Day Out festival gave me.
I wish I could have stayed and seen Blu DeTiger, STRFKR, and CHVRCHES. From what I saw on Instagram, all of their sets looked wild. But, given that I’ve haven’t felt the bass from the speakers rattle my bones in over a year, I’m extremely happy with what I did get to see. Major shoutout to everybody at Day In Day Out festival and Daydream State for having Respect My Region come out. I’m looking forward to see what happens with Capitol Hill Block Party 2022.
