A helicopter could’ve spotted Blondie. Debbie Harry and Co. took Bumbershoot’s mainstage in neon-green garb, complete with a matching sunhat. The snug get-up didn’t stop the frontwoman from dancing seductively to the band’s first song, “Call Me,” and later into standout number “The Tide is High,” and these new-wave vets still worked the crowd like they once did New York clubs.
Ecstatic Harry-fan Jenny Day waved her water bottle with dangerous enthusiasm as she danced along to what she cited as the sole reason she came to Bumbershoot. “[Debby’s] fabulous,” she screamed. “She’s fantastic, she’s beautiful, and she’s my idol. This is fantastic.”
Seattle-based quartet the Purrs may not have 30 years of experience like Blondie, but their brand of indie pop came off delightfully sophisticated, at least when the songs from 2005’s The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of meditated on something other than drinking lots of booze.
And their moves were hardly as choreographed as those of Blondie. For the Purrs, Bumbershoot is all about the accidental moments. “This is dangerous,” frontman Jima said with a grin when he stopped between songs. “They usually don’t let me talk — I might say something bad.” ERIKA HOBART
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At Bumbershoot ’06, Spin is on the ground with our college correspondent program. Eight college students — four writers, four photographers — earned the opportunity to cover the festival for SPIN.com, live, all weekend long. Sound appealing? Stay tuned to SPIN.com for future opportunities to apply for our college correspondent program!
