It’s 5:50pm on Friday, July 23rd. I’m making my way through the crowd to the Main Stage. The swarm begins its shift, losing some Bear in Heaven fans and gaining Shabazz Palaces-goers. Looking around, I’m surrounded by fans who are sun-baked, eccentrically-dressed, and visibly ready to keep this party going. The in house DJ, playing a quick set between mainstage performances, throws down a few 80s tunes for kicks to get the audience moving. But as soon as the Jay-Z classics began, a signal goes off in the crowd–this shit …

I’ve wanted to see MGMT perform live since their infectious debut album Oracular Spectacular and I cockily assumed there would be a Seattle stop during this year’s tour. I was taken aback when Sasquatch seemed to be their only Washington appearance. No Sasquatch for me equalled no MGMT. So, I took my humbled, Seattle self and trekked to Portland for their June 2 show at the Crystal Ballroom.
Ironically, the lineup for the Capitol Hill Block Party was announced the day I left. Lo and behold, MGMT is scheduled to perform …

With the ultimate celebrity-spotting rave known as Coachella already under the festival belt, the rest of the summer’s music and arts destinations lay out before you. The festival season is picking up steam and this weekend 30,000 lucky people are heading to Sasquatch, one of this country’s premier music festivals – and it’s in our own backyard. Just around the corner is Bonnaroo with its always stellar lineup, and the late summer’s city romps at Outside Lands, Bumbershoot and many others in-between are still to come. Most of the festivals …