Capitol Hill Block Party – Day 3 Recap

Father John Misty performs at Capitol Hill Block Party (Photo by Christine Mitchell)

Around midafternoon on Sunday at Capitol Hill Block Party, it started pouring outright. Real estate under trees and beer tents became competitive gathering spaces. Neumos and the Cha Cha were crammed full of steaming poncho-wearers. A tenacious crowd hung on to hear Kathleen Hanna’s latest project, The Julie Ruin, at the Main Stage, but water was guttering down onto stage equipment, and the stage crew was hurriedly tarping everything over. But the show went on in the end; after all, this is Seattle.

The rain kept crowds from topping out, but those who showed up were treated to another day of great performances, from So Pitted’s strange space alien angle to Flatbush Zombies’ insistence for “ten more minutes,” which turned into a crowd-surfing, Nirvana-moshing adventure.  Portland’s Summer Cannibals were an excellent punk-ass  surprise. Chastity Belt ooozed a “not here to entertain you” vibe, both visually and sonically, which made them reverse-cooler-than-thou. By seven o’clock, the skies were turning blue again, as Father John Misty drew an enthusiasic audience with an equally, if not more enthusiastic, performance. (Both Father John Misty and Shannon and the Clams claimed responsibility for the post-rain sunshine. The Clams were probably feisty enough to do it.)

SMI contributors Alex Crick, Michael Profitt, and Christine Mitchell were on hand to capture Sunday’s performances.

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