Locals & Legends: Bumbershoot '12 in Photos

Bumbershoot hasn't seen three consecutive days of sunshine in a few years, but it made a return this year—along with a great lineup of Seattle's own finest artists and musicians. This year, Bumbershoot also brought in legends like Tony Bennett for the main stage and Wanda Jackson, who sang with the Dusty 45s. Jackson even belted out an excellent Amy Winehouse cover in the middle of the set. Speaking of legends, Elvis seemed to be everywhere this year—because he was. Sightings occurred all over the Seattle Center grounds and a gallery show devoted to the King displayed a collection of contemporary Elvis works from various artists.  

Seattle's own TacocaT (below) brought the fun with tutus, tights, and bubbles. Bubbles EVERYWHERE.

The Fisher Green Stage sees its share of dancers in the crowd every year, and this year they seemed to have multiplied, making the crowd almost as entertaining as the show on the stage.

Katie Kate:  New 'do and a couple new songs, too.  Keep an eye on this one - we should be seeing a lot more of her.

From unicycles to hats, to Crystal Barbee's "Picta" (below), Elvis was everywhere.  

Black Breath. Hair. So much hair. So much rock.  

Valerie Anne Poxleitner of LIGHTS was all smiles, charming all the boys in the front row.

Flatstock's new home in the Center House.

Christopher Martin Hoff Remembered, curated by Beth Sellars (Suyama Space): 65 of Hoff's incredibly detailed paintings were on display.  Hoff died unexpectedly this spring at the age of 36.

Improv performances popped up randomly throughout the weekend.

Even more locals: Ayron Jones and the Way (below), THEESatisfaction, The Dusty 45s (with Wanda Jackson), and Reignwolf.  These four alone were worth the cost of admission to Bumbershoot.

KEXP DJ Kevin Cole introduces Low, who were one of many to perform in the (air-conditioned) Music Lounge this year.

The Atomic Bombshells never, ever fail to entertain.  On Monday, they packed out the Bagley Wright Theater, riffing on the hot weather theme, which fittingly involves the removal of clothing.

Clothing wasn't just optional for burlesque dancers - the fountain was well-utilized as a cooling stations for hot Bumber-fans.

Night time falls on day 3 with the Space Needle emerging as the backdrop to everyone's fun.