Seattle’s inaugural Day In Day Out marked an end to a 700-day music festival drought with two absolutely packed days at the Fisher Pavilion. Day one had performances by Daisy, Livt, Sol, Travis Thompson and Kaytranada. Seattle’s very own Sol delivered a top notch performance that got emotional as he confessed how much this all meant to him and how he missed live music, a feeling shared by so many of us. As the sun set, beloved local artist Travis Thompson took the stage. The whole place went wild as he walked out and performed songs off his new album, BLVD Boy, for the first time. The day was then wrapped up by a one-of-a-kind visual and musical experience courtesy of Kaytranada.
Chong the Nomad kept the energy going on day two with her singing, spinning and dancing. Towards the end of her set she decided to do something that she stated she stays away from and performed completely acoustic with her ukulele. The crowd loved it. Multi-talented bass player Blu DeTiger was up next with her band. Her undeniable mastery of the bass guitar was on full display and the crowd was eating it up. Toward the end of her set, she performed her new song “Go Bad,” which was used in the soundtrack to Netflix’s He’s All That.
At this point, the sun was setting and the venue was starting to fill up. Stage lights were coming on and anticipation for the final two performers was high. General admission was packed when Portland’s STRFKR took the stage. Their chill alternative songs plus a killer light show seemed to be what everyone had been waiting for. You saw hands in the air, friends on each other’s shoulders cheering and people dancing the entire show. As STRFKR’s set ended a few people dispersed, but most stayed put to not lose their spot in the crowd. After the brief intermission was up, the DJ’s music stopped, the lights went out and Chvrches took the stage as the crowd roared. The lighting was like nothing seen during all the other performances. General admission was completely packed, and lead singer Lauren Mayberry was absolutely killing it on stage—spinning as she sang to keep the energy high. Overall, it was a great way to close out the festival.
Day In Day Out was a breath of fresh air after a year and a half without live music. Being able to experience music as a group was something that had been missing from our lives for far too long.
