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eclecticism of Chad VanGaalen. I also saw Andrew perform solo at one of the festival’s VIP-only shows, and it was one of those times when the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and you feel like you’re holding your breath during the songs. The guy’s a prodigy; he’s a human metronome with perfect pitch. I suppose that it also bears mentioning

that during both performances Andrew was sans footwear, but avec outlandishly coloured striped socks.

If Sunday was all about Andrew Bird, then Monday was all about The Wu-Tang Clan. Sure I got to see Smoosh’s pint- size bassist, sure I got to check out Toronto’s Tokyo Police Club in a VIP show, sure I got to see Janeane Garofalo do stand-up, but all that pales in comparison to watching the remaining members of hip-hop’s greatest collective come together like Voltron. This is the second year in a row that Bumbershoot has been closed out by a reunited, seminal hip-hop act—last year it was A Tribe Called Quest. However, whereas Tribe came across as a bit of a sad caricature

of its former self, Wu-Tang slayed despite the absence of both Ghostface and the GZA. Some its members are now over forty, but the Clan still had the same level of energy that they did in 1993. They burned through all their best tracks, foretold of a forthcoming new album, paid tribute to O.D.B., and had the crowd—almost all of whom repeatedly threw their “W” signs in the air—eating out of the palm of their

hand(s). The RZA stalked the stage with

a 40 oz. in hand, Raekwon the Chef cooked up some of the classic rhymes, and Method Man followed in the footsteps of Iggy Pop (who performed at the festival a few years ago) by walking on the hands of the crowd during ““M-E-T-H-O-D Man.” Really, what more could you ask for?

So, in closing: if you want beef then bring tha ruckus, ‘cause Bumbershoot ain’t nuthin’ to fuck with.

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