Staged at the bottom of the Puget Sound, this festival was set to be the third and final South Sound Block Party here in Olympia, Washington. There was an exciting setlist for the finale. 

4:00 PM on the dot the gates open and a small line of people queue into the security check. In a little panic I jumped to the front of the line and tried to bypass security (really sorry!) getting stopped and searched immediately. Security at these things is pretty paramount these days! Things start out pretty calm and not too busy. The bar is open, food vendors are ready, and merch stalls appear to be prepared to handle all takers. I find my seat and wait for the show!

About half an hour later and the grounds are starting to fill up. A mild din begins rising out of the crowd as anticipation grows. There is also a delightful aroma emanating from the food trucks across the property. Everything seems pretty calm still, and it is a nice day to sit outside.

In a break from Olympia tradition, the show starts at 5:00 PM sharp! The band that kicked off this festival was Grrrizzly, consisting of two people playing the guitar and drums. Not too bad! Fifteen minutes later and the crowd had doubled in size. I can only imagine how much the noise is bouncing across the sound.

5:50 PM and the next band, Trust Fall takes the stage. Things get much flowier and chiller than the previous band. It feels much more like a nice, outdoor house show, but with a much larger crowd. The weather is also holding up, keeping nice and temperate with a cool and refreshing breeze.

6:30, a brief intermission before the next band begins. Several guests get up and wander about, sampling the offerings of the festival.

6:40 and the next band starts. They are called The Rat Utopia Experience and they appear to be clowns. I don’t mean that in any sort of negative way or to say they aren’t serious performers or anything, they’re all just wearing clown makeup. They bring a lot more energy to the stage. The crowd is getting larger and more active and the music is quite good. There also seems to be some sort of sound issues going on but nothing too egregious. 

7:00 PM and the rat clown band ends with a bang. Everything is getting a lot more crowded and a little harder to navigate. The flow of time this evening also starts to get weird for some reason, being both slow and fast.

7:35 PM Annie Dirusso starts. They’re alright and have a much more eclectic vibe. There is a mild break from the growing crowd. Some friends I ran into had the following to say:

“Not too loud and a lot of seating!” – Friend 1

“South Sound Block Party” – Friend 2

8:00 PM rolls around and I am completely surrounded. People seem really excited and everyone is gathering closer and closer. It’s also getting chillier out so maybe people were just huddling for warmth! The sun begins to set and more and more people gather around.

8:15 PM it is getting cooler out and the sweaters are popping back on. The entire property is packed now, porta potties have been vacated of all their toilet paper, there’s a sudden blast of pizza smell wafting from the food trucks, and everyone is on their feet instead of a mix of sitting and standing. Excitement grows!

A little before 9:00 PM and Sleater-Kinney takes the stage to close out the first night of the festival. People around seem very excited and there is no longer any way to keep seated. The name comes from a street that runs through Olympia, Lacey and unincorporated Thurston County called Sleater-Kinney Road. Can’t say I’ve ever really listened to Sleater-Kinney, but they’re good and the crowd has a lot of energy! A great way to end the night.

Day 2

Upon arrival to the second day of the festival, I grab a delicious smoothie from one of the food vendors. I am not familiar with any of the bands playing today but I am looking forward to discovering new ones. I am also pretty tired already from the previous day, but that’s alright. It is a bit quieter and more laid back at opening than the previous day, and the wind was noticeably more blustery than the previous day. It did feel nice, but was wreaking havoc on everyone’s aluminum cans and plastic cups. 

2:30 rolls around and the first band starts right on time (I really appreciate this aspect of the festival). This band is called Alien Boy and they are alright. The style blends into the background a bit and everything is still very calm. 

The next band to play is Alex Vile, another one I have not heard. People were lounging around and a small crowd was forming around the stage. Lots of chatting and drinking was being had all around. The persisting pizza smell hung in the air and I was pretty tempted to get some.

I did not end up getting any pizza.

The following band, Magenta Wave took the stage and they are alright. Following them was a band named Cheap Perfume busting in with a lot more energy than the previous bands today. Very entertaining band and had a lot to say regarding social issues, an exciting performance to close out the afternoon as we shifted to the evening hours. Apparently they are from Colorado.

Next up, Lovely Colors. Not really for me, but they had a modest crowd gathered around for their performance. Unfortunately not a very memorable performance and I do not have too much to add. Seems to cater to a younger demographic too, which is all well and good.

As twilight approached, the lineup took a series of unexpected and refreshing turns. Babes in Canyon brought a uniquely quiet, attentive vibe with a setup featuring a mandolin, keyboard, and drum machine. But the undeniable highlight of the day came around 6:50 PM with Sol. Delivering a vibrant performance, their set brought infectious joy and stage presence just as the sun dipped below the horizon. There’s something with Sol and sun in there.

8 PM and we are in the home stretch. The next band, Shannon and the Clams, takes the stage. Apparently they’ve been around for a while and stated some shows they’ve played at local show-houses over the years, such as the Phoenix House and House of Red (or just Red House I think). They commanded the stage with effortless humor and crowd work. For the first time all day, the venue erupted into a massive, full-floor dance party. They seem to have quite a local following as well, I have seen a lot of their merch on guests throughout the day. A very entertaining performance.

9:00 PM and the crowd is almost as packed as the previous night in anticipation for the finale and final show of the South Sound Block Party forever, Sleigh Bells. Once again, I’ve never heard of this band but I am excited to see what it is about. Delivering a wall of sound they closed out the festival with unrelenting energy. While day two began as a quiet, rambling afternoon in the Olympia sun, it ended as a chaotic, triumphant celebration of live music.

There is a particular kind of nostalgia that arrives early — the kind that settles in before the thing being mourned has even finished happening. That feeling hung over the shores of the Puget Sound this past weekend as the South Sound Block Party, held in Olympia, staged its third and final installment. It wasn’t a festival trying to prove anything. It didn’t have Coachella’s ambitions or its budget. What it had instead was a lineup built with real care, a footprint that never felt overstuffed, and the slightly eccentric intimacy of a music scene that has always insisted on doing things its own way. For a farewell, that turned out to be more than enough.