Deciding what to skip is always the hardest part

Bumbershoot was humming on Day 2, and the crowds kept strolling in.

Strolling, cabbing, busing — however they came, the way to Bumbershoot 2007 seemed crowded.

Cars, if the drivers were lucky, crawled slowly, while pedestrians, like a trio of 20-somethings sporting sunglasses and jeans, simply ambled toward the entrance wearing smiles.

Plenty arrived via Monorail, Metro bus and, of course, the bold yellow cabs. But once in, all were equally entangled in the foot traffic, which on Sunday felt much thicker than it's been in past years.

Bumbershoot offered something different in every corner of Seattle Center: Some people dangled their feet over the edge of the International Fountain; some sat and snacked on a grassy slope; some marveled at stylized rock posters at Flatstock; and some squeezed behind strangers to line up for the Mainstage.

The clear day had turned overcast by midafternoon, but none seemed to care.

Seen and heard around the grounds of Seattle's Music & Arts Festival, 2007 edition:

Fun songs, fun crowd

Looking like the teenage Bee Gees with matching white pants and two-color T-shirts festooned with colorful fringe on the sleeves, Seattle's Natalie Portman's Shaved Head blasted through a lively set of driving pop.

Greeted by a healthy roar from the EMP/SFM Sky Church crowd following each song, the relatively young band seemed relaxed and completely comfortable on stage, dancing and jumping around. They enjoyed their own music as much as the crowd did.

Their well-crafted and infectiously fun pop songs were a perfect fit for the mostly under-21 crowd, which danced and cheered throughout the set.

— Jeff Albertson

Jamaican "Hey Joe"

Barrington Levy's band gave some props to Seattle icon Jimi Hendrix by opening their set with an instrumental version of "Hey Joe."

From the Esurance Stage, the reggae star greeted the boisterous crowd in his thick Jamaican accent: "Say-attle can you 'ear me?"

Levy and his tight backing band played old-school reggae, including the classic ganja-fueled "Under Me Sensei," while the crowd on the Fisher Green lawn danced wildly.

— Jeff Albertson

Casting a spell

Pfeffernuss. Aebleskive. Chevelure.

Hold the phone. If you have no idea what those words mean, much less how to spell or pronounce them, you'd have been way outclassed by a handful of teenagers at the Bumbershoot Spelling Bee.

The hour-and-15-minute show kicked off when two teens — the first- and second-place winners from the recent regional spelling bee — took the stage in white sneakers and baggy pants.

Hannah Brown, 15, of Bellevue, was first: "Apojove. A-P-O-J-O-V-E." It means: The farthest point from the planet Jupiter in the orbit of one of its satellites. Or something.

"You SPELL IT, Girl!" screamed Amelia Phillips, 19, from the back of the small theater. Everyone cheered.

— Haley Edwards

The VIP treatment

Eddie Argos, lead singer of the stylish British rock band Art Brut, fidgeted with his band's set list just feet from the stage, while eager fans awaited a chance to get a picture with him.

The charming and stylishly dressed singer hammed it up with his band mates during the impromptu photo shoot.

It was all part of Bumbershoot's VIP Music Lounge, in the basement of the Eve Alvord Theatre.

Fans were able to score tickets to the up-close performance by RSVP-ing on KEXP's Web site.

Argos and his band mates treated the audience to a tight set of rocking tunes, highlighted by the frontman's randy lyrics and witty stage banter.

The performance was broadcast live on KEXP and hosted by Larry Metro, host of KEXP's Larry's Lounge. And it was all a warmup for Art Brut's open-to-anyone-who-can-squeeze-in show later that night.

— Jeff Albertson

Sunday notes:

• A playful vibe at Bumbershoot persisted all day. It didn't hurt that there was plenty of ultracool swag for sale.

The 826 Seattle booth offered space guns and books titled "Don't Forget to Write." And a Bothell-based shop called messaround carried six-ply onesies with colorful elephant designs.

• Lineup swap: At midafternoon organizers announced a switch on the Fisher Green stage, with local hip-hoppers the Blue Scholars subbing in for Ryan Shaw. The cause? Word on the sidewalk was that Shaw's airplane window had a crack in it and had to make an emergency landing.

And from Saturday:

• Eddie Vedder apparently sat in for a bit during the Crowded House set, which opened the Bumbershoot 2007 Mainstage on Saturday afternoon.

Seattle Times reporter Haley Edwards contributed to this story.

Judy Chia Hui Hsu: 206-464-3315 or jhsu@seattletimes.com