Legendary Seattle band the Fastbacks played for free in West Seattle at the street fair. They hadn't played in 10 years, although members have been in other bands (Visqueen, Thee Sargeant Major). They formed in 1979 and were a local mainstay, always on the verge of making it big (although they did pretty well, touring Europe, etc.). I remember hearing them on KCMU as a kid, their song "In America" was an early underground hit (look it up on los youtubes). They were way more pop than punk, guitarist Curt Bloch was (and still is) amazing -- Tom Price once compared his playing to the Sweet's Andy Scott, a comparison that holds up, Lulu held her own on second git, and Kim Warnick was always the coolest with her Joan Jett hair, and killer bass and vocals. They had a rotating cast of drummers, some famous (Duff McKagan), some not so much. Their shows were always fun, and they were one of my favorite Seattle bands of all time. Seeing them again ruled.
I missed the Tom Price Desert Classic playing at the Cretin's clubhouse because I was too busy skating. Tom Price is a great friend and legend, so's Don Blackstone, well, fuck it, everyone in the band is. I got there right when they were done. Killer timing.
I did get to see the Beat (the Paul Collins Beat -- the band that forced the Beat from England to change their name to the English Beat). Most of the band Head was in attendance, except for Giggles, as was Dave Holmes. They're in the photo of the Space Needle below:
The Beat was great, played their hits and played their guts out to a mid-sized crowd.
This record has some great songs, and I play this one out sometimes...
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