we weren’t quire respectable enough to score a real photo pass, but some snapshots of people playing music at sp20 can be found here. [flickr] send us your better pics and videos via our group pool [#].

Before heading off for another day of Sub Pop birthday festivities at Marymoor, a few highlights — and one lowlight — from yesterday’s day in the sun:

• there was no one best in show, but the Helio Sequence came close, if only for marking the part in the program where the bigger “This” stage showcased the eclectic part of Sub Pop’s lineup while the smaller “That” stage was given over to “hey, remember that grunge bit?” section of the program.
• first spotted crowdsurfer: at Mudhoney
• worst crowd behavior: the people who abused the “respect the blanket” rule by setting up with their cooler, blanket, gear, and an US Weekly about five feet from the front of center stage.
• best guest appearances: the Constantines, whose sometime-keyboardist sometimes-singer powered through with a broken arm (serious recreation!) for bringing up Julie Dorion from Eric’s Trip and later Tim Rutelli from Califone.
• best drum-off: J. Tillman from the Fleet Foxes vs. sound-checking from the Fluids
• best convergence of atmospheric conditions and scheduling: Iron & Wine snagging the sunset spot. Even though he forgot some songs and lyrics, I still loved it. Oh, and Sam Beam almost played “Freebird”.
• funniest stage presence: the Vaselines (sorry Flight of the Conchords, I like you plenty but nothing you guys said could top quips like “this song is about a guy called Jesus, who was sort of the David Blaine of his day” or invitations to dry-hump Frances for $20 in lieu of buying a T-shirt). Plus: I mean, it’s the goddamned Vaselines!! Which, let’s face it, many of us never could have dreamed would actually happen after all these years. AND Playing in your own backyard with a horn guy and people from Belle & Sebastian. It was near-perfect.