Champagne Champagne / Photo by Alex Crick

A massive crowd of Seattle scenesters clogged the arteries of the main drag of one of the city’s most eclectic neighborhoods to celebrate the Capitol Hill Block Party this past weekend (July 25 – 26).

On day one, Girl Talk dominated the main stage, inviting a slew of dance fanatics on stage. While the long-haired, headbanded DJ mixed everyone’s favorite '90s anthems, fans were lucky to catch a glimpse of the man himself between the bouncing teens, who resembled an MTV spring break audience. The streets turned into complete gridlock as the crowd continued to expand to catch a few Girl Talk songs, or to observe the dancers, several of which were armed with squirt guns that emulated Seattle rain in the warmth of the summer afternoon.

In an abrupt shift of musical styles, Les Savy Fav took the stage. Lead singer Tim Harrington stripped away his clothing until he was scantily clad in nothing except tighty whities and a slinky, red-flannel bathrobe. During “Patty Lee” and “The Sweat Descends,” Harrington propped a leg up to pretend to tie his shoe and showed off his “assets” to the lucky folks along the front fence of the stage. After wrapping up the set, he grabbed a box on the stage containing his shed clothing and took a bow.

Attendees took a slight detour from their musical focus when Washington State Governor Christine Gregiore made an unexpected visit to not only encourage Seattleites to vote for the democratic presidential nominee next month,but to introduce the headliners of the evening: New York’s Vampire Weekend, who are also a Pacific Northwest favorite. The vast horde of music lovers cheered as Ezra Koenig and crew took to their instruments to open their set with “APunk." Voices rose and hands clapped along with “Mansard Roof” and “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” as the half-moon rose and the first night of the Block Party came to a successful close.