Who: Parenthetical GirlsWhere: EMP Sky ChurchWhen: 3:30 p.m.From beginning to end, Parenthetical Girls’ set was full of surprises. Lead singer Zac Pennington started the first song standing in the middle of the crowd, projecting his warbly voice from the floor while his bandmates stayed on stage. They stood casually behind their instruments, serenely playing tinkling xylophones and cymbal-heavy drumbeats while Pennington paraded on-stage and off again. He would sometimes break into methodical, seizure-like dance moves–like Joy Division’s Ian Curtis in slow motion–or bang a drumstick against the stage’s railing or the floor or the monitors. Parenthetical’s last song was an OMD cover, and it ended with all four members playing one drum set together. As the crowd began to leave, Pennington announced that the set–one of the weirdest and cleverest at Bumbershoot so far–could be their last. “This is a somber occasion for us,” he said. “Matt Carlson is leaving the band after this show.” As the crowd let out a sad sigh, Pennington made another announcement, cryptically implying that his band was breaking up. “And no one else knows how to play our songs. So that’s it. Last show ever.”
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