Decisions, decisions. They can be crippling at a festival like Bumbershoot. For three days multiple stages, food carts, art, people-watching, and of course drum circles will conspire to fill a potentially wonderful weekend with anxiety. It does not need to be so.

You simply must believe that you have made the best decision you can—whether or not that is true—and soldier onward blithely unaware of all the great things you are obviously missing out on. All you need to do is decide. We are here to help with that.

To that end, we have mined the lineup for acts that have weathered monumental change or are currently at a crossroads, presenting you with the inspirational stories that will help you on your journey. We also sent writer Jacob Uitti to inquire with some of our favorite artists about the best and worst decisions of their lives, in hopes that you might glean a better understanding of the decision-making process.

Our hope is that, after reading this Guide to Good Decisions, you will feel emboldened and better able to make the most difficult choices—Heart vs. Sallie Ford, elephant ear vs. pork belly, zombies vs. everything else. And if you are still convinced you just don’t have the mettle to make it on your own, we have put together an objective, hour-by-hour guide to the festival’s best offerings. But if you choose to stray from our suggestions, we will respect your decision.

We Decide: A Theoretical Bumbershoot Itinerary

KeyArena vs. Memorial Stadium

Fantagraphics vs. Death

Sister Acts: Heart! the Breeders! Tegan & Sara!

Kris Orlowski Lets His Fans Decide

Death Cab for Cutie: Something Old, Something New

Redd Kross’ One Hit Wondering

Reggie Watts Comes Home

Baroness: After the Crash

Judah Friedlander: After 30 Rock

A Few Tips To Follow In Order to Not Have a Crappy Time