THING Weekend 3 With The Legends
THING Weekend 3 Written By Jordan Barsness
If you braved the 90+ degree temperatures on the last Saturday of THING Fest, you were rewarded with a lineup of legends and a particular group of musicians that had you seeing mirages. Among those legends was Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio fame, whose debut solo album (Thee Black Boltz) was released in April. Always a powerful and captivating performer, Tunde delivered early in the day with energetic tunes like “Magnetic” and more subdued moments like “God Knows.”
Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner of Tune-Yards then took the stage. Their musical collaboration and romantic partnership have been creating indie hits for over a decade. Their latest release, Better Dreaming, is a testament to their creativity and their ability to document the human experience through music.
Merrill has one of the most distinct voices in music—some voices cannot be replicated, and hers is one of them. Add to that the bass guitar and keyboard production of Nate, along with Merrill’s ukulele, and you get a fresh, innovative sound album after album.
The Festival Voice was able to secure a quick photo opportunity and question session with Tune-Yards after their performance. They have always loved playing in the Seattle area.
When preparing questions, it’s easy to fall into cliches. One of their favorite tour stops is the Neptune in Seattle’s University District. During research on Tune-Yards, we discovered that Merrill was a puppeteer early in her performance arts career. We asked, “Are you keeping up with puppet-making?” Merrill, with a smile, explained that they made a puppet in her likeness as a fun communication and play tool for their young child. Don’t hold your breath for puppets to become part of their stage show, but—who knows? Maybe one day.
Merrill and Nate are as authentic as they come. Their set started with the first track from their new album, “Heartbreak,” which woke up the sun-wilted crowd. It was a pleasure to share a moment backstage with them, in what looked like a scene straight out of the movie Raising Arizona.
After Tune-Yards, the mysterious, beaded-masked musicians, Glass Beams, took the stage. The festival atmosphere felt like a spiritual journey through the Sahara Desert. Snake-like dance moves could be seen throughout the grounds as THING Fest worked up a sweat in the 90-degree heat. Glass Beams delivers a live sound that’s heavier and darker than their recordings. The intricacies of their instrumentation are awe-inspiring. These are artists you won’t want to miss in the years to come.
The day continued with Cory Wong, whom many music fans will recognize from Vulfpeck and The Fearless Flyers. Cory played a set that can only be described as a funky good time. The band are professional musicians who know how to get the dance floor moving.
With a packed day of amazing artists, the legendary Roots closed out the night and the month of THING festivities. Adam Zaks has always brought some of the world’s best hip-hop artists to the festival—De La Soul, Freddie Gibbs, and Killer Mike are just a few alumni.
For the last performance of the festival, fans had the chance to witness Black Thought, The Roots’ MC, expertly navigating his flows with a precision most rappers can only dream of, while Questlove held down the rhythm on the drums. The Roots are the perfect fusion of jazz and rap—no wonder they’ve been selling out shows since the early ’90s.
They kicked off their set with classics from their debut album, Do You Want More?. Golden era hip-hop fans immediately rapped along, word for word, during “Distortion to Static.” With so much talent on stage, the audience was treated to 15-minute guitar solos, a drum clinic, and poetic moments—all keeping the energy in constant motion.
Gorgeous renditions of The Roots hits “You Got Me” and “The Seed (2.0)” brought THING Fest 2025 to a spectacular close. An incredible month of music out at Remlinger Farms in Carnation, Washington, was over. Now, let the anticipation for 2026 begin!