During its first full year of operation, KEXP’s Gathering Space expanded its role in the local arts ecosystem as a community hub, venue, and broadcast base of operations. In total, 151,769 people visited the Gathering Space and 2,952 guests toured KEXP in 2017.
January’s Bed-In for Peace set the tone for 2017, with performances by Tomo Nakayama, Grace Love, Wimps, and others. Other standout events included free Uptown Concerts by alternative pioneers Violent Femmes and New Orleans’ legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band, readings by Billy Bragg and Damon Krukowski as part of Songbook: KEXP’s Music & Literature Series, and a moving tribute to Chris Cornell.
