A LOVE LETTER TO ALL THINGS GO DC 2025
BY LIZ BAUMMERWe’ve already broken down each day of ATG DC…
Day 1: https://outjamz.com/concert/all-things-go-dc-day-1-the-fun-is-just-getting-started
Day 2: https://outjamz.com/concert/all-things-go-day-2-the-energy-is-at-full-blast
Day 3: https://outjamz.com/concert/all-things-go-dc-a-wonderful-day-and-a-glorious-way-to-end
Now it’s time to get personal. With a month of reflection, here are all of my sappy thoughts on the best parts of the 2025 weekend.
I have so many good things to say so I’ll start with my favorite NEW thing about ATG this year: the livestream with Amazon Music. I’m a big believer that these livestreams increase accessibility for these festivals. They allow people who may not be able to attend these festivals either because of ticket prices or the cost of travel or geographical locations to experience the music at significantly less cost (or no cost if you already have Amazon). It is also a great option for individuals who may have health issues that prevent them from being outside all day to still get to enjoy the festival. Plus I am a big fan of anything that highlights queer and female artists, and it is wonderful to see ATG expand its reach and visibility. It truly shows that there is a demand for this kind of lineup, and I hope that we’ll see more festivals following ATG’s lead in the future. I’m hopeful that the livestream will be a fixture in the future for years to come!
On a personal note, I also loved the livestream because my parents’ watched it and played “Spot Liz” for the weekend. It was so goofy to get text messages in the family group chat saying that they had seen me on the stream or that I had accidentally looked directly into the livestream camera :)
While every artist ATG books is fabulous, there were a couple of very specific musical highlights for me from the weekend. Molly Grace was a standout. For the last year, the staff at Out Jamz has been talking about how she is the perfect fit for ATG, and I was actually covering her DC show where she said she wanted to be on the lineup! I was also thrilled to see Zinadelphia on the lineup. I love that ATG has such good taste in the smaller artists they highlight every year. And the fans of ATG do such a great job as showing up early and giving every single artist on the lineup the energy that they deserve regardless of how big or small they are.
A musical surprise for me was Role Model. I, of course, had heard Sally, When the Win Runs Out because of all the surprise Sally’s on TikTok; however, I was not really familiar with his other music or his performance style. It’s safe to say that I am now very much a fan. I have had his album on repeat since the festvial. I also loved capturing his performance. I don’t know how to describe it but some artists have this charismatic quality where it is just so clear that they are having fun in every! single! Image! Role Model really embodies this, and it made my job so easy and so much fun. He’s definitely on my shortlist of artists I would really REALLY love to capture again. Plus his fans very quickly found my images and were so incredibly kind with their feedback on my work. There is not bigger compliment that an artist or their fans loving the images you produce of them.
One of the artists I was most excited for on the lineup was Kesha. I have grown up listening to Kesha’s music, and there was something so incredibly emotional about seeing her live. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous to capture her performance especially from up at FOH/the soundboard, but it was easily one of the most fulfilling galleries I have ever put out. I put so much pressure on myself to put out great work always but especially for this opportunity, and I’m so proud of the work I put out when I stepped outside my comfort zone. When I tell you, I genuinely edited all through the night to have those photos done first thing in the morning, I mean that. It was 1000% worth the 5am bedtime. It was truly a fully circle moment, and I think that set healed something in me.
Above all though, the best thing about ATG is, and will always be, the people. I have never felt safer and happier at a show than with this group of people, and it starts with the staff. Merriweather has, without a doubt, some of the best staff who are kind, understanding, and do their very best to keep everything safe. The ATG PR team who works with the press are some of the most caring and amazing people I have ever worked with. They advocate for queer artists and queer media, and they are a joy to work with every single year. The venue communications staff who supervise us onsite the weekend are some of the best people in the whole world. I have the privilege of working with many of them year-round at the venues in DC, and I count myself to be one of the luckiest people in the world because of it. They made sure we were safe and taken care of with every piece of information we could need, lots of snacks, cold beverages, a place to sit, and clear direction for the entire weekend.
And then there are the other photographers. The beautiful thing about festivals is that you spend your days with photographers from all over the country and sometimes the world. Unlike stops on tour, at festivals it is more likely that people are going to travel in for the weekend. You get to work alongside some of the best in the game as tour photographers, house photographers, and press photographers share the pit. With there being a whole weekend at work, there is a lot more time to get to know people, make friends, and also learn from your incredibly talented peers. It is so wonderful to share this experience not only with local photographers who are my dear friends but also with new faces who I now get to support from afar.
And finally, you can’t talk about the people without the fans. The fans are what make the festival what it is. Some of my best memories from the weekend are while waiting in the pit and talking to the fans at the barricade. While artist photos are fun, fan photos really showcase the energy of the festival. If you’re a fan reading this, please know that the photographers find great joy in capturing you living your best life and that we are rooting for you. My greatest joy in the last month is watching you all find the images you are in. It’s been so much fun to pass them along to you. As a photographer it is the highest honor and so special to know that I have captured something that you think is worth saving.
I stand by what I say every year, that no words will ever be able to fully capture the joy that ATG weekend brings, but I sincerely hope that these words come close. With 2025 in the rearview mirror, it’s now time to turn our focus towards 2026… and don’t worry we already have some predictions so get excited and keep your eye out for those coming soon ;)