ALL THINGS GO DAY 1SETS HIGH EXPECTATIONS
BY LIZ BAUMMERAll Things Go is so iconic that honestly no words feel like they do the festival justice. To say I, as well as the rest of the internet, was buzzing going into All Things Go weekend would be an understatement. The DC festival was celebrating 10 incredible years this year which is such an exciting milestone for a festival that has grown exponentially in size over that time.
DC Day 1 was headlined by Laufey with the Kennedy Center Orchestra, Bleachers, and Janelle Monáe, and included the likes of Remi Wolf, Ethel Cain, Julien Baker, Mannequin Pussy, Maisie Peters, and so many more. With two stages, there was so much to see and do at All Things Go DC. Luckily those two stages were only a five minute walk apart making it easy to jump between sets to catch your favorite artist. While the morning had overlapping set times, ATG made a point to factor in time gaps as the day went on allowing fans time to move between stages as to not miss any of the headliners’ performances.
The first thing I noticed for the weekend was two major improvements that fans had been lobbying for this year. First, there were many more water stations than last year. At last year’s festival, there were only two water refill stations each of which had lines over an hour in the heat which was a major cause for concern for fans at the festival. This year All Things Go added six additional water stations for a total of eight. This drastically decreased wait times for water which I strongly believe is a massive improvement safety-wise. Especially on Saturday, when it was sunny, hot, and humid by mid-afternoon, having quick access to water refills is vital to safely hold a festival. Merriweather has also always been diligent about handing out water bottles to fans in the pit and at the barricade. In the photo pit, it was easy to spot cases of water bottles every couple of feet and staff was consistently passing water bottles back into the crowd between sets.
The other major improvement that I noticed immediately was that this year ATG implemented wristbands for people with pavilion tickets. Last year anyone who had a ticket with access to the pavilion had to show their ticket every time they wanted to enter the pavilion. This was logistically difficult as this meant every fan had to have a digital copy of their ticket on them at all times to go to and from the pavilion. Additionally, last year there seemed to be a trend where people were using screenshots of other people’s tickets to enter the pavilion. This year fans with pavilion access were given wristbands, specific to Saturday or Sunday, that designated their pavilion access. This appeared to really ease pavilion access for those who bought those tickets, and my friends who attended the festival agreed that it definitely made things less complicated.
One major highlight on Saturday was the surprise announcement of Sunday’s schedule change. After Chappelle Roan canceled appearances at both ATG NYC and DC due to health concerns, there was a lot of uncertainty going into the weekend about how this would affect the schedule for the weekend as Roan had an hour time slot on Sunday for ATG DC. Well, the entire crowd got their answer to this question in unexpected, yet spectacular fashion. While waiting for Maisie Peters to take the stage at the Pavilion, ATG suddenly put a graphic up on the screen announcing that MUNA would be joining the ATG DC Sunday lineup in Roan’s time slot. To say the crowd erupted in cheers would be an understatement. This was, in my opinion, one of the best case scenarios for Sunday’s replacement. MUNA played ATG last year, and I know a lot of DC fans were hoping to see them on the DC lineup again this year. There were plenty of Instagram comments when the NYC lineup was announced begging the festival to add MUNA to the DC lineup as well. Once Roan’s cancellation was announced these comments made a resurgence, pleading with the festival to give Roan’s timeslot to MUNA, and ATG certainly delivered. It really felt like the festival made a lot of fans’ dreams come true with this announcement!
There were a lot of performance highlights that it feels impossible to recap them all. There was no shortage of fans for any of the performances with fans arriving early to catch all the earlier artists and staying late through the headliners. By far the most unexpected, and funniest, moment from the day was Jack Antonoff’s random standoff with a spotted lanternfly. Spotted lanternflies are an invasive species that people are supposed to kill if they see them, and they were definitely out in full force during the festivals. They were landing on the crowd, on the photographers, on the gear, on stage, and everywhere in between. But this really came to a head during the Bleachers performance when one landed on Antonoff’s microphone. Antonoff then quieted the band saying quote “I don’t want to disturb the bug” while the crowd shouted to kill it. Antonoff refused, lobbying for the bug’s life before Bleachers drummer Sean Hutchinson snuck up from behind with a towel and stole the bug away, presumably squishing it. Antonoff then proceeded to work the dead bug and other “unwanted forest creatures” into his usual inspirational intro to Rollercoaster. The whole thing was comical and had the crowd laughing.
Another strong highlight of the day was Janelle Monáe’s set closing out the Chrysalis stage. I spoke in my pre-festival coverage about how excited I was to see the production design of her set as the visuals from her last tour were stunning. I was certainly not disappointed. Seeing her set in-person exceeded all my expectations. The styling and set design were even more beautiful in-person than the images I had previously seen. I particularly loved the flower coatshe wore. Her performance was also incredibly dynamic with her dancers and band providing incredible additions to the experience.
Laufey with the Kennedy Center Orchestra was just as beautiful and magical as I anticipated it to be. Laufey’s music pairs perfectly with the orchestral accompaniment. It takes her angelic voice to an entirely different dimension. I am also personally a big fan of live orchestras so to see a musician I am a fan of accompanied by a live orchestra was breathtaking. It was also my first time seeing Laufey live, and I am not sure how it is possible, but she sounds even better live than recorded (and her recorded music is flawless). The other thing about Laufey’s performance that stuck with me was how much joy she radiated. You could tell she was having such a good time and that this moment was special to her. Laufey also took a minute to explain the significance of this moment for her personally as her mother played in the NSO with Joni Mitchell at Merriweather Post Pavilion when she was young so this was a very full circle moment for her. The joy she radiated could be felt throughout the venue, and I left the photo pit with a smile plastered across my face because her joy made me joyful.
Overall, Day 1 of All Things Go was a massive success. I left exhausted but with a massive smile on my face. The lineup simultaneously felt cohesive and like there was something for everyone. The crowd overall seemed very chill with the standing pit in the Pavilion not being at capacity for most of the day. This allowed fans of earlier artists to enjoy their favorites up close before fans of the headliners moved up towards the barricade later in the day.
Our gallery below features images from Oliver Malcom, Annie DiRusso, Wasia Project, Mannequin Pussy, Sammy Rae & The friends, Briston Maroney, Maisie Peters, Julien Baker, Ethel Cain, Remi Wolf, Janelle Monáe, Bleachers, and Laufey with the Kennedy Center Orchestra.
