Some Final Thoughts on All Things Go DC 2024

BY LIZA BAUMMER

If you’ve ever read any of my coverage before, you know I adore All Things Go. Ask the Out Jamz staff and they’ll tell you I simply never shut up about it. Covering All Things Go DC 2024 was an event that was over a year in the making. I, along with help from the Out Jamz staff, had been working on our plan and proposal for over a year. It’s not every day that there is a festival that priorities female and queer artists. Oftentimes, when lineups are announced, there is one female headliner (maybe two if you’re lucky).  And I can’t think of many other festivals, if any at all, that focus on queer artists and cultivating such a safe space for queer fans. That is the primary reason Out Jamz has always set the goal of one day covering All Things Go, and to see that dream come true this year has been everything I dreamed it would be and more. Out Jamz’s mission is increase LGBTQ+ representation in the music industry and that is exactly what All Things Go is doing every year!

For a more in depth breakdown of each day, festival improvements, and the overall mission for the festival, please read any of our other pre- and post-festive coverage. Here I want to talk on a personal level about my experience, opinions, and thoughts about the weekend as someone who has both attended as a fan and as media at the festival.

The first thing that stood out to me about All Things Go is that they care about their fanbase. They made a number of festival improvements. The ones that stood out to me most were the pavilion wristbands and additional water refill stations (which I broke down more in depth in my Day 1 recap). ATG also added MUNA to the lineup to replace Chappell, a move that fans had been asking for when Chappell announced her absence. I love going to a festival where it is clear they are listening to their fans. I can’t wait to see what next year’s lineup looks like because ATG is always keeping an eye on fans’ social media activity and weighing that when booking their artists.

All Things Go is also a festival where I have always felt safe, and this starts with the Merriweather staff. Merriweather staff have always been thorough in their security with bag checks and metal detectors. The staff is also incredibly diligent about passing out water to fans in the GA pit to minimize any fainting incidents. In the few instances I witnessed where fans felt sick, staff worked fast and seamlessly to extract the fans and ensure they were safe and cared for. Merriweather staff also stopped allowing entry into the Pavilion when the maximum capacity was reached which ensured there was no one standing in the aisles and causing an unsafe situation (a problem that was seen during the 2023 festival).

On top of this, the Merriweather staff are also just some of the kindest people I have worked alongside. They take their jobs seriously, care about creating a safe environment, and always seem to be having a good time. On Saturday, a staff member positioned at the top of the stairs to go down to the pit in the Pavilion jokingly teased me about the size of my bag. Every time I passed her exiting and entering as I bopped between stages, she made a point to cheer me on and tell her surrounding coworkers that I was working hard. She asked about my pictures and repeatedly encouraged me that we were “almost there” as I’m sure I looked more and more exhausted as the day went on. Working alongside great people will always make a long day more worth it.

Another reason All Things Go has always felt so safe to me is the safe space they have cultivated for the queer community. I have never felt unsafe at ATG, and I have always felt that ATG is a beautifully welcoming environment. When I went as a fan, I went by myself, and I made so many random friends from people who happened to be sitting nearby. I was adopted into friend groups and strangers-turned-friends saved my seat when I needed food or to run to the bathroom. This year I thought I would have less opportunities to make friends, but this was not the case. It was simply different. I was able to talk to fans at the barricade between sets. At one point, fans who were watching several of the NFL games on Sunday updated me on the scores for my favorite teams. Another fan and I exchanged Instagrams so I could help her with pursuing concert photography. I’ve even had fans messaging me on Instagram after finding themselves in my pictures. It is so fun to see people feeling safe in the space ATG has created and being authentically themselves!

Speaking of great people, one of the greatest highlights of the weekend was sharing the photo pit with some of the most incredible creatives. I got to share the pit with people I have looked up to for ages. Everyone was so fun and respectful. In the aftermath of the festival everyone has been cheering each other on on social media. Some people I knew from previous work and some people I had followed on social media for ages! One of my favorite parts of concert photography is the super awesome people you get to meet along the way. Community over competition any day of the week! I left the weekend with a whole bunch of new friends, both photographers and fans.

I also really love the festivals partnership with Amplify Her Voice. Amplify Her Voice is a champion of gender equality in the music industry. They work hard to provide women opportunities to get involved in the music industry and advance their careers. They have done many cool things with my personal favorite being their Equal Exposure Program which allowed photographers to shadow tour photographers on the stops in their city. Last year they started a program to provide behind the scenes tours of All Things Go to women interest in the music industry. They continued the program this year, and it was a raging success! I love the fact that All Things Go and Amplify Her Voice work together to pour into women in the music industry. I love supporting Amplify Her Voice and all the hard work they are doing to make the industry a better place for women.

Overall, no words ever do the festival justice. I could talk for hours about my experiences as both a fan and media. In fact, I do talk for hours to just about anyone who will listen. I wear my merch with pride knowing that I am supporting a festival that advocates for and highlights female and queer artists. I, along with Out Jamz, am so lucky to have had the opportunity to cover something so remarkable. With how aligned All Things Go and Out Jamz are, hopefully this won’t be the last time we’ll be covering this iconic festival! Here’s to (hopefully) many more years to come!