“Rain or shine, motherfuckers. Rain or shine.” Those were the first words spoken by Passion Pit’s Michael Angelakos to greet the dedicated crowd at this year’s All Things Go Fall Classic, unmoved by Saturday’s downpour. The festival’s sense of community allowed the show to remain a success despite some setbacks experienced throughout the day.
The festival featured unique performances from Ace Cosgrove, POP ETC, Sofi Tukker, Bishop Briggs, Sylvan Esso, Passion Pit and headliner Empire of the Sun. Perhaps the best thing about All Things Go was the mixture of music offered, as each act had a distinct style and stage presence to be appreciated.
This variety was mirrored in the food as well with Shake Shack, Takorean, Buredo, Timber Pizza, DGS, Beefsteak, Compass Coffee and Milk Cult on site to cater to a range of hungry concert-goers. At first, I was surprised to see the amount of vegetarian and vegan options at this festival, but then I remembered I was in Washington to attend a concert primarily consisting of hipsters eager to watch indie acts.
Maryland native Ace Cosgrove first took the stage before most of the show’s attendees even arrived. The heavy interaction between the small crowd and the rapper, who at one point entered the audience for a group hug, along with the day’s weather allowed for a feeling of shared camaraderie to emerge through the unfavorable conditions tolerated by the fans.
“The fact that people are here in the rain when there’s no tent is just dope,” Cosgrove said. “It’s not like your typical music festival, it has diversity and opens up people to so many types of music.”
The festival picked up around 3 p.m. when many more attendees gathered on a muddy lawn that felt almost like quicksand to see the eclectic Bishop Briggs. Unlike most of the acts that followed her, Briggs did not rely on an elaborate stage design or costumes and shined solely on the raw talent in her impressive vocals. Her performance was gripping, effortlessly grabbing the audience’s attention, and she emerged as an artist to watch. Her energetic stage presence as the rain continued to pour livened the crowd, prepping them for Christine and the Queens’ scheduled set.
As Briggs exited, many attendees were devastated to learn that Christine and the Queens had “regrettably … declined to performed.” The singer later explained on Twitter that her band spent two hours on site attempting to find a way to play the show in the way it was envisioned with proper lights, music and dancers, but this was not possible with the weather.
While most concert-goers left to grab delicious food, spray paint the Community Art Wall or receive a free tarot reading at Milk Cult, pop duo Sofi Tukker retook the stage. Watching the group the first time left me unimpressed, as I did not appreciate their act due to their heavy lip-synching. But the duo’s appreciation for All Things Go in their courtesy encore performance felt genuine and their unwavering energy in the pouring rain the second time around drew many attendees back into the crowd.
The sky cleared to a beautiful, almost cotton candy color as Sylvan Esso performed their set, filled with more mellow sounds that provided a pleasant contrast to Passion Pit’s exuberant following act. The crowd sustained its vivacity to the sounds of Amelia Meath’s honeyed vocals.
Passion Pit opened with “Take a Walk,” to quickly put the festival’s vibrancy on its high. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to hear Angelakos’ voice over the music and the band’s fervent crowd. The lead singer noted his frustration to the audience several times, who returned the feeling with chants of “Turn your mic up!” Despite missing the singer’s distinctly high voice, the performance never felt inadequate, as the committed audience knew every word to sing back.
The festival closed with its headliner, Empire of the Sun, whose singing combined with their colorful costumes, talented dancers and synth beats carried the show to success. Their performance of crowd favorite “We Are the People” was almost surreal, as the band’s impressive stage design made for a truly futuristic grand finale to the fall festival.
