All Things Go is a music festival based in Washington DC which has been annual since 2014, excluding 2020. The festival was originally hosted at Union Market in Washington, with a lineup of 8 acts from 12PM to 10PM. Last month the festival was located at Merriweather Post Pavilion with 32 acts over two 13-hour days. In 2014 the headliner was Future Island, a synth-pop group who currently has 3 million monthly listeners. This year the headliners were Maggie Rogers and Lana Del Rey who have 7.9 and 56.5 monthly listeners respectively, with Lana Del Rey being Spotify’s 28th most listened to artist in the world. Some other notable artists are Boygenius in 2023, Lorde in 2022, and Billie Eilish 2018 who happens to be Spotify’s #10 artist. The growing success of this festival is staggering, however, the most notable thing about the festival as it is now would be the environment that the venue provides.
Of the 32 acts that performed last month over 70% of the acts were female or female-led. It should also be noted that both the headliners and co-headliners were all female. It is not a coincidence that an overwhelmingly majority of women performers coincides with an environment of acceptance and joy. This is not just one person’s perspective either, in fact Maggie Rogers mentioned it during her final performance that Saturday. With tears in her eyes she explained how moved she was to be a part of such a female-oriented lineup, also saying she had never been more comfortable at a performance. These words, spoken directly to the audience, were indicative of the experience as a whole. When sitting in the audience there was a feeling of general excitement and happiness, not only directed towards the performers but also towards the people around them. Everyone was just ecstatic to be there, with what felt like a community.
It’s not like female rock groups are uncommon, but a festival of this capacity, with this ratio of men to women was extraordinary. With the exception of Lilith Fair which was an annual concert that reigned in the 90’s featuring nearly all female bands, there has not been much of a platform for female-led bands as a whole. Rock concerts, at least in decades prior, were not known for being the most upstanding places for women either. In a dark concert venue there are lots of opportunities to be taken advantage of. And when women don’t feel comfortable walking down the street, how could they be comfortable in a rowdy performance environment? The contrast between the constant vigilance of days past and what could be observed at the festival was drastic. Many people were lounging in the sun regardless of gender, feeling at ease. The diversity in attire was immense; The variety of clothes made for a colorful and beautiful crowd.
The performances should not be described as anything other than amazing. The air was electric with excitement, especially as night drew closer. Lana Del Rey fans were probably the most populous, but every single act was met with uninhibited enthusiasm. The crowd and artists were equally excited. Several artists commented on the festival and how excited they were to be present. Sure, artists tend to say that a lot, however, it truly seemed like they were humbled by the experience. That made the festival all the better, the artists were just as excited to be there.
This event was highly anticipated, and it did not disappoint. Lana Del Rey’s performance was positively ethereal, Boygenius played an amazing, vocally layered set, and Maggie Rogers brought an amazing energy along with outstanding vocals. This is only the beginning. The festival has been picking up speed for years, and the names just keep getting bigger. It will be amazing to see what comes next.
