The annual All Things Go festival reached a huge milestone this year, celebrating their ten year anniversary with a stacked two-day line up held simultaneously in Columbia Maryland and New York City. The dual-city announcement was an unprecedented surprise this summer, providing fans with the opportunity to see an amazing roster of artists across two major cities on the same weekend. The iconic and well-established festival (which originated in DC) once again returned to the expansive grounds of Merriweather Post Pavilion, highlighting over thirty remarkable artists including Hozier, Reneé Rapp, Bleachers, Janelle Monáe, Conan Gray, Remi Wolf, Michael Kiwanuka, Ethel Cain, Del Water Gap, Julien Baker, The Japanese House, and many more across its two large stages.
Partnering with prominent organizations such as Amplify Her Voice, Women In Music, and The Ally Coalition, All Things Go aims to deliver a diverse, female and non-binary-focused lineup, emphasizing their commitment to fostering diverse and inclusive spaces within the music community. To round out the festival experience, attendees were also able to enjoy ample food and drink options, numerous pop-ups, and various games and installations alongside the amazing music. Check out our weekend highlights below:
Saturday
Infinity Song
Soft-rock indie band from New York, Infinity Song, is composed of four talented siblings named Abraham, Angel, Israel, and Momo Boyd. Together they helped to warm up the Chrysalis stage on day one of the festival as attendees began to settle in under the sun for an exciting weekend filled with music and fun. With their dreamy lyrics and beautifully harmonized sound, they performed songs from their sophomore album, Metamorphosis Complete, showcasing their refreshingly unique R&B-infused soft rock genre. The uplifting set was well received and a perfect way to kick off the festival weekend.
Ethel Cain
Emotions ran high throughout Ethel’s late afternoon set; with her moving lyrics and soulful vocals, crowds flocked to the Chrysalis stage to sing along with her, pouring their whole heart into their own barricade performances. She brought her gothic, indie-rock vibe to the festival with songs like “A House in Nebraska,” and “Crush.” During “Thoroughfare” Ethel expertly played a harmonica, eliciting cheers from the audience who were not expecting the instrument. Throughout the set a few lucky fans were in complete disbelief whenever Ethel came to the edge of the stage and looked directly into their eyes, as if personally serenading them. After a beautiful cover of “Bette Davis Eyes” (original by Jackie DeShannon), she closed out her moving set with “American Teenager” – a fitting song that touches upon the nostalgic feeling of teenage rebellion and freedom.
Remi Wolf
Remi Wolf brought the best kind of chaotic energy to All Things Go, skipping around the stage and engaging with the humongous crowd that gathered for her set. With animated expressions and boldly sensual moves, her performance was as entertaining as it was interactive. Between songs like “Liz,” which she dedicated to all those named Liz in the crowd, and “Alone in Miami” – a song she created after having a crazy weekend in Miami – she encouraged the audience to perform some exercises with her to stretch their bodies and minds. Due to her playful personality and dynamic voice, she easily turned the Chrysalis stage into a party, even taking a moment to jump behind the drum set and jam out with her bandmates during “Kangaroo.” Remi Wolf is certainly a force to be reckoned with in the pop-music world, and an absolute joy to witness live.
Bleachers
As the sun began to set, excitement was palpable ahead of the Bleachers’ performance as their special From The Studio To The Stage tour stage was being prepared. When frontman Jack Antonoff finally made his appearance, dramatically looking skyward at the light box that read “Recording Studio In Use,” the crowd erupted into screams. Energy levels were at an all time high both on stage and across the venue grounds as each track they played riled up the crowd more and more. Their set included top songs such as “Modern Girl,” “Wake Me,” “Rollercoaster,” and “Don’t Take the Money.” At one point Jack tossed his guitar aside and made his way to the barricade to interact with fans, encouraging everyone to shout louder as they watched him on the big screens. Near the end of their set the crowd sang the chorus of “I Wanna Get Better” at the top of their lungs as the entire band went all out playing their instruments in the background. The band has been on tour for the last few months and will be rounding out their live performances with a final sold-out show in New York City.
Laufey
Closing out a great first day at All Things Go, Laufey absolutely shined on stage under pulsating golden spotlights. Throughout the day fans were spotted wearing her signature bow in their hair (aka “the unspoken bow rule”) as part of their dress code to support the event. Backed by the full Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra and accompanied by visuals on screen to match each track, she delivered a full-length performance of numerous songs from across her vast discography, including two impressive covers – “I Wish You Love” by Keely Smith, and “It Could Happen To You” by Jimmy Van Heusen. A notable highlight of the evening occurred when Laufey asked for a moment to straighten herself out behind her cello, and someone in the audience responded with, “There is nothing straight about being here!” eliciting lots of laughter from the ATG crowd. To close out the night, Laufey affectionately changed the final line of her beloved track “From the Start,” to “All Things Go, I love you from the start.”
Sunday
Towa Bird
Alternative indie artist Towa Bird hit the stage early, immediately warming up the crowd with her sultry voice and rockin’ guitar riffs. After tackling a technical issue early on, her small but mighty performance got the crowd up and moving, screaming out the lyrics to tunes like recent release “Rat Race,” and 2023 track “Wild Heart.” Between songs fans hyped her up by chanting her name, and they clapped to the beat throughout many songs. She closed out with one of her other high energy tracks, “Drain Me!” as the audience raised their hands in the air to wave along to the final chorus and belt out the super catchy lyrics in unison.
Holly Humberstone
Fans holding signs and even a bouquet of yellow flowers lined the barricade in the early afternoon to catch Holly Humberstone’s set at the Chrysalis stage. The English singer-songwriter is just winding down from a jam-packed summer of shows and festivals, announcing that she was wrapping up her tour with this final weekend performance at All Things Go. Despite playing for a large crowd, her set felt very intimate largely due to her airy vocals that paired perfectly with her acoustic guitar. Radiating a sweet, comforting vibe through her music, she opened with “Paint My Bedroom Black,” and continued with other fan-favorite songs like “Into Your Room,” and “The Walls Are Way Too Thin.” Midway through her set, Nicholas Carpenter (known as Medium Build) joined her on stage to perform a lively version of “Cocoon,” and together they enthusiastically sang and danced around during the track. Holly closed out her performance with her 2022 synth-pop song, “Scarlett,” as fans happily sang along to the lyrics through the end.
Del Water Gap
Another highlight of the weekend was Del Water Gap’s alluring performance. In a display of true showmanship, musician Samuel Holden Jaffe quickly had the entire festival singing along with him to tracks like “Better Than I Know Myself,” “Doll House,” and “All We Ever Do Is Talk.” His effortlessly cool style, simple but groovy visuals, and commanding stage presence (where he often switched between guitar, vocals, or a combination of both) completely enraptured the crowd and had them out of their seats singing every song. Ramping up the energy even more during his late afternoon set, he closed with the ever-popular viral hit, “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat.” Fans were absolutely enchanted throughout his entire performance, cheering long after he bowed and graciously left the stage.
MUNA
When the announcement that MUNA would be added to the lineup for day two, there was an incredible response of deafening cheers throughout the venue, and the anticipation was undoubtedly palpable as fans flocked to the Pavilion stage ahead of their set. The trio – Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson – appropriately opened with the iconic words “Lesbopalooza” (as the festival has been affectionately dubbed) flashing on the screen, and dived right into a setlist that spanned much of their discography. During an instrument change Katie questioned her decision to wear a high cut leotard, causing lots of laughter and cheering from the crowd. In front of an audience filled with pink cowgirl hats and other iconic fits (hello Statue of Liberty?!), MUNA dedicated a cover of “Good Luck, Babe!” in honor of Chappell Roan, as well as introduced, “A new song that Naomi had been working on the night before!” which humorously ended up being a cover of Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles.” Near the end of their performance, they paused to address the audience on a more serious note before the final tracks. “We want abolition, and we want the well-being of people, animals, and land to be prioritized above the well-being of the global market. We want total disarmament, and world peace now! And there shouldn’t be anything that’s controversial about saying that!” The crowd cheered more and more with each statement and they finally launched into the last two songs, “I Know a Place,” and “Silk Chiffon.”
Reneé Rapp
Reneé Rapp brought her explosive energy to the stage as one of the early headliners on day two. With a simple stage set up which enabled her to freely move around in her intricately layered outfit – complete with silver chain embellishments and trendy sunglasses – all eyes were on her. Her powerful vocals and charismatic stage presence were simply unmatched as she played a robust set list which included favorites like “Talk Too Much,” Mean Girls hit “Not My Fault,” “Willow,” and “Snow Angel.” As she moved into the latter half of her performance, Reneé introduced her younger brother Charles, and he joined her on stage with his guitar to perform “In The Kitchen.” Standing in the singular spotlight alongside her, Charlie lip synced throughout the heartfelt track, endearing him to the audience even more. Fans were ecstatic when a second special guest, Towa Bird, joined her on stage to perform the next song, “Tummy Hurts.” By the end of the track, they both were kneeling on the floor in an embrace, and with a whispered “I love you” between them, the couple shared a quick kiss to close out the song causing the crowd to go absolutely wild.
Check out our full gallery for more weekend highlights below:
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Review by Sarah Peter, photos by Hailey Collins (for Merriweather Post Pavilion & IMP Concerts) and Sarah Peter (for Melodic Magazine).
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