By Victoria Dravis
For three days, Washington, D.C. forgot about politics and focused on the music.
All Things Go, an event production company, returned with its fourth annual Fall Classic held between Oct. 6-8. The music festival featured some of the biggest names in electronic, alternative, and hip-hop, including Foster the People, Galantis, Vince Staples, Bleachers, and Young Thug. Held behind Union Market in Northeast D.C. with only one stage, the venue was small enough to feel like you witnessed an intimate performance, but big enough to show off your dance skills, too.
Win and Woo kicked off the weekend, but jackLNDN was the first performance I made it to on Friday. The EDM artist electrified his audience, keeping everyone moving until the very end.
Once the sun had fully set and the moon was making an appearance, The Knocks, an electronic music duo (who also appeared at Madipalooza in 2016), took the stage by storm. The crowd came prepared, singing along to the words laid over catchy beats, growing especially loud when their popular single “Classic” closed the set.
By 10 p.m., the amount of people had doubled since I had first stepped into the festival — Galantis was set to close the day. For an hour and fifteen minutes, the pair of Swedish producers kept the audience’s attention with tracks off their newly released album “The Aviary,” along with fan favorites like “No Money” and “Runaway (U & I).”
The excitement from Friday carried over to Saturday, with a lineup consisting of mostly rap and hip-hop artists. Cashmere Cat, the only performer I saw on the second day (sorry, Kweku Collins and Vince Staples), wowed the audience with bright visuals and remixes of songs off his debut studio album “9.” With the day devoted mainly to hip-hop, the Norwegian DJ threw in Kanye West’s “Wolves” and Post Malone’s new single “rockstar” featuring 21 Savage.
Cashmere Cat performs at All Things Go in Washington, D.C.
Photo by Victoria Dravis
Sunday focused largely on the indie/alt. genre, presenting artists such as Foreign Air and Betty Who. Bleachers, the official stage name of Jack Antonoff, gave the crowd a raw performance, resembling an act that had been around for decades rather than a few years. Not relying on gimmicks like a blinding LED screen or auto-tuned microphones, Antonoff gave a pure indie-pop performance, slowing it down with an acoustic cover of “American Girl” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and then picking it up with songs like “Let’s Get Married” and “Don’t Take the Money,” the lead single from his new album “Gone Now.”
To end the Fall Classic with the most anticipated set of the weekend, Foster the People delivered an exceptional performance with lead singer Mark Foster’s vocals being the focal point. Playing a blend of songs from all three albums, the audience was treated to less popular tunes they may not have expected to hear, like “A Beginner’s Guide to Destroying the Moon” and “Life on the Nickel.” The band also chose to opt-out of playing their hit song “Pumped Up Kicks” and, instead, performed John Lennon’s “Love.”
Near the end of their show as it started to rain, Foster spoke about the recent events in Las Vegas and how their new album is meant to bring happiness to their listeners.
"Walking into the studio making 'Sacred Hearts Club,' it was important for us as artists to write a joyful record, but using joy as a weapon because joy is the best weapon against oppression,” Foster said to the large crowd in front of him. “It's the best weapon against depression."
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