This past Saturday, the All Things Go Fall Classic brought life and music to Yards Park. The rain and slight chill was a perfect background to a day full of high energy, mostly electric-leaning acts, with the notable exception of rapper Ace Cosgrove. The constant rain and consequential mud pit did not get in the way of the raised spirits of the music festival, for the most part.
Cosgrove, who is from Gaithersburg, MD, started off ATG strong with dope beats and rapping. He brought a new-wave sound that made you feel like he is not the archetypal rapper; he made another appearance later in the day.
Sofi Tukker began the electric spiciness of the 10 hour day with their psychedelic dance resonance. The duo warmed up the crowd with their hits “Matadora” and “Drinkee”.
Pop ETC took the stage with energy that instantly clicked with everyone. When they were told they had 5 minutes left, they chose to play “What Am I Becoming?” – a decision that was deeply appreciated by the dancing crowd.
Bishop Briggs continued the electronic pop vibes with an underlying soulful feel to her songs. She made you forget that it was 3pm in the middle of the rain.
Unfortunately, that was not the case with Christine and the Queens. They did not perform because of a safety issue; the wet stage would have been too dangerous for their act, combined with all of the dancing. The empty hour was first filled with DJs; then, Sofi Tukker and Ace Cosgrove saved the day by returning to the stage and hyping up the crowd with a spontaneous set. Cosgrove’s crowd surfing was definitely one of the highlights of the festival.
Sylvan Esso cruised on the already pumped atmosphere. They shined with their new songs as well as fire releases, including “Coffee.” Passion Pit delivered their own hits as the crowd was at peak hype. Despite the mud pit threatening anyone who stepped into it, the music drew dancers that were willing to brave the shifty ground.
After a seemingly long time setting up, Empire of the Sun lit up the night with an entertainingly elaborate performance. The lights, liberal use of a fog machine, and lustrous production was the perfect way to end the festival.
The 10-hour music filled day was a welcome respite in the early autumn life of the city. All Things Go will hopefully continue to bring class acts to downtown Washington for many years to come.
Photo Credit: Empire of the Sun’s Facebook
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