WASHINGTON, D.C. — The dreary skies and stubborn rain didn’t stop All Things Go from going, or more accurately, gaying. Festivalgoers didn’t let the less-than-ideal weather conditions stop them from enjoying the two-day lineup packed with performers, dressing in beautiful, glittery outfits, and singing and dancing their hearts out. Sonic Hub got the chance to attend the sold-out two-day festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, an event a lot of attendees and media have referred to as ‘All Things Gay.’ The weekend was full of incredible music from almost every genres, many different kinds of artists, queer joy, and ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘fuck fascism’ chants (and lots of people falling victim to the muddy hills that essentially served as a Slip ‘N’ Slide.) From MUNA to Conan Gray, here are some of our favorite performances of the weekend.
SAMMY RAE AND THE FRIENDS
Sammy Rae and the Friends are a perfect festival band: maybe not too many people in attendance are familiar with them, but it doesn’t matter. The seven-piece goes above and beyond to entertain their audience on the main stage, and their folk and funk-influenced jazz-soul sound lends itself perfectly to elevating the rainy atmosphere of the first day of All Things Go. In a mere 45 minutes, lead singer and frontwoman Sammy Rae captivates festivalgoers with her beautifully crisp vocals, complete with a flawlessly-executed vocal growl, and her infectious and charismatic energy onstage, whether she’s rocking out on her own or hyping up her bandmates during their solos. This set is home to many of the most memorable instrumental moments of the weekend for me: the saxophone, flute, keytar, and congoes solos shocked me in the best way possible, and when it comes to festivals, pleasantly surprising the audience is as hugely important as it is difficult. Sammy Rae and the Friends have a uniquely distinct type of charm about them that I can only describe as the cool cousins that everyone looks up to. All seven of them command the stage with genuine kindness, carefree beauty, and raw musical talent, and that is a powerful combination onstage.
REMI WOLF
“This song is about a really big penis,” Remi Wolf deadpans to the jam-packed audience at the Chrysalis Stage, a one-liner that sums up both Wolf’s personality and the energy she and her band bring to All Things Go. Dressed casually in baggy jeans and camo baby tee with her glorious curls blowing in the wind, Wolf kicks off her set (literally) with the horns and whistles-filled disco-funk track ‘Cinderella’ and the similarly psychedelic ‘Pitiful.’ As she skips across the stage, screams her lungs out, and even leads the audience in some stretches and enrichment exercises, Wolf deftly leads her audience on a whimsical adventure through her discography, sprinkling in a few of her older songs, like ‘Sexy Villain’ and ‘Disco Man,’ between tracks off her most recent album, ‘Big Ideas.’ Wolf is a performer who demands attention onstage, it’s hard to take one’s eyes off her purely because of her unpredictability; during ‘Kangaroo,’ she throws her mic away, hops behind the drum set, and nearly effortlessly crushes a multi-minute drum solo; she improvises an entire song, complete with a groovy beat, about a scorpion; at one point, she even runs onto stage waving a giant bisexual flag on a pole. Remi Wolf is not only a powerhouse performer, she remains authentically and unseriously herself, not afraid to joke about penises, scream at the top of her lungs to add some flair to her vocals, or even randomly flash her audience at the end of her set. Her unhinged realness, staggering vocal talent, and youthful, give-zero-fucks personality make her a mesmerising and empowering force onstage.
JANELLE MONÁE
In what may have been the most impressive visual performance of the weekend, Janelle Monáe proves there is absolutely nothing they can’t do. With live graphics resembling a moving art piece playing on the giant screens behind them, Monáe enters the Chrysalis Stage draped in a cape made of flowers, complete with a flower crown, and jumps right into ‘Float’ and ‘Champagne Shit,’ rapping expertly while dancing in unison with her two backup dancers. (I cannot even begin to express how many times I thought to myself, ‘How can one person do so many things so well at the same time?’) Their performance feels less like a concert and more like an art display that celebrates queer and black culture; from the graphics to the multiple outfits to her music itself, it all feels like an immersive dive into Monáe’s brain. Themes of the performance range from gay and horny to righteous anger, and Monáe tackles different genres and varying tempos and subject matters of her songs in stride, almost effortlessly. Monáe dedicates her performance to the queer community, condemning anti-LGBTQ+ policies and urging her audience to practice love. Janelle Monáe’s existence as a queer, black, non-binary person is, unfortunately, political, but they navigate it expertly through their art and performance style, simultaneously using her platform and her songwriting skills to rage against the system and create beautiful music that showcases and celebrates queer joy.
MUNA
When Chappell Roan cancelled her set at All Things Go a mere two days before she was scheduled to perform, my immediate thought was, ‘Who can they possibly get to fill those shoes?’ and truly the only answer was MUNA. Katie Gavin, Naomi McPherson, and Josette Maskin thunder onto the main stage to ‘LESBOPALOOZA’ graphics flashing behind them, drawing the biggest and loudest crowd of the entire weekend for a non-headlining act. MUNA takes their audience on an expansive, immersive, and somewhat unpredictable journey through their diverse discography; from ’80s disco club-like track ‘What I Want’ and synth-filled ‘Solid’ to country pop-inspired ‘Taken’ and ‘Stayaway.’ MUNA also covers ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ as a tribute to Roan, as well as Vanessa Carlton’s ‘A Thousand Miles.’ Gavin precedes ‘I Know A Place,’ one of the band’s older songs, with a speech condemning the far-right and fascism, calling for abolition and the protection of queer rights, especially trans rights, to enthusiastic cheers of support from the audience. Of course, MUNA ends their set with ‘Silk Chiffon,’ and there’s something so beautifully queer and magical about singing, ‘She’s so soft, like silk chiffon’ with thousands of people. Diehard MUNA fans certainly leave having heard all their favorites, new and old, and those who aren’t as familiar with their discography walk away with a warm feeling of unity and a song or two stuck in their head.
CONAN GRAY
Conan Gray enters the Chrysalis Stage like a true rockstar. Dressed in a gorgeous metallic black-and-silver two piece outfit that looks like it could be straight (gay?) from Freddie Mercury’s closet, Gray emerges slowly from behind the smaug, enhanced by the misty rain that has plagued the festival both days, hitting the ground running with ’80s synth-laced ‘Fainted Love’ and ‘Never Ending Song.’ This performance may have had the most ‘for the true fans’ setlist of the weekend, featuring older, slower-paced, and more depressing songs of Gray’s, such as ‘Family Line,’ ‘The Cut That Always Bleeds,’ and ‘Heather,’ which are not exactly fun festival bangers. Despite the deeply emotional and sad subject matter of a lot of his songs, Gray is a shining star onstage, striking rockstar poses, dancing freely, and pouring his heart and soul into his vocal performance. He’s also massively funny, engaging with the audience as if he is close personal friends with every one of them. (At one point, he says the weather is ‘so Twilight-coded,’ and proceeds to have the audience vote for Team Edward or Team Jacob.) One of the few headliners to have an encore, Gray floats back onstage and finishes his set with a powerfully emotional performance of the tragic ballad ‘Alley Rose.’ His painfully raw performance of the heartbreaking lyrics, ‘But I swore hands were made for fighting; I swore eyes were made to cry; But you’re the first person that I’ve seen; Who’s proven that might be a lie.’ Conan Gray’s performance at this festival is a love letter to his fans and to himself, a testament of all he’s endured and what it took to get him where he is. Regardless of how familiar one is with his story or his music, one cannot help but feel as if the right person was made famous.
Words by Allyson Park
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