Over the weekend of Sept. 30, I had the pleasure of attending the All Things Go music festival that took place on Saturday and Sunday in Columbia, Maryland, at the Merriweather Post Pavilion. About an hour outside of Washington, D.C., this independently run event attracted large crowds of avid indie music enjoyers, myself included! With an impressive lineup boasting almost exclusively queer and female performers (several of whom contribute to an overwhelming presence within my Spotify playlists), I had been anticipating these live performances from the second my friends and I purchased our general admission lawn passes. Thankfully, it was worth the wait; I was thoroughly impressed with all of the musicians I was lucky enough to witness perform live. Without further ado, here are my top five performances from the weekend!
5. Maggie Rogers
To start off my list, at number five, we have Maryland native, Maggie Rogers! As the final act of Saturday’s show, Rogers was the perfect closer for night one. I had listened to her 2022 album Surrender and was already a fan of some of those tracks, as well as older hits like “Light On” and “Fallingwater,” but witnessing Rogers’ incredible vocals and energizing stage presence has turned me into a much more avid listener. Our crowd was also lucky enough to hear her perform two unreleased songs, both of which will immediately be added to my playlist once they get officially released! As noted, Rogers grew up close to Columbia and made mention of going to concerts at the Merriweather Post Pavilion as a child, dreaming of the day she would headline there. Being there to witness this fantasy come full circle felt magical, solidifying Maggie Rogers’ spot in my top five from the weekend.
4. boygenius
Anybody who has had a conversation with me in the past year has probably heard me mention my adoration for Phoebe Bridgers, my current favorite music artist. Since getting into her discography, I have also become a diehard boygenius fan (Bridgers’ supergroup composed of Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, and herself). While I enjoyed everything that I could see (from near the back of the crowd) of their All Things Go set, I had a much better experience seeing their concert in New Haven a few days prior. Though the festival set felt more hurried and less personal than their Connecticut show, I am still extremely grateful to be able to witness this star trio perform twice in one week! I loved each and every song performed, though my favorite moment of their set had to be Bridgers belting her lyrics at the end of “Me & My Dog,” my most-loved song off of the group’s 2018 EP.
3. Lizzy McAlpine
As a fan of her 2022 album five seconds flat, I had been anticipating the “ceilings” singer’s set more than anyone else’s at All Things Go night one. The excitement was worth it: McAlpine’s performance exceeded all of my expectations. Dressed in a gorgeous earth-toned outfit, the singer-songwriter stunned me with her appearance, appreciation for the crowd, and of course, impressive vocals. As a surprise to the crowd, McAlpine decided at the last minute to perform a new song titled “Movie Star,” which sticks true to the artist’s mastery of vulnerable lyricism in the form of an acoustic ballad. She finished her set with “orange show speedway,” an upbeat tune (fittingly) recounting a day spent at a music festival, which ended up being one of my favorites from the entire weekend. Similar to Maggie Rogers, Lizzy McAlpine’s stage presence and beautiful delivery of her songs have already turned me into an even bigger fan of hers.
2. MUNA
Back in June of 2022, I saw MUNA as openers for Phoebe Bridgers and was immediately wowed by their charisma and energetic performances. After that, I became a much more devoted fan, which made the trio’s set one of my most highly anticipated. By leaving the boygenius set early to secure a good spot at MUNA’s stage (sorry boygenius!), my concert buddies and I were blessed with a perfect view of the group, composed of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson. The trio opened with “What I Want,” and followed with several hits from throughout their discography. Some of my favorite performances of the night were “No Idea,” “Home by Now,” “Anything But Me,” and, of course, their biggest hit, “Silk Chiffon.” “Kind of Girl” also stood out to me as Gavin dedicated the song about identity exploration and acceptance to the “trans cuties” in the audience, a wholesome remark that set the tone of LGBTQ+ appreciation for the festival as a whole.
1. Ethel Cain
Last but certainly not least, Ethel Cain’s performance takes the cake as my favorite segment of the weekend. After going through a huge Preacher’s Daughter (2022) phase a few months prior, I could not wait to hear her music live. Cain opened with “A House in Nebraska,” immediately introducing the tone of the rest of her hauntingly beautiful set. Going into Cain’s performance without an idea of her setlist set me up for a number of pleasant surprises, as I wasn’t expecting to hear both of my favorites off of her album, “Thoroughfare” and “Sun Bleached Flies,” back-to-back towards the end of her set. The latter of the two moved me the most; getting the opportunity to experience such a beautiful song live, focused on reflection and making peace with change, had me in tears the entire time. “Crush,” though in direct contrast with the heartfelt “Sun Bleached Flies” performance right before it, was the perfect end to her set, marked by a more energetic beat and personal interactions with fans at the front of the crowd. Overall, Ethel Cain provided all that I could ask for from a 50-minute set: her strong vocals, matched with an aesthetic set design, brought the Preacher’s Daughter experience to life in the best possible way.
my main takeaways
In summary, I would consider the trek from Connecticut to Maryland to be entirely worth being able to witness so many of my favorite artists live. Even beyond just the performers on this list, the entire festival was marked by good vibes, good people, and even better music. I’m excited to see who will be at next year’s All Things Go, and to (hopefully) be able to experience such a fun, carefree weekend yet again!
